#45 - Shane

Tonight at the fireworks, I was talking to my grandfather about some of the Westerns I've been watching, and when I mentioned this 1953 film, he knew exactly what I was talking about.

"That little boy thought Shane was all there is," he said. "And he was a pretty good guy."

That pretty much sums it all up. The story of a man who comes to town with no past and no future, leaving an indelible mark, "Shane" is known by many as the ultimate Western. Its landscape and cinematography are breathtaking; the widescreen aspect ratio (1.66:1 for all of the nerds) gives the scenery just the touch it needs.

A group of homesteaders is pressured by the local agricultural big-wigs to abandon their plots of land and move on. Living in an isolated town with the nearest law authorities only a hundred miles away, the villagers' conflict comes to a head after Shane arrives on horseback and changes everything.

First of all, who can resist the undertones of the love between Shane and the matriarch of the film, Marian, played by Jean Arthur. Shane, played by Alan Ladd, is a younger, more virile version of her husband, and their romantic tension is obvious and intoxicating.

Shane also changes everything with the homesteaders and their current occupational struggles. He has the ability to stand up for the independence of each individual man and his family, getting into epic fights in saloons and starting gun fights on the outskirts of town.

And then there's Joey. Eleven years old, Joey idolizes Shane and all that he stands for. Longing for a lift with no obligations and basically nothing to live for. As my grandfather said, Joey thought Shane was all there was -- the ultimate person, the ultimate man: someone his father was not.

"Shane" soars as the Western with a heart of gold. All of the performances were classic, especially the Confederate soldier Frank "Stonewall" Torrey, who is almost always accompanied by a Civil War tune. From the Oscar-winning cinematography to the winning story about standing up against the man, this movie is what Westerns should be and used to be all about.