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November 1996, Week 4

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Subject:
From:
Meredith McMinn <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 21 Nov 1996 18:14:59 -0800
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On Tue, 19 Nov 1996, Donald Larsson wrote:
 
> This reminds me of the opening of THE SHOOTIST.  As we hear Ron Howard's voice
> talking about the legendary gunfighter played in the film by John Wayne, we
> see a montage of clips that apparently illustrate the gunfighter's career.
> But of course we are seeing clips from former John Wayne movies.  Immediately,
> this signals to the audience that the film is not a self-contained entity as
> narration but a film that will also offer a parallel homage to Wayne's screen
> persona and film career.
>
 
This put me in mind of an example of an untrustworthy image without voice
over.  In The Man Who Shot LIberty Valance, the character played by James
Stewart faces his own fear and meets the gunslinger in a showdown.  When
Valance dares the lawyer [Vance Stoddard? plyed by Stewart] to draw, he
does, and shoots at Valance, who dies with a look of surprise on his
face.  Later we discover that it was not Stoddard who killed
Valance, but another gunslinger [played by John Wayne] and rival with
Stoddard for the affections of the most eligible young woman in town.  He
had hidden out behind a nearby building, knowing that Valance would
inevitably kill Stoddard, and shot Valance as the latter pulled the
trigger, causing the bullet to miss it's mark and hit Stoddard's shoulder.
 
Meredith McMinn
 
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