Who Shot Liberty Valence?

I had the great pleasure of watching one of my all time favorite movies with Marty last night. She was alot of fun to watch it with because she also has a great appreciation for movies in general and this one in particular. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence is absolutely one of the best movies I've seen. I know others will scoff at this; that's OK. There are so many poignant moments in this movie, I wouldn't know where to begin. My main point to make is that the film-maker is saying that both men shot Liberty. One was brave enough to face him in the street, the other brave enough to give the woman he loved what she wanted by saving the life of the man she loved. The murder of Liberty is beside the point. As John Wayne put it, "Murder, pure and simple; but I can live with it. Hallie wanted you alive. You taught her to read; now go back in there and give her something to read about." The movie sums up the mythic Wild West where the combination of the law book and the gun triumphed. For those who see this as an over-simplification I offer another quote from the movie: "This is the west, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." Hallie loved both men. As the movie ends we think maybe she could have been happy with Tom after all. Ransom knows it too.

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