Shane (DVD)

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Then there are the subplots. Before Shane has been with the Starretts long, the boy has begun hero-worshipping him. Joey begins to love Shane almost as much or more than he loves his own father. And why not? His father's a busy farmer with little time for his son. Besides, Shane has a six-gun and shows Joey how to use it. Because Joey is the first person we actually see in the picture and because he is in virtually every scene, it is easy to accept that we are regarding this story from his point of view. It helps explain Shane's larger-than-life presence in the film as well. Next, there's Mrs. Starrett, Jean Arthur's last movie role, by the way. It is evident throughout that she has a hankering for Mr. Shane. I mean, how many handsome knights in shining armor come riding to one's rescue in the middle of the Old West? Well, OK, in the movies it happens all the time, but for Marion it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and, as noted, her husband is quite busy most of the time, and life on the range can get lonesome and tedious. Nevertheless, our hero maintains his virtue, and no matter what goes on in their minds, the most we see between them is a chaste farewell handshake. He is Galahad to the end.

Finally, there's the business of Wilson. In the person of Jack Palance, he is evil incarnate, the Devil himself, the most lowdown, sinister, menacing, cold-blooded varmint this side of Darth Vader. I guarantee the last ten minutes of the film will have you glued to your seat. Also look for veteran Western actors Ben Johnson and Edgar Buchanan playing minor parts as Chris and Lewis respectively; and veteran character actor Elisha Cook, Jr., as a loudmouthed homesteader named Torrey, who makes the mistake of trying to stand up to Wilson. As an aside, in the movie "Cat Ballou," 1965, Lee Marvin would parody Shane and Wilson by playing both of the roles and having a gunfight with himself!

Now, for those of you interested in further trivia, I thank my good friend and "Shane" devotee, Don Heynen, for the following information: Joe Starrett's son (and narrator) in the book is named Bob, not Joey. From about 1937 until about 1952, one of the ten most popular cowboy stars to appear exclusively in B movies was an actor named Charles Starrett. It was Ernie Wright, not Frank Torrey (a very minor character in the book), whom Stark Wilson (yes, that was his name in the book, not Jack Wilson) killed after calling him a "breed." Shane did not call Wilson a half-breed, though. In the book he just says, "What you want, Wilson, and what you'll get are two different things. Your killing days are done." And when Wilson starts to panic (or at least become filled with awe), he continues, "I'm waiting, Wilson. Do I have to crowd you into slapping leather?" And then he kills him. The book's author, Jack Schaefer, wrote dozens of Western novels and died in 1991 at the age of eighty-three. The final movie based on a Jack Schaefer novel was "Monte Walsh," 1970, starring, appropriately, Lee Marvin and Jack Palance.

Video:
It's unfortunate the film was made just a few years prior to the introduction of CinemaScope lens and wide screens, though. A more expansive sweep would have captured even greater natural vistas. Still, it's plenty good the way it is, and Paramount's DVD reproduction is most realistic. It is perhaps a bit soft around the edges, whether from age or its transfer I don't know.

Audio:
The sound, too, is a non-issue. If it had been made in the stereo era, it might have opened up Victor Young's rhapsodic musical score a little further, but it's monaural and somewhat constricted in range as well as breadth.

Extras:
The DVD is well worth owning, especially when you get a full-feature audio commentary with George Stevens, Jr., and others thrown in, plus sixteen scene selections, a theatrical trailer, English and French spoken languages, and English subtitles for the hearing impaired.

Parting Thoughts:
It's hard not to like "Shane." In addition to its panoramic beauty and climactic gunplay, there are scenes of profound sentiment, poignant enough to bring a tear to the eye: the dog at the grave site, Shane's farewell to Marion, Joey's final cries as Shane rides off forever into the distance. It's a memorable film filled with memorable sights, memorable performances, and memorable virtues.

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