:: 2.21.2005 ::

The Strangest Gunslinger in the West
I give up. I've decided I like westerns. Love them, even.

Shane (1953) is another movie I am drawn to because of its strangeness. Upon reflection, I think a lot of what makes it great is accidental rather than intentional. (That's not to say George Stevens was not a good director; after all, the history of film—and all art—is littered with many happy accidents, and that doesn't take away from anyone's talent.) Shane was meant to be a fairly conventional western, and yet it ended up becoming much more.

Stevens put a lot of thought into what he wanted this movie to look like, and it shows. But according to the IMDb, he spent only a few minutes choosing the actors to play the principal characters, and that's how we end up with such an unconventional hero. Alan Ladd was cast as Shane, the wandering gunslinger, reluctant to fight but deadly when pushed. At only 5'6", Ladd was too slim and elegant to be physically imposing; as a result, Shane's toughness and invincibility come across as mysterious, almost supernatural.

That's one of the main reasons why Shane is unlike any other movie. Another is the decision to cast Jack Palance, in one of his earliest roles, as Wilson, the villain of the piece—a grinning, merciless gunslinger dressed all in black. According to the DVD commentary, Palance wasn't yet comfortable with horses and practiced tirelessly, but even so, Stevens had a hard time getting some of the scenes he wanted. For instance, in the scene in which Wilson and Shane size each other up when they first meet, Wilson gets off his horse and walks over to get a drink of water, then gets back on his horse, never taking his eyes off Shane the entire time.

The problem arose when Stevens wanted Palance to get on the horse "like a cat," a feat that was apparently beyond his abilities at that point. So they used the shot of Palance getting off the horse and simply reversed it to show him getting back on the horse. It's a neat trick; on the surface, the scene looks natural, if odd—but on some level, I believe, the brain registers the unnaturalness of the movement, giving everything an elusive air of barely perceptible eeriness.

The whole movie is like that. The striking visuals and peculiar mood overtake the conventional plot, turning Shane into something special indeed.

:: Posted by Laurie @ 11:33 PM [+] ::
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