The George Stevens Lecture on Directing presents the 70th Anniversary of Shane

The George Stevens Lecture on Directing presents the 70th Anniversary of Shane

Special guest: George Stevens Jr. and Christopher Nolan

Initiated in 1982, the Academy’s George Stevens Lecture on Directing presents this 70th anniversary screening of Stevens’s classic Western, Shane, which in 1993 was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry. Alan Ladd (in his most iconic role) is a gunfighter hired by a pioneer family (Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon De Wilde) to defend their farm from a menacing cattle baron and his enforcers (led by Jack Palance at his most chilling). The deceptively simple storyline has been imitated countless times since, but Stevens’s thoughtful direction lends it unexpected depth and resonance, aided by the rich beauty of Loyal Griggs’s Oscar-winning color cinematography. The film also earned nominations for Best Picture, Directing, A. B. Guthrie Jr.’s original screenplay, and the supporting performances of De Wilde and Palance; that same year, George Stevens received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.

Programmed by K.J. Relth-Miller. 
Note by Robert Reneau.   
 
DIRECTED BY: George Stevens. WRITTEN BY: A. B. Guthrie Jr. WITH: Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Jack Palance. 1953. 118 min. USA. Color. English. 2K DCP. 

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation. 

Theater accessibility accommodations available upon request. Learn more about our accessibility initiatives.

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