Shane (1953)

Shane is a 1953 American Western film directed and produced by George Stevens and starring Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon deWilde and Jack Palance. The screenplay, written by A. B. Guthrie Jr. (with contributions from Jack Sher), is based on the 1949 novel of the same name by Jack Schaefer. Set in the Wyoming Territory in 1889, the film follows the titular character, seemingly a drifter with a mysterious past (who turns out to be a gunfighter) who becomes embroiled in a conflict between poor homesteaders and wealthy ranchers. The novel and film were both inspired by the Johnson County War (1889–1893).

The film was released by Paramount Pictures on April 23, 1953. It was both a critical and commercial success, and was noted at the time for its Technicolor landscape cinematography, editing, performances, and contributions to the genre. It was also the last feature film and the only color film of Arthur's career.

Shane was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Director, winning for Best Cinematography – Color (Loyal Griggs). It was listed as number 45 in the 2007 edition of AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies list, and number three on AFI's 10 Top 10 in the Western category. In 1993, the film was selected for preservation in the United States' National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".