I met Jimmy Stewart in the mid 80’s when I worked for a group of physicians in LA. I was star struck as in my 20’s I loved old movies and he was one of my favorites. He didn’t disappoint- drove an old Volvo and was just as kind as he seemed in “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “The Philadelphia Story”.
As a Westerner myself, watching Liberty Valance is very hard. Despite the good Dr. Esolen's recommendation, I can agree with his note that this is a film that shows the high cost of civilization. But for a Westerner who is now witnessing the absolute loss of Liberty not just in the West but throughout the nation, without the care of a perpetually drunken press, or of the beautiful but ultimately stupid population, at the hands of any schmuck willing to use it for power... it is what my husband and I consider to be one of the hardest movies to watch. A very tragic western indeed.
Sure, unbridled liberty is deadly, but we have killed liberty. What now? Its enough to make one burn one's hope for the future as John Wayne himself does.
As Wayne says in the classic "Chisum", in response to Mr. Pepper saying there is no law west of Dodge and no God west of the Pecos: "Wrong, Mr. Pepper. Because no matter where people go, sooner or later there's the law. And sooner or later they find God's already been there."
I met Jimmy Stewart in the mid 80’s when I worked for a group of physicians in LA. I was star struck as in my 20’s I loved old movies and he was one of my favorites. He didn’t disappoint- drove an old Volvo and was just as kind as he seemed in “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “The Philadelphia Story”.
As a Westerner myself, watching Liberty Valance is very hard. Despite the good Dr. Esolen's recommendation, I can agree with his note that this is a film that shows the high cost of civilization. But for a Westerner who is now witnessing the absolute loss of Liberty not just in the West but throughout the nation, without the care of a perpetually drunken press, or of the beautiful but ultimately stupid population, at the hands of any schmuck willing to use it for power... it is what my husband and I consider to be one of the hardest movies to watch. A very tragic western indeed.
Sure, unbridled liberty is deadly, but we have killed liberty. What now? Its enough to make one burn one's hope for the future as John Wayne himself does.
As Wayne says in the classic "Chisum", in response to Mr. Pepper saying there is no law west of Dodge and no God west of the Pecos: "Wrong, Mr. Pepper. Because no matter where people go, sooner or later there's the law. And sooner or later they find God's already been there."
Yes, beautifully put