Film Forum

U.S., 1953
Directed by George Stevens
Based on story by Jack Schaefer
With Jean Arthur, Alan Ladd, Van Heflin, Brandon deWilde
Approx. 118 min. 4K DCP.

Sodbusters vs. cowpunchers through the eyes of a child: Brandon De Wilde watches wide-eyed as father Van Heflin, aided by Alan Ladd’s Mysterious Stranger, squares off against ranchers’ hired gun Jack Palance. Stevens’ painstaking and elaborate production stressed both realism and the archetypal iconography of the traditional Western. With Oscar® winning Technicolor cinematography and Jean Arthur in her final role, as the Shane-smitten frontier wife.

Presented with support from the Ada Katz Fund for Literature in Film

Reviews

“Wyoming's scenic splendors against which the story is filmed are breathtaking. Sunlight, the shadow of rain storms, and the eerie lights of night play a realistic part in making the picture a visual treat.”
– Variety