Shane (1953)

Set in Wyoming territory not long after the Civil War. A homesteader (Van Heflin) struggles to build his ranch up while being intimidated by a cattleman (Emile Meyer) who wants his land. Enter a drifter (Alan Ladd), who will be a savior to the homesteaders. Based on the novel by Jack Schaefer and directed by George Stevens (GIANT). I'm not a big fan of Stevens' post WWII films and SHANE is no exception. I don't dislike it, it's well done for what it is but it's nowhere near as great as its reputation (it pops up near the top of just about every list of great westerns) would have you believe. After WWII, Stevens seemed to want to make only "important" films rather than the wonderful entertainments (like SWING TIME and GUNGA DIN) that he made before the war. So SHANE couldn't be just an ordinary western, it had to be mythic! As Shane, Alan Ladd is rather sweet and his scenes with young Brandon De Wilde are lovely but Jean Arthur (this was her last feature film) as Heflin's wife seems ill at ease. Victor Young's overblown score only adds to the pomposity but Loyal Griggs' Oscar winning color cinematography was justly praised. With Jack Palance, Ben Johnson, Edgar Buchanan, Nancy Kulp and Elisha Cook Jr.