Wednesday, June 19, 2013

OLDIE GOLDIES: Shane (1953)

This week on Oldie Goldies I highlight a classic Western - "Shane". This heartfelt film tells the story of a community of homesteaders struggling to protect their homes and land from a tyrannical rancher. The title character is a mysterious man who comes to help one family in particular. Although its production values may seem dated now, this is a solid adaptation of a deceptively complex novel. The film went on to earn 6 Oscar nominations, winning Best Cinematography alongside nods for Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Picture and 2 nods for Best Supporting Actor (Brandon De Wilde and Jack Palance).



Classic Quote
"Shane! Shane! Come back!"



Classic Scene
"Shane, Come Back!"


Classic Characters
Shane (Alan Ladd)

Jack Wilson (Jack Palance)

Joey Starrett (Brandon De Wilde)


Classic Music 

Did you know?
The McBain family funeral scene in the Sergio Leone epic Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) is borrowed almost shot-for-shot from the funeral scene in Shane.

3 comments:

  1. LOL, I hated this movie. In fact, everything outside of Heflin's performance. This is one of those stuffy westerns that has a reputation that makes little sense to me. De Wilde gives one of the most excruciating child performances I've ever seen :-P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can see where you're coming from. It actually took me 2 viewings to watch this. I struggled with the tone (as I said, it feels dated) on the first watch. The 2nd time, I decided I was going to evaluate without modern expectations and it really helped.

      I had vivid memories of this book from high school and that also helped my appreciation of the film. It captures a lot of the strong elements from the novel.

      Delete