Placed at #3 on the American Film Institute's list of the Best Western Films, Shane (1953) also goes beyond it's genre and ranks up amongst the best films ever made. Directed by George Stevens, the film is a technical marvel to watch, with Oscar-winning cinematography and creative camera use. Despite being shot in the standard aspect ratio, Shane was chosen as the first film to be projected using the new flat widescreen format... it's vistas and sets consistently compelling throughout. Although they were not the director's first choices, the cast delivers all-around stellar, and now-classic performances, including Alan Ladd, Jack Palance, Van Heflin, Ben Johnson and Jean Arthur.
A stranger, skilled with a gun, and calling himself Shane (Alan Ladd) rides into an area of Wyoming...
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| Shane. 1953: Alan Ladd |
He meets Joe Starrett (Van Heflin) and his family...
Shane finds work with Joe...
but gets in the middle of an ongoing conflict between Joe and the mean, powerful rancher Rufus Ryker (Emile Meyer)...
Not beaten, Ryker hires a master gunslinger named Wilson (Jack Palance) to finish the job...
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| Shane. 1953: Jack Palance |
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Now Shane has a difficult fight and an equally hard choice to make...
