Abstract

Examinations of masculinity in John Ford's film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) tend to revolve around the two leading male protagonists played by John Wayne and James Stewart (Tom Doniphon and Ransom Stoddard, respectively), as evidenced by Martin Scorsese's comment in the American Masters retrospective profile, "John Ford and John Wayne: Pappy and the Duke" (2006): "What's great about the picture, for me, is—what defines a man? Is it Stewart or is it Wayne? Actually it's both, in a way." The film's title invites an interpretive pairing of the characters Tom and Ranse: one, the man who actually kills the outlaw Valance; and the other, the man who becomes known and respected for killing Valance. I argue that this critical pairing is a valuable but incomplete consideration of masculinity in the film because it ignores Woody Strode's portrayal of Pompey, a black character who plays a particularly integral role in the act of shooting Valance. Ford repeatedly presents Pompey negotiating race and place, resonating significantly with the civil rights movement that is contemporary with the film's release. Pompey's character draws attention to racial injustices in a film that also prompts the viewer to question triumphant American stories of settling the West.

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