SHANE (1953) - ♦♦♦♦

Directed by - George Stevens

 

Written by - A.B. Guthrie, Jack Sher (based on the novel by Jack Schaefer)

 

Starring - Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brendon De Wilde, Jack Palance

 

 

 

"Lonesome rider seeking refuge from his difficult past finds it in a family of homesteaders, whose community is put under threat by a vicious man wanting to expand his ranch. Shane is a landmark western mostly due to its pacifist politics that heavily differentiates this from the conventional perspective on the American western genre. There is also no doubt about the fact that its titular character, played by Alan Ladd, is among the most honourable and righteous ever committed to celluloid. Still, in spite of its preachings in pacifism, it remains tense and politically aware – in its way it was quietly promoting and sticking up wor workers rights, a touchy viewpoint at the time of Shane’s release."

 

 

Western, USA