JULY 27 :: SHANE
When I was a young lad, seeing the original release of SHANE made an indelible impression on me which I carry to this day. The idea of a mysterious stranger and the idolization of a young boy had already been implanted in me two-years earlier with THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL...another bonafide classic in a different film genre. Over 65-years later, the former is still my all-time personal favorite WESTERN and the latter my favorite SCIENCE FICTION film.
Adapted from the 1949 novel by Jack Schaefer, producer-director George Stevenshas created A timeless classic—certainly one of the five finest Western films ever produced. A mysterious gunman rides into a Wyoming valley and helps the homesteaders in their fight against the cattle barons. During his stay, deep friendships and hero-worship are developed. It is, at its heart, a coming of age story about a young boy. It is also, a near-perfect film, built firmly in the romantic tradition, but brilliantly evoking the feeling of frontier life in the American West during the 1880s. Additionally, it is a film of rich character development and many memorable sequences and set pieces, all showcased in magnificent and Oscar-winning TECHNICOLOR. Filmed on location in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Many productions have been influenced by this important film, including Clint Eastwood’s Pale Rider (1985) and Sam Mendes’ Road to Perdition (2002).
Starring: Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon De Wilde, Ben Johnson, (Walter) Jack Palance.
