Stagecoach

Rating:
Summary: A Landmark Western
Review: Stagecoach presents the story of several passengers on board a stagecoach travelling through Apache territory. Those on board include Claire Trevor as a good-hearted prostitute run out of town, Thomas Mitchell as a drunken doctor, Donald Meek as a meek salesman, Louise Platt as a pregnant soldier's wife, John Carradine as a shady gambler, and John Wayne as the Ringo Kid, an outlaw who ends up being more decent than the so-called decent characters on the stagecoach. Wayne's relationship with Trevor is well drawn, and Mitchell's showy performance as the doctor has some great moments. But the real reason to watch this John Ford classic is to see the attack, which features excellent camera work and stunts, particularly for a movie made in 1939. It's not the greatest western ever made, but it is a landmark film in the careers of Ford and Wayne and in the evolution of the genre.

Rating:
Summary: Stagecoach
Review: A classic (if not the classic) Western, Stagecoach wields the standard elements of any Cowboys and Indians flick with such precision that the whole is far greater than the sum. Set in the wide and dusty western frontier, where the decrepit shanty towns cower before the magnificence of Monument Valley, a stagecoach passes by. Stopping briefly in the town of Tonto, the stage changes horses and picks up a mixed batch of passengers. A microcosm of the Wild West, the travellers range from upstanding and decent Lucy Mallory (Louise Platt) to town-whore Dallas (Claire Trevor), hounded away by a so-called legion of decent women. In the middle ground rest Doc Josiah Boone (Thomas Mitchell), Hatfield (John Carradine) and Mr Samuel Peacock (Donald Meek). The contents of Peacock's case hold a special fascination for Doc, simply because they're numerous samples of whiskey and he's an unrepentant old souse. On top, Buck (Andy Devine) drives the stage while town sheriff Curly Wilcox (George Bancroft) rides shotgun. He wouldn't normally take the job but there are Indians on the warpath, led by Geronimo, and a well-known outlaw, the Ringo Kid (John Wayne), has broken out of jail and he'd like to get him. At the last moment a cavalry detail joins them, for protection, and banker Henry Gatewood (Berton Churchill) jumps aboard before the stage departs.

Out on the rutted road, heading speedily for Lordsburg, the atmosphere inside the coach is already thick. Doc's making his way through Peacocks's samples, who seems somewhat cowed in this company, while Gatewood sounds off at everything that's wrong with the country, thinking himself the perfect gentleman and citizen. Suddenly they grind to a halt as Curly has a particular stroke of luck - Ringo is standing in the road, waiting for a lift after his horse went lame. Ringo wants to get to Lordsburg, desperately, but resigns himself to arrest by Curly, who's an old acquaintance. Inside, Doc recognises Ringo as the brother of a man he once treated and enquires after his former patients health. The answer, "He was murdered", brings silence. Soon they arrive at a way station, where their armed escort is to leave. Unfortunately there's no replacement and heated debate erupts over whether they should continue, with those who have a murky past in Tonto eager to continue. Barely hidden prejudices also surface when they eat, with Lucy refusing to sit near Dallas or Ringo. These two society misfits get on well together, mulling over their past before leaving with the stage.

Now unprotected, Buck drives the horses with wild energy, hoping to at least outrun any Apaches who may be lurking nearby. Through conversation we learn the force that drives Ringo onwards; the Plummer brothers killed Ringo's father and brother and are waiting in Lordsburg for his scalp. He's out for revenge, pure and simple, but Ringo's also the only one who treats Dallas as an equal (everyone else is contemptuous). Doc continues to drink, Hatfield behaves mysteriously and Gatewood seems ever more paranoid, gripping his valise like a life-jacket. They eventually arrive at another way-station, having seen no Indians, where the proprietor Chris (Chris-Pin Martin) warns them that the Apaches recently raided this very station and that there are no troops nearby. When Lucy finds that her husband, a Cavalry captain, was wounded she collapses and is carried off. Doc is then brutally sobered up and, after a few hours, he returns with news of a further passenger. Dallas enters with the baby girl and, suddenly, she becomes a lady!

With the stakes now raised to even more unbearable levels, and evidence that the Apaches are nearby, the group must make a final dash to safety. The odds are that a lone stagecoach won't make it but these passengers are a plucky lot and working together (apart from bad-egg Gatewood) they might just make it.

The beauty of Stagecoach is that it combines strongly drawn characters with frenetic action and awe-inspiring panoramas. Even though the movie trots through the story at a fair clip we're never short-changed on the personal front, being given fully-rounded personalities which have depth, emotion and a feeling of past. It's true that the coach seems full of stereotypes but that's only because later films relentlessly copied from this one! Technically, John Ford was in total control of the medium when he directed camera shots which passed naturally from long-shot to close-up, smoothly handing out plot details as and when we need them. The action work is great, particularly that of stuntman Yakima Canutt when he leaps from horse to horse with total disregard for his safety. However, the essence of this movie is the humanity that resides in all of us, whatever the layers of social conditioning that overlay it. The film simply provides windows which allow us to recognise this truth, even if they're rather well directed windows. Stagecoach made John Wayne a star and it's easy to see why.

Rating:
Summary: Only Western that I Actually Liked
Review: We had to watch this movie in one of my college courses and I absolutely loved it. a young John Wayne does a stellar job in his role as an outlaw with a good heart and the rest of the cast is exceptional as well. Even if you don't like Westerns you will love Stagecoach.

Rating:
Summary: AWESOME!
Review: John Wayne's first major role, "Stagecoach" is both exciting and poetic! A great addition to anyone's western film collection! Grade: A+

Rating:
Summary: The film that catapulted The Duke into stardom
Review: Before 1939, a young actor named John Wayne had been starring in b-movie Westerns for years. The western genre wasn't taken very seriously, and neither was the young, sauntering cowboy who starred in them. Stagecoach changed all that. Director John Ford knew talent when he saw it, and with this film one of the greatest alliance/friendships in Hollywood history was formed--that of John Wayne and John Ford. Out of this memorable alliance several wonderful films came, but this was the first.

Shot in Utah's beautiful Monument Valley, Stagecoach follows the adventures of a group of unlikely traveling companions as they cross the stage route in an effort to stay clear of Geronimo and his band. Along the way, the group picks up the Ringo kid (Wayne), a confirmed killer. As the journey progresses, the group's true colors come forth, a young prostitute who was driven from her home (played by Claire Trevor) becomes the true heroine, and the stuck-up aristocratic woman, the banker, and the whiskey peddler are forced to learn a valuable lesson--that true inner character is far more important than social status.

The movie itself is a masterpiece, from the brilliant storyline to the climactic ending with the Ringo Kid's battle in the street. The cinematics are spectacular (especially for that time), and Ford's directing is flawless. There have been many, many Westerns since this one (a great deal of them starring John Wayne), but no Western has ever changed the face of the motion picture industry like Stagecoach did.

Rating:
Summary: AWESOME!
Review: John Wayne's first major role, "Stagecoach" is both exciting and poetic! A great addition to anyone's western film collection! Grade: A+

Rating:
Summary: READ MORE
Review: 1939 WAS COSIDERED THE BEST YEAR FOR MOVIES. AND HERE ARE ALL THE TOP MOVIES FOR 1939. DARK VICTORY,GONE WITH THE WIND[WHICH WON BEST PICTUE AND IS CONSIDERED ONE OF OR MAYBE THE GREATEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME]GOODBYE MR.CHIPS,LOVE AFFAIR,MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINTON,NINOTCHKA,OF MICE AND MEN,THE WIZARD OF OZ,WUTHERIG HEIGHTS, AND STAGECOACH WINNER OF ACADEMY AWARDS INCLUDING BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR THOMAS MITHCELL, AND BEST SCORE NOMINATED FOR I THINK FOUR ACADEMY AWARDS INCLUDING BEST PICTURE MADE JOHN WAYNE A STAR ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES OF CHARCTAR AND COMICAL ANDY DEVINE.

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Summary: great must buy now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: the best year for movies was 1939 with hits galore such as gone with the wind/goodbye mr.chips/stagecoach/and the wizard of oz just to name a few. all the movies I have just named were nominated for best picture(gone with the wind won best picture and is considerd the greatest picture of all time) stagecoach was John Waynes first hit.good acting by everybody (except a few) this is fords masterpiece that will never die. p.s.andy devine is comical.

Rating:
Summary: Stagecoach
Review: This is an excellent old John Wayne feature film. One could argue that the quality could be better, but for an old B&W movie it is excellent. John Wayne appears larger than life and Clair Trevor and the rest of the cast are all excellent choices who complement the Duke admirably. This is a must have for all fans of Mr. Wayne.

Rating:
Summary: A GREAT movie!
Review: Hey everyone!
This is a cool movie that any John Wayne fan would love! Anyone adn everyone should see this western and add it to your westerns!