Shane: History, Fiction, Film

By Bruce Kuklick

What makes a movie "great"? Which films would you describe that way? Historian Bruce Kuklick's account of the 1953 Western Shane explains how history, fiction, and movie making combined to create truly great art. The script was based on the novel Shane by Jack Schaefer which drew from historical happenings in Wyoming's Johnson County in the 1880s. The acting of Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon DeWilde, and Jack Palance was just right. The cinematography captures the extraordinary beauty of the Wyoming landscape. And finally the movie dramatizes the conflict between two ways of life--wide open cattle ranching versus small-time farming--that fought for dominance as pioneers moved into the land of the West. Follow Bruce Kuklick as he reveals the how this cinematic magic happened.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1589882180
• ISBN13: 9781589882188
• Release Date: November 2026
• Publisher: Paul Dry Books
• Length: 200 Pages