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THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE – My Blog

If I’m being honest, when choosing to settle down with a good old western, I usually choose to pick the more stylised, epic works of Sergio Leone or more grittier fare like Sam Peckinpah’s open exit wound of a movie, The Wild Bunch. However, it would be hideously remiss of me to ignore the more stately classics that forgore the blood and dust in favour of honour and dignity; furthermore it would also mean losing out on a sizable chunk of the filmography of the legendary John Ford and that of the Duke himself, the one and only John Wayne.Arguably one the best of their collaborations (if not one of the best westerns of its generation) is The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, a movie that fuses old school, six shooter heroics with a genuine attempt to bring civility to a lawless land.


A movie of staggering nobility, you wouldn’t be a million miles off suggesting that The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is the Western equivalent of Casablanca. After all, both ultimately hinge on a cynical man who knows how to follow the rules of a lawless society who gives up his meager dreams in order to help a rival in love for a cause bigger than himself, but Ford weaves politics into the story to suggest that the act of bringing down a chronic ass-hat like Valance is imperative for cilivised life to get its first toe hold in a town like Shinbone – something that ironically is the very opposite of what the upright Stoddard is trying to achieve.Both men, Stoddard and Doniphon, are forced to face ideals directly opposed to their cherished world views while Valance (played by the typically angry brows of a swaggering Lee Marvin) is a symbol of a time that has to pass if the world is to move on – even if it takes one last cold blooded act of the old world to galvanise it into being.Wayne is almost a supporting player as he stares bemused at the idealistic Stoddard’s refusal to give up in the face of Valance’s petty tyranny, but he’s a perfect counterpoint to the passionate decency that James Stewart always seemed to project so well and it is he who is actually the gatekeeper who allows al.ost everything to occur even if it means that his way of life is slowly rendered obsolete by it. It’s a stubbornly subtle performance lurking under Wayne’s usual trademark bluster but it’s incredibly affecting as he plows the moral road in secret in order for the greater good to flourish.

However, despite giving us a western that contains precious little of the kind of action you’d usually expect to see from a movie with “shot” in the title, the movie ends up being riveting stuff and Ford loads the movie with eccentric townsfolk who are every bit as three dimentional as the leads. Be it Peabody, the drunkenly verbose newspaper reporter or Link, the cowardly marshal whose belly makes him look like a giant capital D, everyone has a part to play and even the smallest of roles has significance (hello Lee Van Cleef as one of Valance’s henchmen).

In fact, if you need even further proof as to how well The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance hits you right in the feels with its deadshot aim, it’s all there in the opening scene. As everyone sits by Tom’s coffin, we have no idea how any of them got here or even who the hell Tom actually is and yet you’re utterly gutted even before the film has truly started. If that wasn’t enough, John Ford ballsily tells us that no matter what we’re about to see, we’ll already know that both Stoddard and Doniphon will not only both survive but Hallie ends up with the younger man – and yet even though we know everyone’s eventual destination, we are still utterly hooked on their journey; now if that isn’t the mark of true storytelling genius, I don’t know what is….

At one point someone utters the legendary phrase, “when the legend becomes fact, print the legend”, which are arguably the most relevant words I’ve ever heard spoken in a Western (well, that and everytime Wayne calls someone “Pilgrim”), and that’s exactly what The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is – the Old West forcibly dragging itself into the modern world off the back of it’s own legend – but when it comes to sheer, cinematic decency that’ll rock you to your emotional core, Ford’s classic can easily match Casablanca and To Kill A Mockingbird to the draw…

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A wedding is a celebration of love between two people who choose to spend their lives together. It marks the start of a new journey filled with shared experiences, personal growth, and mutual support.

A wedding is a happy time for the whole family to come together. From saying vows to sharing the first dance, weddings are full of special moments that create lasting memories. These memories are cherished by the couple and their loved ones for years.

When planning their wedding, couples carefully consider every detail to make sure it’s perfect. From choosing the venue to picking the décor and theme, weddings show the couple’s unique love story.

However, in trying to give their guests a unique experience, some couples do strange things. Whether they regret it when they look back at their wedding photos years later, we don’t know. But we do know that some weddings are so awkward they make us question the bride and groom’s sanity, while others are so fun they make us smile.

Check out the video below to see some of the most interesting weddings you’ve ever seen.

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Sydney Sweeney hits back at horrific body shaming comments on viral pictures with incredible response

Sydney Sweeney has posted an Instagram video which included body shaming comments

Sydney Sweeney has hit back at horrific body shaming comments she’s received online with an incredible response.

For famous faces, social media can be an extremely toxic place, and it’s why we’ve seen some celebrities reduce their online presence as a result.

Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney has become the subject of body shaming comments in recent times, and she responded to these on Instagram in the best possible way.

The actor posted a shot clip that began with screenshots of a bunch of body shaming comments she’s received online, including some calling her ‘quite frumpy’, ‘very chunky’ and ‘tubby’.

Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell discuss chemistry
After many screenshots of horrible comments were shown on screen, the video cut to Sweeney in her training gear at the gym.

The video cut to a sign that said ‘hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard’ as Sweeney worked hard with a trainer, struck a punching bag and even flipped a large tire in what looked like an extremely intense workout.

Many have flocked to the comments section of the Instagram video to praise Sweeney for her response to the trolls.

“I will never understand the hate in people‘s hearts when it comes to leaving comments like this,” one person commented.

A second added: “Ngl why do people feel entitled to talk about someone’s body specially someone you don’t personally know,” while a third remarked: “No one has the right or reason to make comments on anyones body, ever.”

Meanwhile, Lili Reinhart penned: “It’s always wild to see people publicly out themselves as pieces of shit with comments like that. You look incredible and your dedication to your project is very inspiring.”

The video actually concluded with the name ‘Christy Martin’ being shown on the screen, which is a nod to Sweeney’s upcoming biopic where she plays a famed female boxer.

Boxing fans will likely know Martin is a is a former professional boxer who earned herself the WBC female super welterweight title in 2009.

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‘Australia’s most sexually active woman’ reveals outrageous bedroom goal for 2025

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Knight also noted that some of the men involved in Phillips’ session were reportedly rude to her, emphasizing that dealing with negativity can be challenging in any profession.

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