IMDb >
Shane (1953)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsShane (1953) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 21 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 2) |
          |
|
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
24 September 1953 (Italy)
more
Tagline:
The Greatest Story Of the West Ever Filmed [re-release] more
Plot:
A weary gunfighter attempts to settle down with a homestead family, but a smoldering settler/rancher conflict forces him to act. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Won Oscar.
Another 2 wins
&
9 nominations
more
NewsDesk:
(6 articles)
AFI's 100 Years ...100 Movie Quotes
(From Extra. 4 November 2009, 4:45 AM, PST)
Reminder & Guest Update: Free Grace screening Tomorrow!
(From Fangoria. 10 June 2009, 11:25 PM, PDT)
(From Extra. 4 November 2009, 4:45 AM, PST)
Reminder & Guest Update: Free Grace screening Tomorrow!
(From Fangoria. 10 June 2009, 11:25 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Shane is a beautifully photographed film with excellent performances.
more (186 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Alan Ladd | ... | Shane |
 | Jean Arthur | ... | Marian Starrett |
 | Van Heflin | ... | Joe Starrett |
 | Brandon De Wilde | ... | Joey Starrett |
 | Jack Palance | ... | Jack Wilson (as Walter Jack Palance) |
 | Ben Johnson | ... | Chris Calloway |
| Edgar Buchanan | ... | Fred Lewis |
| Emile Meyer | ... | Rufus Ryker |
| Elisha Cook Jr. | ... | Frank 'Stonewall' Torrey |
| Douglas Spencer | ... | Axel 'Swede' Shipstead |
| John Dierkes | ... | Morgan Ryker |
| Ellen Corby | ... | Mrs. Liz Torrey |
| Paul McVey | ... | Sam Grafton |
| John Miller | ... | Will Atkey, bartender |
| Edith Evanson | ... | Mrs. Shipstead |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
118 min | West Germany:90 min (cut version)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
West Germany:12 (f) |
New Zealand:G |
Finland:K-16 |
Norway:16 (1953) |
Sweden:15 |
USA:Approved (certificate #15895) |
UK:PG (2003) |
UK:U (1960) (cut) |
Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) |
Canada:PG |
Australia:G
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Katharine Hepburn was originally suggested for the role of Marian.
more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Shane enters the saloon the first time, a table on the left side of the screen has a bottle on it, between a little glass and a big one. Thereafter the bottle disappears and reappears from one shot to another.
more
Quotes:
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Pod People (#4.3)" (1991)
more
Soundtrack:
I Ride an Old Paint (I'm A-Leavin' Cheyenne)
more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (186 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Shane (1953) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Gone with the Wind | Giant | Home from the Hill | The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford | Die Blechtrommel |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |
Shane is an awesome film. Loyal Griggs' cinematography uses the Grand Teton Mountains as a scenic backdrop in framing a simple story of ranchers vs. homesteaders in early Wyoming. Alan Ladd stars as the enigmatic gunfighter named Shane. Ladd has seldom been better. He sides with a homesteader family (Van Heflin, Jean Arthur and Brandon DeWilde) against local ranchers named Ryker (Elisha Meyer and John Dierkes). The Rykers hire a gunfighter (Jack Palance) from Cheyenne to drive off the homesteaders. Shane tries to put down his gun and start a new life, but the plot inevitably forces him to a fateful climax with the Rykers and the hired gun.
The film has a darkly realistic look. Grafton's saloon is dark and moody, far different from the brightly lit and colorful dance halls in other Westerns. The film is alternately bright and dark. The sadistic killing of the homesteader by the gunfighter is a dark moment even though it occurs in broad daylight. Director George Stevens took advantage of an afternoon thunderstorm and plenty of mud to make one of the most memorable scenes in the movie. The thunder provides an appropriate backdrop to the confrontation between Torrey (Elisha Cook, Jr.) and the gunfighter. This is little more than an execution and the gunfighter goes about his business with a cool, detached professionalism. Although small, Jack Palance's performance as the gunfighter from Cheyenne is one of the most memorable in the film.
Shane's background provides plenty of questions but few answers. "Where will you go", Marian Starret (Jean Arthur) asks. "One place or another. ..someplace I've never been," Shane says. All we know is that he's a gunfighter. It becomes clear that he knows about gunfighting. He's even heard of the gunfighter hired by Ryker. Chris Calloway (Ben Johnson) and another cowboy are playing cards in Grafton's saloon when Shane walks in. Calloway starts to pick a fight. The other man gets up and says "Deal me out. . .Let's just say I'm superstitious." Does he know Shane? More than likely he does, but we'll never know for sure. Shane's mysteriousness is one of the film's strengths.
This is a film about personal relationships. Shane and Joe Starret (Van Heflin) become friends. The relationship between Shane and Marian Starret defies description. Is it love? Respect? Whatever it is, it becomes clear in the late moments of the film that her husband has observed it, too. There is also a close bond between Shane and Little Joe Starret (Brandon DeWilde). The film is told through the eyes of the boy.
This is a film about good and evil, but good and evil sometimes overlap. Jack Palance represents evil. His black hat, black gloves and black vest leave little doubt which side he's on. The Rykers are bad, but they are not all bad. Rufe (Emile Meyer) tries to make a deal with Starret and speaks with sincerity and feeling about his right to the range. The homesteaders are good, but one of them, Torrey, is a hot head. Shane is a good guy. Or is he? Marian Starret tells him in one memorable scene that she won't be happy until all the guns are out of the valley--"even yours". Shane realizes this. Despite his attempts to start a new life, he tells Brandon DeWilde after the final showdown at Grafton's: "Tell your mother that there are no more guns in the valley."
The image of death stalks through this film in many forms. The scene where the gunfighter rides into town makes it clear that he is the messenger of death. Shane tells Marian Starret that "a gun is a tool", but she knows that it is an engine of death. "Guns aren't going to be my boys life," she says. The scene where Shane shows Little Joe how to shoot demonstrates the power of the gun. The shooting of the homesteader in the dark, muddy street is followed by his burial in a cemetery on a bright, sunny day set against the grandeur of the mountains. In the final frame Shane rides out of the valley and through that same cemetery. Death once again rides a horse.
I really enjoy Victor Young's musical score. The opening melody, "Call of the Faraway Hills", has been frequently recorded and is only a little less familiar than "The Magnificent Seven". It is unfortunate that no-one has seen fit to make the score for this film available to collectors. I keep hoping.
Shane is a memorable film with fine performances. The story of cattlemen vs. homesteaders is a familiar one, but it is told here with originality and feelings. The characters, whether good or bad, are vivid and deep. I'll never get tired of watching it. I only wish they'd make a wide-screen version available.