Summary
Clint Eastwood’s underratedPale Ridertook a classic Western from the 1950s and gave it a decidedly supernatural edge.Clint Eastwood’s Westernsare some of the most defining of the genre, and he was one of the last major stars to make his name on “Oaters.“The failure ofHeaven’s Gatein 1980 killed Westernsfor much of the decade, with studios largely shunning them. There were exceptions, likeYoung Guns, but they were largely seen by producers as box office poison.
For Eastwood’s part, he mostly stepped away from Westerns following 1976’sThe Outlaw Josey Wales.Clint all but rescued Westerns with 1985’sPale Rider, his first outing in nearly a decade. This was the first major Western produced sinceHeaven’s Gate, and its success proved audiences would still turn out for the genre. While not quite a classic,Pale Rideris a handsomely mounted effort from Eastwood.
Shane
Cast
Shane is a classic Western directed by George Stevens. Released in 1953, the film stars Alan Ladd as a mysterious drifter who becomes embroiled in a conflict between homesteaders and a ruthless cattle baron. Jean Arthur and Van Heflin co-star as a frontier couple who find themselves drawn into the escalating tensions. Shane examines themes of heroism and sacrifice set against the backdrop of the American frontier.
If Pale Rider’s story sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because the basic premise is taken from 1953’s Shane.
Pale Riderinvolves Eastwood’s mysterious Preacher riding into a village to protect it against a vicious mining company. Eastwood’s Preacher also befriends a local family, forming a bond with a teen girl named Megan (Sydney Penny). Having vanquished all the villains in the finale, Preacher rides off into the distance, with Megan shouting after him and thanking him. If this sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because the basic premise resembles 1953 classicShane.
This cast Alan Ladd in the title role of a retired gunslinger forced to take up arms when the surrogate family he’s formed is threatened.Shane’sfamous ending sees a young boy he’s befriended called Joey (Brandon deWilde) calling his name as the wounded cowboy rides off after defeating the villains.Pale Riderisn’t a scene for sceneShaneremake by any stretch, though the two share key beats.
These similarities extend to the final showdowns, where both Preacher and Shane face off against their moral opposites; John Russell’s Marshal Stockburn for the former and Jack Palance’s Wilson in the latter.Shanewas such an influential work that it helped shape many of the tropes (and cliches) that would come to define the genre, including the retired killer forced to pick up his old ways again.
Pale Rider’s Preacher Is Clint Eastwood’s Only Ghost Character
Eastwood’s Western adds a major wrinkle to Shane
Pale Rideris unique for featuring Eastwood’s only supernatural characterin Preacher. The star himself confirmed in an interview atClintEastwood.netthatPreacher is an “out and out ghost.” This is heavily suggested throughout the story; Preacher is seen with six bullet wound scars on his back early on in the movie, while Stockburn claims to have killed him years before. Preacher also seems to have been summoned by a prayer young Megan gives in the opening scene.
Pale Rider’stitle is a reference to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse from the New Testament, with the rider of the pale horse representing Death itself.
Eastwood’s character may not walk through walls or vanish into thin air, butPale Ridermakes it clear he’s not exactly a regular dude. This element distances it fromShanewhile adding a mythological touch to the premise.There’s a good possibility that Eastwood’s character inHigh Plains Drifteris a vengeful spirit of some kind too, though the 1973 film - and the star himself - leaves this interpretation up to viewers to decide for themselves.
Pale Rider Isn’t The Only Movie To Riff On Shane
Logan wasn’t shy about it’s love for Shane
Pale Rideris one of the best known reworkings ofShane, but far from the only one. The premise has been used by several sci-fi movies, including cult post-apocalyptic adventureSteel Dawnand Kurt Russell’s action movieSoldier.Shanewas even namedropped in 2017’sLogan, with Patrick Stewart’s Professor X citing it as one of his favoritesand watching it with Dafne Keen’s Laura. InLogan’sending, Laura even quotes the line “There are no more guns in the valley” fromShane.
Logan’s Ending: What “No More Guns In The Valley” Really Means
Laura’s “There are no more guns in the valley” eulogy in Logan is one of the film’s most emotional scenes. Here’s what it really means.
Ryan Gosling’sDrivefeels like it owes much to the 1953 Western too, with its tale of an aloof criminal forced to defend a family he cares about.Shanehas such a prototypical narrative that it becomes almost impossible to charteveryfilm or series that has borrowed from it.Even the ending ofRambo: Last Bloodsaw Stallone’s wounded ex-soldier mounting his horse and riding out for parts unknownafter killing his enemies.
Shaneis very unlikely to receive a remake (and nor should it), but Eastwood’s film is about as close to one as audiences will get.Pale Ridermarked Clint’s penultimate Western too, with his final outingUnforgivenbeing his most acclaimed. Again, that’s a film with someShaneDNA of its own, but as opposed toPale Rider, it deconstructs the myths of the Old West and the supposed righteousness of revenge to devastating results.
Pale Rider
This Western film revolves around a mysterious preacher who arrives in a struggling mining camp, where the residents are pitted against a greedy mining company encroaching on their land. With his enigmatic past and formidable skills, the preacher helps the miners defend their rights, invoking themes of redemption and conflict.
