Shane is a movie that I often return to whenever I talk about or think about a movie in the Western genre. The film seems to have a simple lawless concept with good and bad guys. But, at its core, the film is about more than that, it is about the end of life in the wild west.
Obviously, western movies haven't stopped since, but the movie wasn't about that in the movies as much as it was about that in real life. Allow me to elaborate.
Shane is an enigmatic gunslinger. He rides into a town hoping to settle down and work on a farm where he lives quietly. He takes a job working at a farm owned by Joe Starrett, he finds himself in a battle between the people living in the town and Rufus Ryker, a heatless cattle baron.
Shane also develops an attraction to Starrett's wife, Marian, and grows fond of their son Joey, who idolizes Shane, this makes Shane realize that he must thwart Ryker's plan.
Shane is plagued with choices, does he involve himself further into the civil war-ish battle happening in the town? Does he pursue his attraction to Starrett's wife, Marian? Those kinds of questions are something that you see often in the western genre.
A constant battle of morality vs comfort. Those battles themselves aren't what makes the movie unique, what makes it unique is something else.
The movie is filled with classic scenes within itself.
While in western movies you see those scenes as normal in their culture, throughout the movie you get a sense that they don't belong in this world. That sense comes due to the fact that the world itself is changing, lawlessness and vigilantism aren't really welcome parts of the new society.
The world is different now. There's a transition toward more civil society, the likes of Shane simply don't belong in this world. A gunslinging man with his abilities and instincts can never belong in a simple life where he works on a farm, it just can't happen.
Marian herself is a testament that there are more things in this new world than just instincts. The attraction, Shane has for her is mutual, but there's more to life in civil society than following those urges. The consideration for family and kind of life exists in this world which makes Joe Starrett a more fitting person to be with than our hero, Shane.
Between the likes of Shane, Rufus Ryker, Morgan Ryker, and Jack Wilson can no longer exist. No matter the difference between them individually, they're the remains of a bygone era. An era that only exists in stories, and only manifests in aesthetics.
This is the era for the Starretts, the farmers, the traders, the workers, and all of those kinds of people. The era of accountants and governments exists more here. No town is isolated with one Sherrif keeping it safe. Now everything is connected.
The last duel in the film sees the death of Rufus Ryker, Morgan Ryker, and Jack Wilson with Shane getting visibly wounded. He doesn't get treated but instead opts to ride his horse away toward the cemetery.
The ending is relatively ambiguous as you don't know whether Shane remained alive or died. But, I'd say that doesn't matter, what matters is that he is gone. The wild west era, in its heroes, villains, antiheroes, and vigilantes no longer exists as it doesn't belong in the new world.
The movie marks an important era in Hollywood as much as it reflects the change in real life. And that's why I believe Shane (1953) is a movie you should watch and why it is among my favorite classic movies.
