Shane (1953)

A weary gunfighter attempts to settle down with a homestead family, but a smoldering settler/rancher conflict forces him to act.

Director:

George Stevens

Writers:

A.B. Guthrie Jr. (screenplay), Jack Sher (additional dialogue)

Stars:

Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 10 nominations.

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.	...	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

Storyline

Shane rides into a conflict between cattleman Ryker and a bunch of settlers, like Joe Starrett and his family, whose land Ryker wants. When Shane beats up Ryker's man Chris, Ryker tries to buy him. Then Shane and Joe take on the whole Ryker crew. Ryker sends to Cheyenne for truly evil gunslinger Wilson. Shane must clear out all the guns from the valley.

---

Plot Keywords:

admired by a child | drink thrown into someone's face | cemetery | bare chested male | settler | 

---

Taglines:

There never was a man like SHANE. There never was a motion picture like SHANE.

---

Genres:

Drama | Western

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 October 1953 (France)

Also Known As:

George Stevens' Production of Shane

Filming Locations:

Teton Range, Wyoming, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,100,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min 90 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording) 3 Channel Stereo (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although the movie is generally remembered for its blue sky vistas, the weather was actually cloudy or rainy for a great deal of the shoot. However, if you look beyond the mud in the town, you can see that the ground is dry. Obviously, part of the town had been watered down.

---

Goofs

In the early scene at the saloon where Shane gets the drink spilled on him, his shirt is wet/dry/wet between shots.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Joey: Somebody's comin', Pa!
Joe Starrett: Well, let him come.

---

Crazy Credits

Introducing Brandon De Wilde

---

Alternate Versions

The film was shot in Academy Ratio (1.33:1 or 4:3), but this was done around the time widescreen filmmaking was coming around. As such, many theatres cropped the film into a widescreen ratio to take advantage of this, with many DVDs being cropped as well. The 2013 Blu-ray Disc release is in the proper Academy Ratio.

---

Connections

Referenced in Soldier (1998)

---

Soundtracks

I Ride an Old Paint (I'm A-Leavin' Cheyenne)
(uncredited)
Words and Music by Frank Goodwin, ca. 1875
Played and sung by many at a meeting

User Reviews

A Western to haunt the memory.

A gunslinger, a farmer, a wife, a little boy, a dog, and some dastardly villains....

I first saw "Shane" from the back seat of a '51 Ford, at a drive-in theater somewhere in Montana. The movie was new, and I was about 4 years old. From that time, I remember quiet male voices and the ring of spurs. Those sounds have lived in my mind for decades.

"Shane" is a classic -- no, not a bang-bang shoot-em-up B Western, but it is a solid Western that gives fans of the genre some something to think about besides "they went thataway." The scenery (Jackson Hole, Wyoming) is grand and was even moreso on the big screen. When well known Western novelist A.B. Guthrie wrote the screenplay, he kept fairly faithful to Jack Schaefer's novel. The movie makes a reasonable attempt, for that time, to look authentic in costume and gear, and gives fans of the movies of the '40s and '50s some interesting cinematic moments (see the small things, like how the camera was used to make Alan Ladd seem more "heroic").

I'd probably recast some of the secondary roles, if I had the chance, but Ladd's soft-spoken, gentlemanly way is just right for Shane, and Jack Palance is subtly evil.

Yes, "Shane" contains a few clichés, but they weren't yet quite so cliché, in 1953. Besides, they were well done clichés, so, while you may recognize them, you probably won't mind them.

But, what's "Shane" about, exactly?...

Courage. Loyalty. Honor. Friendship.

It will leave you wishing you knew what happened next.