Cinemantics Partners with Alamo Drafthouse for Screening of Classic Western

This Saturday, Nov. 4th at Alamo Drafthouse - Charlottesville

Well, this is a pinch-me moment.

Cinemantics is thrilled to partner with our friends at Alamo Drafthouse Charlottesville to host a screening of John Ford’s classic western The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance on Saturday, Nov. 4th.

This movie is a special one for me.

The frontier town of Shinbone is terrorized by whip-wielding outlaw Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin), who runs roughshod over the cowardly sheriff.

Lawyer Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) refuses to buckle under Valance and his gang and enlists the help of local rancher Tom Doniphon (John Wayne) to bring Valance to justice.

John Ford's thought-provoking Western questions about how we create legends and how we celebrate and honor notoriety.

Although everyone claims they want the truth, do they really?

The Drafthouse website says it best: although it has no shortage of tension and action, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is far from a typical Western shoot-'em-up; it's an X-ray of the American spirit with a theme that resonates throughout the decades.

New Yorker critic Richard Brody astutely called it “the most romantic of Westerns and the greatest American political movie.”

Mighty high praise for a movie that was dismissed upon release.

The first time I watched it was during my honors program freshman orientation with one of the greatest professors I ever had, and it fundamentally changed how I think about and watch movies.

In short, it was life-changing. It feels only fitting and proper that this be the first step into this exciting new world of movie commentary.

Not only that, but my Cinemantic buddies Daniel Mitchell and Graham Piro will be in attendance — no doubt to rile me up with some ridiculously inflammatory comments (done out of love, no less).

Anyone in the greater Washington, D.C. area is welcome to join in on the fun. Buy your tickets here!