SHANE (DVD)DOLBY DIGITAL ENG 3.0/ENG SUB/STANDARD VERSIO DVD

Shane
The simple story of a Wyoming range war is elevated to near-mythical status in producer/director George Stevens' Western classic Shane. Alan Ladd plays the title character, a mysterious drifter who rides into a tiny homesteading community and accepts the hospitality of a farming family. Patriarch Joe Starrett (Van Heflin) is impressed by the way Shane handles himself when facing down the hostile minions of land baron Emile Meyer, though he has trouble placing his complete trust in the stranger, as his Marion (Jean Arthur) is attracted to Shane in spite of herself, and his son Joey (Brandon De Wilde) flat-out idolizes Shane. When Meyer is unable to drive off the homesteaders by sheer brute strength, he engages the services of black-clad, wholly evil hired gun Jack Wilson (Jack Palance). The moment that Wilson shows he means business by shooting down hotheaded farmer Frank Torrey (Elisha Cook Jr.) is the film's most memorable scene: after years of becoming accustomed to carefully choreographed movie death scenes, the suddenness with which Torrey's life is snuffed out -- and the force with which he falls to the ground -- are startling. Shane knows that a showdown with Wilson is inevitable; he also knows that, unintentionally, he has become a disruptive element in the Starrett family. The manner in which he handles both these problems segues into the now-legendary "Come back, Shane" finale. Cinematographer Loyal Griggs imbues this no-frills tale with the outer trappings of an epic, forever framing the action in relation to the unspoiled land surrounding it. A.B. Guthrie Jr.'s screenplay, adapted from the Jack Schaefer novel, avoids the standard good guy/bad guy clichés: both homesteaders and cattlemen are shown as three-dimensional human beings, flaws and all, and even ostensible villain Emile Meyer comes off reasonable and logical when elucidating his dislike of the "newcomers" who threaten to divest him of his wide open spaces. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Alan Ladd as Shane Jean Arthur as Marion Starrett Van Heflin as Joe Starrett Brandon de Wilde as Joey Starrett Jack Palance as Jack Wilson Ben Johnson as Chris Callaway Edgar Buchanan as Fred Lewis Emile G. Meyer as Rufe Ryker Douglas Spencer as Shipstead John Dierkes as Morgan Ryker Ellen Corby as Mrs. Torrey Paul McVey as Grafton Edith Evanson as Mrs. Shipstead Leonard Strong as Ernie Wright Ray Spiker as Johnson Janice Carroll as Susan Lewis Martin Mason as Ed Howells Helen Brown as Mrs. Lewis Nancy Kulp as Mrs. Howells

Crew Hal Pereira - Art Director Walter Tyler - Art Director Joe de Young - Consultant/advisor Edith Head - Costume Designer George Stevens - Director William W. Hornbeck - Editor Tom McAdoo - Editor Victor Young - Composer (Music Score) Loyal Griggs - Cinematographer Ivan Moffat - Producer George Stevens - Producer Emile Kuri - Set Designer Gordon Jennings - Special Effects Jack Sher - Screenwriter A.B. Guthrie, Jr. - Screenwriter Jack Schaefer - Book Author

Shane
Despite being burdened with grand pretensions, George Steven's Shane stands securely as one of the most intelligent westerns of its era. The story, underscored by potent historical conflicts between cattle ranchers and homesteaders, and broad philosophical issues contrasting the rugged individualist of American lore with the value of belonging to a community, is mythic in scope. The massive, imposing and ragged landscape of Wyoming's Grand Tetons, captured capably by Oscar winner Loyal Griggs, provides an appropriately awe-inspiring backdrop to the action. Stevens rarely passes up a chance to offer up attention-seeking directorial flourishes (long takes capped by extended fades), but in the end his faithfulness to the characters and their stories preserves the movie's greatness. Jack Palance, whose sneering charisma is palpable, is the embodiment of evil as the ranchers' hired assassin. Alan Ladd, who is enigmatic and mysterious as the neo-pacifist ex-gunslinger titular character, is quietly imposing (despite his lack of physical stature) in the role. As a man with a dark past, Shane willingly martyrs himself in order to atone for past sins and to save his newly adopted family. Therefore, it is appropriate that his son-by-proxy Joey provides the predominant point-of-view, since it is his coming-of-age that reflects the maturation of the American west. Some of the more subversive critics have pointed to the psychosexual nature of the exchanges between Joey and Shane as evidence of the film's subconscious perversity. Nominated for 5 Oscars, winner of one for its stunning color cinematography. ~ Dan Jardine, All Movie Guide
 

A.B. Guthrie, Jr.: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Screenplay (nominated) Brandon de Wilde: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic (nominated) George Stevens: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Director (nominated) George Stevens: Directors Guild of America, Best Director (nominated) George Stevens: National Board of Review, Best Director (winner) Jack Palance: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic (nominated) Loyal Griggs: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Color Cinematography (winner)

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Picture (nominated) American Film Institute, 100 Greatest American Movies (winner) British Academy of Film and Television, Best British Film (nominated) Library of Congress, U.S. National Film Registry (winner) National Board of Review, Best Picture (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, French Subtitle Options: English Sound Processing: 5.1: 5 full-range channels. Includes 3 for the front speakers, 2 surround channels for rear speakers, & 1 low-frequency effects (LFE) channel to carry deep bass effects 1: PCM mono Additional Features: Standard version Dolby Digital: English 2.0; French mono English subtitles Interactive menus Scene selection Theatrical trailer Commentary with George Stevens Jr., production assistant and son of the late director/producer George Stevens, and Ivan Moffat, associate producer MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 117 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 0. Scene Selections 1. Call Me Shane. [:06] 2. An Elegant Dinner. [1:27] 3. Store-Bought Clothes. [5:47] 4. A New Sodbuster. [6:59] 5. Homesteaders. [7:33] 6. Fists Fly At Grafton's. [:47] 7. Slick Wilson. [2:32] 8. A Gun Is A Tool. [3:44] 9. Independence Day. [6:21] 10. I'm A Fair Man. [1:35] 11. Stonewall. [6:59] 12. Cemetery Hill. [4:14] 13. Stacked Deck. [1:52] 14. No Match For Wilson. [2:16] 15. A Lowdown Yankee Liar. [5:43] 16. Come Back Shane. [2:24]