This classic western movie was released in 1953. Produced and directed by George Stevens and starring Alan Ladd in the title role, this movie contained every element of a typical western story. The story, adapted from the Jack Schaefer novel, starts when Shane, a buckskinned horseman arrives from nowhere in a Wyoming valley and hires on as a farmhand with an isolated ranch family. They have been menaced for a long time by a neighbouring rancher out to steal land with the help of his arrogant cowhands, his brother and a vicious hired gunman.
Shane becomes attached to the family he’s landed into, and tries everything but violence to stop the neighbouring clan from stealing land. In the end he finally confronts them, vanquishes them and rides away to disappear; wounded, possibly dying, in classic cowboy hero fashion, into the sunset, alone. As he does this, his name’s called by the boy who tells the story in this movie.
An Academy Award went to Loyal Griggs for best color cinematography; Oscar nominations to Jack Palance (the gunman), Brandon de Wilde, screenwriter A. Guthrie and the film itself.
The song Shane was inspired by this movie. What’s more, Kim sings “Shane” at the end of the song in pretty much the same way the boy calls this name at the end of the movie.