Shane, the greatest Western ever made in the opinion of many of the most sophisticated aficionados of the shoot-em-up school, sashayed into the Brattle Sunday for a week's stay. This item, from which some scholars have traced the rise of the Western to its current dominance of the American intellectual scene (others, it must be admitted, feel that the Western as we know it today is a subtle attempt to blend Humphrey Bogart with the American Tradition) has Alan Ladd, Van Heflin, Jean Arthur and Brandon DeWilde in the starring roles.
Needless to say, however, the above household items could never propel a picture to such a high place in Hollywood history, and in fact the man who does it all is Jack Palance, who here creates the definitive "fast-gun" symbol which was later to become expanded to such considerable proportions.
For serious students, who will naturally have seen it several times, suffice it to say that careful restudy always holds considerable rewards; for the casual dabbler Shane offers an unparalleled opportunity to gain a better understanding of many of the most important cultural phenomena of our times.
And, of course, its therapeutic value cannot be over-estimated.
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Janus
