George Stevens' justly acclaimed western about a gunfighter who elects to help a farmer (Van Heflin) defend his land against a powerful rancher. The film is also about the warm relationship that develops between Shane and the farmer's young son, Joey (wonderfully played by Brandon De Wilde). Pictorially magnificent. Jack Palance creates one of the screen's most memorable villains. De Wilde's plea at the conclusion to "Come back, Shane!" is a line almost as familiar as "Play it again, Sam." Co-starring Jean Arthur, who starred in two earlier Stevens films (The Talk of the Town and The More the Merrier). Script by Pulitzer prize-winning author A. B. Guthrie, Jr.