- Location: AFI Silver Theatre
- Jimmy Stewart is probably the only actor in the world who could convincingly argue that Liberty Valance should not be shot. Similarly, Lee Marvin is one of the few actors who could play a villain so despicable, and John Wayne is the only person who could...well, that would be giving away the film's ending. Simply put, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is one of those miracles of casting and characterization that elevates an otherwise decent Western to the level of a truly memorable film.
- In this film, John Wayne and John Ford team up for the last time to present a new take on Western justice. The basic plot, delivered in flashback, revolves around Ransom Stoddard's (Stewart) rise from dishwasher to senator, which he accomplishes mostly by becoming identified as the title character. Along the way, he delivers several heavy-handed civics lessons to the audience and, while the speeches themselves are a bit gratuitous, who better to deliver them than Stewart? Of course, his other accomplishment is winning the affections of Hallie (Vera Miles), a task severely complicated by the fact that she is initially attached to Tom Donophon (John Wayne), a sincere but rough local rancher. Considering that in the course of this film Stoddard steals John Wayne's girlfriend and gets in a gunfight with Lee Marvin, it is truly miraculous that he survives to tell the tale. The major reveal at the end of the movie is well-handled, although no aspect of the film's plot is as interesting as the characters that act it out.
- The classic Western is a study in exaggeration, and this film in particular is well-described by superlatives. Liberty's gang of outlaws, for example, is one of the most ruthless in the genre. When Lee Van Cleef is the voice of moderation in a gang, brother you are in trouble. Likewise, Donophon is the toughest man imaginable, Stoddard the most idealistic, and the delightful Marshal (Andy Devine) the most lily-livered. The result is a collection of performances that combine to create a wonderful Western drama, and that's no exaggeration.
- In addition to the cast members listed above, this film also features Strother Martin, John Carradine, Edmond O'Brien, and even Denver Pyle, who played Uncle Jesse in The Dukes of Hazzard.
- Surely this is the film responsible for countless John Wayne impressions since he uses the term "pilgrim" multiple times to describe Stoddard.
