Shane

Name: Shane
Genre: Drama, Western
Released: 1953-04-23
Duration: 1 h 58 min
Rating: 7.6
Cast: Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon De Wilde, Jack Palance

The Greatest Story Of The West Ever Filmed!

Shane (1953)

Timing: 1:58 (118 min)

7.6/10
50 548

—
no scores

7.3/10
697

7.6/10
48000

Rate the movie:

Everything about the movie

Video 4

Photo 91

Actors and characters

Video for the film Shane — Shane (1953) Original Trailer [FHD]

1:57

Photo 91

Release date

Country

Production

Genre

Budget

$3 100 000

Box office

$20 000 000

Website

Director

George Stevens

Actors

Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon De Wilde, Jack Palance, Ben Johnson, Edgar Buchanan, Emile Meyer, Elisha Cook Jr., Douglas Spencer
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

George Stevens

Camera operator

Loyal Griggs

Composer

Victor Young

Artist

Audition

Editing

William Hornbeck, Tom McAdoo
Whole Team (33)

Short description

A weary gunfighter attempts to settle down with a homestead family, but a smouldering settler and rancher conflict forces him to act.

What's left behind the scenes

Filming wrapped in October 1951, but at the insistence of director George Stevens (1904-1975), so much footage was shot that the editing process took a very long time, and the film didn't reach the screens until August 1953. All this significantly increased the film's costs, which was originally intended to be a routine Western. The cost literally soared, so the Paramount Pictures studio even offered to sell the film to Howard Hughes (1905-1976), but Hughes declined. He changed his mind only after watching a rough cut of the film and immediately offered to buy it. The studio paused to consider its own plans – initially, it was intended as a B-movie, but it was then decided to make it one of the biggest releases of the year. The decision proved to be correct, and the film more than recouped its production costs.
While filming the funeral scene, the dog absolutely refused to look into the excavated grave. It ended with director George Stevens ordering the trainer to lie at the bottom of the grave, and only then did the dog do what was needed. Then the coffin (filled with stones for added effect) was lowered into the grave, and when a harmonica began to play at that very moment, the crew was so touched that workers instinctively began to fill the grave with earth, until they realized that the trainer was still down there.
During filming with Jack Palance (1919-2006), problems with the horse arose periodically. In the scene where Shane and Jack first look at each other on the ranch, Palance's character was supposed to dismount briefly and then remount. But he just couldn't remount. Then the director told Jack to dismount, but slowly, and filmed all of that, then ran the film backwards.
The first shots in the film sound when Shane explains to Joey how to shoot. To enhance the sound effect, the shots were fired into an empty trash can, so that the echo would make the sound of the shot much louder. George Stevens wanted the audience to flinch at the first sounds of gunfire.
For the role of Shane, George Stevens initially cast Montgomery Clift (1920-1966), and William Holden (1918-1981) for the role of Joey, but when they became difficult and decided to star in other films, they almost abandoned the filming of 'Shane' altogether. However, George Stevens had the idea to ask Frank Freeman (1890-1969), the head of Paramount Pictures, who else among the actors was available, and within three minutes he found Alan Ladd (1913-1964), Van Heflin (1908-1971), and Jean Arthur (1900-1991) for filming.
All the props were originals that matched the era, the buildings were constructed according to the requirements of the period, and the characters' clothing was also authentic. Because the herds nearby looked too well-groomed and well-fed, George Stevens even ordered leaner cattle to be brought to the filming location.
The scene in which Alan Ladd's character practices shooting in front of the character played by Brandon De Wilde (1942-1972) was shot in 119 takes.
During the filming of the movie, George Stevens placed great importance on realism, as he had witnessed firsthand during World War II what a bullet could do to a person. "Shane" was one of the first films to use wire to pull an actor or stuntman back off the horse to simulate being hit by a bullet.
Before filming this movie, Jack Palance mainly worked in the theater and had practically no experience with horses or weapons. When he arrived on set, work on the film was paused, and Palance used the free time to learn how to mount and dismount a horse, as well as handle weapons. By the time filming resumed, he had become quite proficient in both.
Jean Arthur was a great lover of wildlife and personally ensured that the animals involved in the filming received proper care. If something didn't suit her, she fixed it herself, to her own satisfaction.
Outdoor scenes were filmed with a telephoto lens to make the mountains in the distance appear closer and more imposing.
The scene in which Alan Ladd’s character practices shooting in front of the character played by Brandon De Wilde (1942-1972) was filmed on the 119th take.
Filming concluded in October 1951, but at the insistence of director George Stevens (1904–1975), so much footage was shot that the editing process took a very long time, and the film was not released until August 1953. All of this significantly increased the costs of the film, which was intended to be an ordinary western. The cost skyrocketed to the point that Paramount Pictures even approached Howard Hughes (1905–1976) with an offer to sell him the film outright, but Hughes rejected the offer. He changed his mind only after seeing a rough cut of the movie, at which point he immediately offered to buy it. The studio took a moment to reconsider its own plans—initially, it was intended to be a B-movie, but it was later decided to make it one of the biggest releases of the year. The decision proved correct, and the film more than recouped its production costs.
While filming the funeral scene, the dog categorically refused to look into the dug grave. It ended with director George Stevens ordering the trainer to lie down at the bottom of the grave, and only then did the dog do what was required. Then the coffin (filled with stones for added effect) was lowered into the grave; when the harmonica began to play at that exact moment, the crew was so moved that they instinctively began to fill the grave with earth, until they suddenly remembered that the trainer was still down there.
During filming, Jack Palance (1919–2006) periodically had problems with his horse. In the scene where Shane and Jack first look at each other on the ranch, Palance's character was supposed to briefly dismount and then jump back into the saddle. However, he simply could not manage to jump back up. The director then told Jack to dismount slowly and filmed that, then played the footage in reverse.
The first gunshots in the film are heard when Shane explains to Joey how to shoot. To enhance the sound effect, the shots were fired into an empty trash can so that the echo would make the sound of the gunshot much louder. George Stevens wanted the audience to jump at the first sounds of gunfire.
For the role of Shane, George Stevens initially cast Montgomery Clift (1920-1966), and for the role of Joe, William Holden (1918-1981). When they became stubborn and decided to appear in other films, the production of 'Shane' was almost abandoned entirely. However, George Stevens thought to ask Paramount Pictures executive Frank Freeman (1890-1969) which other actors were available, and within three minutes, he found Alan Ladd (1913-1964), Van Heflin (1908-1971), and Jane Arthur (1900-1991) for the film.
All the props were period-accurate originals, the buildings were constructed according to the requirements of that era, and the characters' clothing was also authentic. Because the nearby herds looked too well-groomed and fat, George Stevens even ordered leaner livestock to be brought to the filming location.
The scene in which Alan Ladd's character practices shooting in front of the character played by Brandon De Wilde (1942-1972) was filmed on the 119th take.
During the filming of the movie, George Stevens placed great importance on realism, as he had seen with his own eyes during World War II what a bullet could do to a person. 'Shane' became one of the first films to use wires to jerk an actor or stuntman backward from a saddle to simulate being hit by a bullet.
Before filming this movie, Jack Palance had primarily performed in the theater and had virtually no experience handling horses or weapons. When he arrived on set, production hit a lull, and Palance used the free time to learn how to mount and dismount a horse, as well as how to handle firearms. By the time filming resumed, he had become quite proficient in both.
Jean Arthur was a great lover of wildlife and personally ensured that the animals used in the filming received proper care. If something displeased her, she would fix it herself to her own satisfaction.