Questions arise when Senator Stoddard (James Stewart) attends the funeral of a local man named Tom Doniphon (John Wayne) in a small Western town. Flashing back, we learn Doniphon saved Stoddard, then a lawyer, when he was roughed up by a crew of outlaws terrorizing the town, led by Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). As the territory’s safety hung in the balance, Doniphon and Stoddard, two of the only people standing up to him, proved to be very important, but different, foes to Valance.

For thoughts on The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/1oRS_Cepfbk?t=1178]

Video Quality

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance appears on 4K UHD Blu-Ray newly restored in 2160p/Dolby Vision which is a monumental improvement over the old Blu-Ray despite having a few issues. If you have yet to see how a classic film can benefit from a proper 4K presentation, you are in for a treat. This presentation is extremely impressive in many respects. The black and white cinematography is gorgeous with smooth gradients and subtle textures. Black levels are appropriately deep with great nuance that has often been lost before. The transfer also eradicates any dust specks or print damage that previously plagued the best surviving elements. This picture showcases some excellent depth to the image which gives way to a pleasing sense of scale within the locale. This transfer is a fine showcase of textural details in the costumes and production design. You will feel like you can almost reach out and touch some of the elements on screen with the amount of detail on display.

While the transfer has way more good qualities than bad, there are elements that keep this from being reference-level. The biggest mark against this film is the grain management that robs the film of some of its natural filmic nature. There is a very fine layer of grain throughout most of the film, but it is not quite to the textural level that you expect from a classic Western tale. The management is far from the travesty we have seen on some discs, but some scenes are smoother than we would like. Optical shots likewise showcase a downturn in quality due to the production technique, but thankfully they have not been blasted with even more noise reduction to try to “fix” this. The disc also features some intermittent dodgy compression which results in some digital noise against certain backgrounds, especially skies. Although, due to the nature of Ford’s compositions, this is not given much of a chance to happen. In the end, your experience with this disc will depend on how sensitive you are to these issues. This disc is tremendous in many respects, and by far the best we have seen on physical media, but some eagle-eyed viewers might not be so keen on the digital tinkering. Paramount has released a disc that will be loved by most but critiqued by some. You have to judge for yourself.

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with both a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack and Dolby Digital 2.0 restored mono track in English that handle this material well. The expanded 5.1 track is pleasing enough for those solely looking to engage more of their speakers, but the go-to track for most fans will be the mono track that captures the original intention of the film. The track does not feature constant kinetic activity, but it comes alive during key scenes in a brilliant way. The environmental sounds such as the chattering of guests at the restaurant and gunshots are rendered well alongside everything else. There does not seem to be any majorly noticeable instances of age-related wear and tear. The score from Cyril J. Mockridge is used perfectly to establish the mood of the story, and this track handles it elegantly throughout the duration of the film. There is never a moment where it threatens to overwhelm competing sounds, and it maintains a good balance so that dialogue comes through clearly. Paramount has given this film a nicely preserved audio presentation that brings the movie to life in a way that fans should appreciate.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: The late, great Peter Bogdanovich delivers a very thoughtful and informative commentary track intermixed with his archival recordings with Director John Ford and Actor James Stewart. Bogdanovich was as much of a film historian as he was a filmmaker, and he offers a ton of great insights into the creative process including the thematic meaning behind certain lines, shot compositions, plot developments and more. This track is great at putting Ford’s career into perspective and underlining how this later Western fits into everything. The interviews with Ford and Stewart offer some brief personal insights that are likewise very engrossing and enhance your enjoyment of the picture.

Filmmaker Focus – Leonard Maltin On The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: A new eight-minute piece with film critic Leonard Maltin in which he discuss the career of John Ford, his style as a director, how this film fits into the filmography, teaming up with collaborators familiar to the director, the production of the film, the film’s reception and legacy, and more.

Selected Scene Commentary: Seven scenes totaling 25 minutes featuring the archival recordings of Dan Ford, John Ford’s grandson, in which he interviews John Ford and Lee Marvin about the film which leads to some really intriguing insights.

The Size Of Legends, The Soul Of Myth: A 52-minute documentary that explores various aspects of the film including the evolution of the Western genre, the place of the key creatives at the time of production, the original story that inspired the film, the film’s tone and aesthetic, the characters in the film, females in Ford films, the dynamic between Ford and Wayne, the haunting work of Lee Marvin, the film’s legacy and more.

- Chapter 1 – Changing Of The Guard

- Chapter 2 – The Irascible Poet

- Chapter 3 – The Hero Doesn’t Win, The Winner Isn’t Heroic

- Chapter 4 – Most Good Things Happen By Accident

- Chapter 5 – The Great Protector

- Chapter 6 – Spotlight – Lee Marvin

- Chapter 7 – Print The Legend

Original Theatrical Trailer: The three-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is one of the last Westerns from one of the greatest to ever commit them to the silver screen. John Ford takes his lifetime of knowledge and crafts a layered, complex tale of myth making in America. John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart are terrific in the lead roles, and Lee Marvin deliciously inhabits one of the most despicable villains around. The pessimism that permeates this picture is a welcome change for a genre that hinges so much on idealism. Paramount Home Entertainment has released a new 4K UHD Blu-Ray through their Paramount Presents line with a stellar new A/V presentation and some great supplements. If you are a fan of the film, there should be no hesitation with picking this up. Highly Recommended

Paramount Presents The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.