Shane: The Pre-Game Show

As your resident western "expert" (ed. note: if I start calling myself a knife-throwing expert could I trick you into believing that too?) my Shane-deficient portfolio hangs over my head, more like a butter-knife than the sword of Damocles. After all, do you really have to see all the quote-unquote classics? I made it through three years of film school before ever once seeing either Citizen Kane or Casablanca. It became sort of a personal quest, and when these films finally came up on a course syllabus I was crushed.

In the end both ended up disappointing me on some subconscious level: of course they're wonderful but I think I liked myself better pre-Casablanca/Kane than post. I was a bad-ass, a rebel with a cause.

My Shane avoidance has been more of a subconscious thing. The picture on the box looks boring and Alan Ladd just plain sucks (The Blue Dahlia excluded). I tend to be easily annoyed with films in which children play prominent roles, and although Geroge Stevens has made a number of great films, I've yet to find one critic who believes he is a great director. His style reminds me of James Cameron, which is to say he seems a whole lot more interested in making things look good than feel good.

Anywho. Here's the plan: I'm gonna watch this Shane and see what all the fuss is about. I'll watch it, and then I'll write a review and it'll be an experiment in preconceived notions versus reality.

To be fair, I should reveal everything I know about this movie, which isn't much, in advance. I know that Jack Palance is on-board, which is never a bad thing. I know that the cinematography won an Oscar, but I also know that the truly great works of photography are often not even nominated. I know that somebody dies. I think. I know that Alan Ladd sucks, and I know that Leonard Maltin thinks it is "splendid in every way" (ed. note: Leonard Maltin also thinks that Taxi Driver is "ugly and unredeeming").

My gut feeling is that I'm going to think Shane is pretty good, too long, and too colourful. All movies should be in black and white unless it is absolutely necessary to the storytelling to have use of colour. Maybe it was that Kevin Spacey movie (The Negotiator?) where he describes the final scene, but I can't help but think that Shane is going to be high on the sap-meter. Sap and westerns just don't mix. Cheese and westerns, however, are a perfect combination-see Cat Ballou, Johnny Guitar. In the end, I know I'm going to like myself better pre-Shane than post.

Go To Page: 1 2