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13/04/1962 Western 2h 3m
78
User score

Together for the first time

Overview

Questions arise when Senator Stoddard attends the funeral of a local man named Tom Doniphon in a small Western town. Flashing back, we learn Doniphon saved Stoddard, then a lawyer, when he was roughed up by a crew of outlaws terrorizing the town, led by Liberty Valance. As the territory's safety hung in the balance, Doniphon and Stoddard, two of the only people standing up to him, proved to be very important, but different, foes to Valance.

  1. John Ford

    Director

Top billed cast

  1. John Wayne

    Tom Doniphon

  2. James Stewart

    Ransom Stoddard

  3. Vera Miles

    Hallie Stoddard

  4. Lee Marvin

    Liberty Valance

  5. Edmond O'Brien

    Dutton Peabody

  6. Andy Devine

    Link Appleyard

  7. Ken Murray

    Doc Willoughby

  8. John Carradine

    Cassius Starbuckle

  9. Jeanette Nolan

    Nora Ericson

  10. View more

Full Cast & Crew

Reviews

A review by badelf
Written by badelf on 2026-05-03
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

Directed by John Ford

Well, it is an old Western, so it's all about bullies, and how they invariably lose to a more powerful bully. Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) terrorizes the town with violence; he's replaced by lawyers, politicians, and the machinery of government. Same power dynamics, more sophisticated weapons. The famous line "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend" isn't inspiring, it's cynical. The film is about how America built its mythology on lies, how the people who write history aren't necessarily the heroes they claim to be.
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Status
Released

Original Language
English

Budget
$3,200,000.00

Revenue
$8,000,000.00

Keywords