Stagecoach

I first saw Stagecoach the year it was released 1939, when I was nine years old. I saw it again the other afternoon as a rerun on tv. Despite that technically it is showing it's age, afterall it is 63 years old, and all of it's players are no longer with us, it is still one of the greatest westerns to ever grace a cinema screen. The indian attack, the cavalry to the rescue, the drunken doctor, the bar room floozie with a heart of gold, the gambler, and the hero doing "what a man's got to do" and escaping without a scratch . All the ingredients and more of a classic western but done superbly. Not a scene overplayed, not a (film) shot wasted.

A stagecoach sets out across the desert with a load of passengers, looking to catch up with a military unit and drop off the wife of the officer in charge. All the other passengers have their own reasons for getting to the destination, including a vengeful outlaw, a prostitute, a drunken doctor and a cad. However the journey is made incredibly hazardous by the fact that Geronimo is on the warpath in the area they must pass through.

Although I miss seeing the desert landscape in full yellows and blues, this film is one of my favourite westerns and only suffers a little by being in black & while and not really enjoying the visual sweep that later Ford westerns had. The plot is quite simple on one hand - a group battle Indians on their way to a town while some of the characters confront their own battles. However this succeeds because it is more than just a B-movie shoot'em up, it has characters and sub plot.

The characters may be quite broad and the film may well use them like a disaster movie (set them up just enough to care about and then see who gets knocked down) but it does have touches that improve it. Characters are shunned due to their social status, `good' people are revealed to be not so good as they think themselves while `bad' people reveal themselves to have good hearts and the potential for redemption in their lives. While it isn't earth shattering it is well crafted and well written in the context of the traditional western.

Wayne is good and this film allowed him to step up from B-movie westerns to the type of films that made his career. The rest of the cast are also good in their various roles, while the characters are broad they all play it well, especially Trevor, Devine, Mitchell and Carradine.

Overall this is a solid western that has good action (include a great stunt that was lifted directly into Raiders of the Lost Ark) but also has characters and interactions which make for a polished and enjoyable movie.

"Grand Hotel"-styled Western that puts nine very different people together on the titled vehicle to go across some very dangerous Indian territory. There is convict John Wayne (in his star-making role), scorned prostitute Claire Trevor, drunken doctor Thomas Mitchell (in a well-deserved Oscar-winning role), slick gambler John Carradine, pregnant youngster Louise Platt, shady banker Berton Churchill, whiskey salesman Donald Meek, lawman George Bancroft and driver Andy Devine on this star-studded ride. Soon the characters are turned from would-be stereotypes to very complicated three-dimensional figures that are all deep and humanistic. "Stagecoach" does not only benefit from its actors and screenplay though as legendary director John Ford (Oscar-nominated) shows his ability to mix and mesh quiet, heartfelt moments with amazingly detailed action sequences that were way ahead of their time. A great picture from arguably the cinema's finest single year of films. 5 stars out of 5.

`Stagecoach' isn't so much a traditional Western as it is a forefather to the modern disaster film (with Apache warriors being the `disaster'). In many ways, the film is closer in style to `The Towering Inferno' than to `True Grit', but it's undeniably a great film, one of John Wayne's best. It's a simple story, really -- eight strangers, each with their own secrets and emotional baggage, are passengers on an Arizona stagecoach going from the town of Tonto to the city of Lordsburg, despite the looming threat of imminent Apache attacks. Along the way, the stagecoach comes across the Ringo Kid (John Wayne), who's just broken out of prison -- he's looking to go to Lordsburg as well, to avenge the death of his kid brother. He joins the passengers to Lordsburg, and during the journey, in one way or another, most of the passengers wind up learning something about themselves -- and wind up fighting Indians as well.

Hokey? Not really -- the story's quite good, and for the most part, the acting's wonderful. John Wayne's great as the Ringo Kid -- this actually may be one of his best Western roles. The Ringo Kid is a murderer, looking to avenge his family, but he's also a fairly principled man. The role's a lot deeper and more complex than some of Wayne's later `white hat' heroes who were always perfectly good and flawless. The Ringo Kid wants a normal life, but at the same time knows he'll probably never have one, and John Wayne pulls off this internal conflict flawlessly. Wayne also has great chemistry with the wonderful Claire Trevor, who plays Dallas, the former lady-of-the-evening -- she's also seeking to create a new life, and the uncomfortable, almost shy way she reacts to Wayne's gentle, genuinely polite comments is terrific to watch. Like the Ringo Kid -- indeed, like most of the characters in `Stagecoach' -- Dallas wants to change her life around, but doubts that she can. The other characters in `Stagecoach' are excellent as well, but it's Claire Trevor and John Wayne who really make the film enjoyable. (Side note -- while he's quite good, I was shocked to read that John Mitchell actually won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Dr. Josiah Boone in this film. His character's essentially a cross between W.C. Fields and Yoda, and while I'm not sure who else was in contention for the Best Supporting Actor award with Mr. Mitchell, I find it hard to believe that this was, in fact, the best supporting performance captured on film in the year 1939.)

John Ford's direction is excellent as well. `Stagecoach' is the first film where Mr. Ford used the breathtaking landscapes of Monument Valley, and even in black-and-white, they're still used to vivid effect. His action shots of an Apache attack and war raid are also stunning, even by today's standards. Ford also has great touch with changing moods in `Stagecoach' -- the film moves effortlessly from light comedy to tear-jerking drama, and the changes of mood never seem contrived. `Stagecoach' is clearly one of John Ford's better films.

Does `Stagecoach' have problems? Yes, but most of them are more a by-product of the customs and conventions of filmmaking in the 1930s. For example, the music is often obtrusive, and doesn't always fit with what's actually happening in a given scene. There's also not a lot of time spent exploring the character's backgrounds -- it would've been nice to know lot more about where the characters had come from (particularly Dallas), if only to help understand each character's motivations. Since this can be said about most films made during this era, it' somewhat forgivable. However, one significant flaw of `Stagecoach' itself is the character of Hatfield (John Carradine) -- while Mr. Carradine does a good job with the part, the character constantly contradicts himself. He behaves one way in one scene, then in a completely different manner in the next, and there's never a reason given for this. Add to this that Hatfield adds next to nothing in the film (his only useful purpose, apparently, is to ask Mrs. Platt (Lucy Mallory) `Are you all right?' every thirty seconds), and he becomes totally superfluous. If the part of Hatfield had been excised entirely from the script, "Stagecoach" would have been much better.

`Stagecoach' is not a typical Western (there's a lot more character introspection going on than blazing six-shooters), but it's an extremely entertaining film nonetheless. The memorable interaction between John Wayne and Claire Trevor alone makes it a near-classic. Grade: A-

Classy Western dealing with a motley crew of roles in a cross-country coach beset by Indians and thieves . A voyage throughout Arizona with varied group of characters , a strange assortment of individuals formed by a prostitute (Claire Trevor, who received top-billing) , a coward swank (Donald Meek) , a crooked card-player (John Carradine) turned into protector to pregnant young wife (Louis Platt) , a philosopher alcoholic doctor (Thomas Mitchell , deservedly winner Oscar) , a swindler banker (Barton Churchill) , a sheriff (George Bancroft), a sympathetic coach driver (Andy Devine) and , of course , Ringo Kid (John Wayne , who arose his career languishing in Poverty Row) . The motley crew pull off a journey through Indian territory passing Apache Wells and towards Lordsburg . At the beginning they're protected by a military detachment commanded by a brave lieutenant (Tim Holt). Ringo Kid is an outlaw looking for to revenge the killing his father and brother by the Plummer brothers (Tom Tyler) . The stagecoach is besieged by Apaches and several dangers.....

The first pairing of Ford and Wayne changed the course of the modern Western turning into adult Western , portraying in depth characters and brooding events with allegorical issues running beneath surface script . But the movie's little budget looked cash well spent when this classic picture earned more than two million dollars on first exhibitions . Based on the story 'Stage to Lordsburg' by Ernest Haycox and this one based on Guy de Mauspassant's novel . Outstanding cinematography capturing the nebulous skies by Bert Glennon and Ray Binger . Thrilling as well as sensitive soundtrack by Richard Hageman based on traditional music . Slick edition by Dorothy Spencer , a woman with a long career during fifty years . Stunning shooting by John Ford in the mythical Monumental Valley , a place that Ford was often to revisit and he befriended Indians tribes . The film won Academy Award for secondary actor , Thomas Mitchell , original musical score and was nominated to best movie for Walter Wanger and major studio , United Artists ; furthermore, for edition and Production Design . Very inferior remake in 1966 by Gordon Douglas with Alex Cord , Anne Margret , Red Buttons , Van Johnson , Mike Connors ; and a forgettable adaptation for TV in 1986 by Ted Post with Willie Nelson , Johnny Cash , Elizabeth Ashley , Mary Crosby , Tony Franciosa , John Schneider and Kris Kristopherson.