Stagecoach

"Well, I guess you can't break out of prison and into society in the same week." The Ringo Kid

This is the film that rocketed John Wayne to superstardom and brought respectability to the western genre. Formerly, westerns were churned out as cheaply as possible and hurried to the theaters for the Saturday matinees. Stagecoach brought a welcome complexity to the story and characters.

Starring an ensemble cast, Stagecoach set the tone for westerns for the remainder of the 20th century. The film is a morality play and each character is an archtype - the drunken doctor, the hooker with a heart of gold, the gambler, the whiskey drummer, and so on. Stagecoach established these types so well that a viewer new to it might think they were cliches. Actually, they were the originals that have been ripped off so much that they seem hackneyed by now. Stagecoach also introduced Director John Ford's beloved Monument Valley, a setting that has perhaps been overused since, but then it was fresh and new to viewers.

The film concerns a handful of people, running the gamut of the social scale, thrust together for a stagecoach ride across Indian territory. During the journey, each player's character is tested for good or ill. The characters that begin as "disreputable," i.e., the prostitute, convict, and town drunk turn out to be the truly noble ones by film's end. The film is divided into acts alternating action sequences with character development sequences in a very balanced screenplay by Dudley Nichols, from the story "Stage to Lordsburg," by Ernest Haycox.

Superior characterizations are provided by headliner Claire Trevor as soiled dove "Dallas", Andy Devine as stage driver "Buck", George Bancroft as the shotgun rider 'Curley", John Carradine as cardsharp "Hatfield", Berton Churchill as crooked banker "Gatewood", Louise Platt as a pregnant officer's wife "Lucy Mallory", Thomas Mitchell as drunken doctor "Josiah Boone", Donald Meek as timid whiskey peddler "Samuel Peacock", and of course John Wayne as "The Ringo Kid." Outstanding among the supporting actors is the uncredited Chris-Pin Martin as the waystation keeper "Chris."

Cinematograpy by Bert Glennon shows the stark beauty of the Monument Valley and keeps an unblinking eye on the action, as Ford directed. Stunts by Yakima Canutt. Orson Welles was reputed to have watched Stagecoach forty times in preparation for his directorial debut in Citizen Kane. Score is uncredited and consists of American folk songs, like many of John Ford's westerns use.

The Warner Bros. DVD is presented in 1.33:1 (4x3) theatrical format in black and white. While I think a superior film like Stagecoach ought to have a full deluxe DVD treatment, the only extras are English, French, and Spanish subtitles as well as several theatrical trailers. The movie is an essential component of any western fan's video collection.

Other John Ford westerns you'll enjoy are

My Darling Clementine

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

The Searchers

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Thanks for reading. View a good film tonight!





Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening