Stagecoach

Rating:
Summary: Guy de Maupassant?
Review: Yep, partners. The film that made The Duke a star was based on a 19th century French classic 'Sweet (or fat, depending on translation) Pudding'. A fact that Ford hid from the studio, claiming it was based on a short story by Haycox.

He had good reason to lie. Had he told the truth one of the greatest Western of all time might never had been made, and therein lies a tale. . .

Ford had a reputation for being a good money maker when he was forced to be 'down to earth' but box office poison whenever he got 'artsy', which was often. Ford was a genius and he admired great writing, bringing Eugene O' Neill to the screen---and bombing. Outside the theater the folks in 'Middle America' just didn't take to "Mourning Becomes Electra". Thus Ford had good reason to keep the true origin of "Stagecoach" under wraps.

In 'Pudding' which takes place during the Franco-Prussian war, a group of strangers board a stagecoach. Among them are two nuns, an aristocrat and his wife, a cynic, and a prostitute nicknamed "Pudding."

They treat her like dirt until they run out of food and discover she's brought some. Later, when a Prussian officer detains and threatens them, unless 'Pudding' pleasures him, even the nuns insist that she should have sex with him. She complies, but has the last laugh--she's got syphillis and has patriotically infected an enemy of France!

All the passengers are again disgusted with her, except for the cynic, who is instead revolted with the hypocrisy of his companions. The prostitute has proven nobler than the nuns and aristocrats. . .

Well, no one was ready to have a prostitute infect Cochise or Geronimo with venereal disease in a 1940's Western, but the film follows the THEME of the classic story closely: We meet, in order of social status, 1. A respectable banker 2. An Army officer's wife 3. A liquor slaesman 4. A shady gambler, 5. A prostitute and 6. A convicted murderer (The Ringo Kid)

By the end, it's all turned upside down and the convicted murderer turns out to be a hero, the banker a crook, etc.

The uniqueness of 'Stagecoach' comes in part from the fact that yes, it is like " Lifeboat" or "The Breakfast Club " -- A bunch of strangers thrust together via outside forces. The Stagecoach is like a space capsule in the wilderness. So neither Gary Cooper nor any other star of the time would come anywhere near it, since it was written as an ENSEMBLE piece for a group of actors, not as a star vehicle.

Little did they know. . .

And if you wonder why Orson Welles studied it so closely, note the fluidity of the shots inside the supposedly cramped stagecoach, (ever wonder where the camera was? ) the incredible stunts, the sense of inpending doom as they go further into the unknown, and--Aw, shucks partner, let's just say this guy could direct!

Wayne is bigger than life, as is the first frame in which we see him.

We hear a shot , the stagecoach stops, and the camera moves in as a tall John Wayne twirls his rifle, Monument Valley framing him in the background.

Best entrance on film till the 1960's when Sean Connery graced us with "Bond, James Bond " at the casino.

John Wayne stands out and steals the film without even trying.

Rating:
Summary: A CLASSIC BETWEEN CLASSICS! (six stars film really!)
Review: I am sorry to say that if it's true Orson Welles watched "Stagecoach" time and time again before shooting "Citizen Kane" he got it all wrong!. I always seem to fall sleep watching the later... and if I have to choose wich one to see again it will be 99 against 1.
"Stagecoach" are what film legends are made of. Without films like that Hollywood would probably have bankrupted long ago...
And for once justice is made giving the Oscar for best supporting actor to one who deserves it... (Actually all the characters are Great in therir roles).
If you do enjoy movies and westerns in particular you will like it! If not better stop watching movies and go fishing or whatever...

Rating:
Summary: "There are some things a man just can't walk away from."
Review: John Ford's "Stagecoach" is a film that undoubtedly has influenced many action-adventure film directors over the years. One need only watch its dramatic stagecoach chase sequence and compare it to George Miller's "The Road Warrior" (1982) to see some striking similarities. In addition, "Stagecoach" is also famous for being the breakout film for John Wayne who left behind his B Westerns for good after distinguishing himself here as The Ringo Kid.

The story of "Stagecoach" is simple. A lone stagecoach must cross an untamed area populated by hostile Indians. In the stagecoach is an eclectic mix of passengers from various social classes and of various reputations. The heart of the film is the relationship that develops between Wayne's fugitive and Dallas (Claire Trevor), a woman with a scandalous past. These two individuals are arguably the two low rungs on the social standing ladder amongst the film's characters. Yet, when all the chips are placed on the table, it is The Ringo Kid and Dallas who prove to be the most steadfast and dependable. Needless to say, both leads are great. Trevor in particular is the embodiment of 1930's glamour Hollywood.

If there's any one thing that people remember after watching "Stagecoach," it is the amazing chase sequence with the pursuing Indians. It is a marvel of early cinema filmmaking technique that still manages to get the blood pumping in the present day. The sequence is literally a film storyboard come to life and a testament to the notion that action sequences do not succeed in and of themselves, but succeed when carefully planned out and competently executed. This is a timeless lesson that many current filmmakers should take to heart when putting together their films

Rating:
Summary: wrongfuly acused
Review: A very interesting movie head strong get even in this
movie.Can't help but like this movie make's you wonder how meany
real pepole might have been a simular position.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best westerns I've seen
Review: John Ford is one of my three all time favorite directors, and I find it amazing that I haven't seen more of his films (such as stagecoach). Once again I was blown away by the casual technical mastery he displays, it's easy to see how this film was very influential on Welles and his decisions on how he wanted Toland to shoot Citizen Kane. There are many scenes with interior low angles--you see the cieling--the use of shadow and the black and white pallate is nothing short of breathtaking, and the multiplane compositions (and often deep focus) are outstanding as well. I love the iconic track in on John Wayne in the beginning (I thought to myself "that single shot created the greatest on screen legend yet met"), and the restrained camera movement, so that each time it does move its impact is all the greater (Ford's philosophy was that you shouldn't move the camera around unless there was damn good reason to). I love the tilt down of the whore(?) throwing Luke another shotgun, beautiful composition here especially in the final high angle of the shot, looking down at Luke in the near background with the streetlight in the foreground. I also think the way the final shootout was handled was great, John Wayne diving, gets off one shot, cut to Dallas we hear THREE more shots, and assume the worst, Then Luke comes walking into the bar... and so on; brilliant editing. The part I liked least was the Indian attack, simply because it seemed out of place in what had been a hundred percent ensemble character drama up until that point, however the Indian attack itself is one of the finest action set pieces this side of Ben-Hur, it just seemed out of place in the film; beautifully done.

Rating:
Summary: Classic western with great characters and beautiful scenery
Review: "Stagecoach" is a landmark film in so many ways. While probably not the very best western ever created this stunning production is memorable as being one of the first of the genre where just as much emphasis was placed on character development as action. It also marked the breakthrough role (and first collaboration with frequent director Ford) for a young John Wayne after a decade of appearing in countless B films, and the first time that director John Ford used his most favourite location of Monument Valley, Utah for shooting which gives this film an almost out of this world ,mythical quality.

Produced in the magical year of 1939 "Stagecoach" more than holds its own with all the other great classics produced in that year. Honoured with two Academy Awards for its musical score and the beautiful performance by Thomas Mitchell as the drunken doctor travelling on the stagecoach the film tells a very simple story of the intertwined lives of a group of people travelling through dangerous Indian territory on a stagecoach and how each effects the others lives in different ways. Ford assembled a sterling cast of performers here and apart from Wayne as the wrongly convicted outlaw the Ringo Kid we have the before mentioned Thomas Mitchell (in the same year that he played Scarlett O'Hara's father in "Gone With The Wind"), as the drunken doctor who is forced to deliver a baby on route, Claire Trevor in a superb performance as the "scarlett lady" Dallas, run out of town for her morals who forms an attachment to Wayne's character , Andy Devine as the coach driver and John Carradine as the shady gambler Hatfield. Donald Meek also registers as the fumbling spirits salesman who keeps having his samples raided by Mitchell. Louise Platt also does some memorable work as the very pregnant Lucy Mallory, travelling on the stagecoach to join her husband who gives birth during the journey and with help from Dallas learns a good lesson in understanding and tolerance of other's failings. "B" movie cowboy veteran Tom Tyler also makes a rare appearance as the Ringo Kid's nemesis Luke Plummer who is involved in a shoot out with Ringo at the finale.

"Stagecoach" contains many memorable moments, the most outstanding without a doubt being the lengthy and cleverly filmed Indian attack on route which contains some of the most amazing stunt work seen in films up till then. It is the work of stuntman genius Yakima Canutt who doubled for John Wayne in all the complicated action sequnces such as when the Ringo Kid takes control of the horses leading the stagecoach when it is attacked. These stunt scenes became re-used footage in countless westerns over the succeeding years so brilliant they were and are still considered.

While not being a huge fan of the western genre I do love this film for its intelligent writing and attention to character development often not seen in alot of westerns. The beautiful location photography adds a tremendous boost to the overall look of the film and really sets the mood for the whole piece. It is such a landmark film in so many ways already mentioned however for sheer entertainment value for those that like action adventure tales it is unsurpassed. I dont feel you even need to be a western lover to enjoy it so well crafted are the characters and the action story that they are involved in. For stirring western excitement you can't go past John Ford's memorable classic "Stagecoach".

Rating:
Summary: Easily one of the greatest Westerns ever made
Review: STAGECOACH is a film that is great viewed once, but even better watched repeatedly. Although the story it tells is a simple one, it is told in a deceptively simple manner. In fact, it is a heavily nuanced, deeply complex film, and it is only on repeated viewings that the complexity is revealed. For instance, if one rewatches the film focusing on just one element, such as the physical distance and placement of each character throughout the film, one realizes the degree to which John Ford is the master of his craft. This is one of those rare films that, if watched frequently enough, shows you how films are constructed and made. In fact, "Masterpiece" is almost too weak a word for a work of this quality. It is almost more "Blueprint" for future films than merely a Masterpiece.

STAGECOACH is sometimes regarded as a John Wayne vehicle, but nothing could be further from the truth. He does manage a stunning debut in an "A" picture (his extensive previous work had been in "B" oaters), but this is an ensemble picture, the strength of the film deriving from the performances of a number of important characters, and not from the performance of merely one. Had Wayne been great, but John Carradine and Donald Meek and Berton Churchill and Andy Devine and Thomas Mitchell not turned in equally as compelling performances, STAGECOACH would have been only a shadow of the film it is. Although this is not a John Wayne vehicle, he does benefit from two visually stunning moments. The first is the marvelous close up when we see the Ringo Kid for the first time. The second is his dive to the ground at the end of the film as he takes on his enemies.

STAGECOACH is a nearly flawless film. The cinematography is extraordinary. Monument Valley, which Ford used here for the first time but which is now forever associated with his films, provides a perfect backdrop to the story. As mentioned before, the large ensemble cast is flawless. The script is classic. The story utilizes the classic formula of a journey as symbolizing the changes in characters as the stagecoach goes on. The music is memorable. This is easily one of the most imitated movies in history, and watching it one can easily see why.

This movie also features one of the most famous stunts in the history of film. During the climatic chase scene across the long desert plain, an Indian rides up and jumps off his horse onto the lead team of horses on the stagecoach. John Wayne shoots him before he is able to rein in the horses and stop the coach, but the leads have fallen and are trailing the ground. So, John Wayne apparently jumps from the coach to the second team of horses, and then from them to the lead horses, where he recovers the leads. In fact, the same person, Yakima Canutt, did both stunts. This sequence is so famous that it has been spliced into dozens of movies over the years. When they filmed it Yakima first did the Indian stunt, and then dressed as John Wayne and then saved the stage. It is on the basis of this as well as his later stunt work that Yakima Canutt is considered one of the great stunt artists ever.

Rating:
Summary: Stagecoach: Boxed in People Reveal Themselves
Review: A favorite technique of Hollywood is to place a diverse group of strangers into a box of some sort, keep them there while danger appears, and then see how they relate. Alfred Hitchcock in LIFEBOAT and John Hughes in THE BREAKFAST CLUB proved that locked in characters exhibit a range of emotions from gloom, to doom, to humor, to acceptance. In STAGECOACH, director John Ford went to the Old West as a background against which several characters are all on the run for one reason or another. On a stagecoach headed for Lordsburg, driver Buck (Andy Devine) picks up Gatewood (Berton Churchill), a crooked banker who has just embezzled his bank's money; a hooker Dallas (Claire Trevor), who needs the emotional flipside of a business notorious for a cash on the barrel philosophy; a wino Doctor Boone (Thomas Mitchell), who tries to drown his sorrows in whiskey; a glib but crooked gambler Hatfield (John Carradine), who measures all of life's risks by odds given and taken; a pregnant Lucy Mallory (Louise Platt); who seeks her husband who she feels sure will care for her and her child; a travelling salesman Sam Peacock (Donald Meek), who fears the danger of a world will intrude on his unassuming self; a sheriff Wilcox (George Bancroft), who hunts a man he is sworn to bring in; and of course the hunted man himself, the Ringo Kid (John Wayne), who seeks redemption through revenge for the murder of his family.
What Ford has done was to place these riders in a volatile situation where their respective personalities emerge such that despite some obvious differences in temperament and character, each is resigned to co-operate in the face of a common enemy, Geronimo, the Apache chief, who swears to kill them all. Even though John Wayne gets top billing, it is not he who occupies center stage. Rather, there is a collective splicing of individuals so that each takes turns in joining the group consciousness that is needed for self-defense. The climax is the protracted assault on the stagecoach by a band of Apaches who attack on horseback. These Apaches do not emerge as distinct individuals. We never learn more about them except that they are warlike and led by Geronimo. As they attack, the riders shoot back, killing one Indian after another. One would think that after losing more than a dozen warriors in the initial assault (I was counting), Geronimo would have weighed cost versus benefit and called it all off. The attack itself is a masterpiece of filming. The bouncing, jangling motion of the stagecoach is a palpable vibration felt viscerally by the audience. With the riders' ammunition running out, the gambler Hatfield is down to his last bullet, and probably for the first time in his card-sharping days decides to give a [guy] an even break. The young mother Lucy is praying to God for deliverance, but Hatfield knows that the Apaches will rape and torture her upon capture, so he resolves to use his last bullet mercifully on her. Ironically, no one on board sees this as he is killed seconds before he can pull the trigger. With further irony, a troop of US cavalry appears to chase away the Apaches. As the stagecoach pulls into Lordsburg, there is a series of happy endings. The meek salesman recovers from a wound. The crooked banker is found out and arrested. The tart Dallas and the Ringo Kid fall in love while Sheriff Wilcox allows them to ride off into the night together.
STAGECOACH was not the first hit for John Wayne, but in its superb choreography, beauteous setting of Monument Valley, sparkling dialogue, and Ford's ability to allow his cast's respective and unique styles to bounce off each other, the result is a gripping movie that is truly far more than the John Wayne vehicle it is sometimes trumped up to be. Instead, what it reveals is that in life-threatening situations, the power of the whole far exceeds the individual talents of each. Co-operation, even among quarrels, can often spell the difference between success and failure on both the screen and in real life too.

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Summary: John Wayne really begins his stardom here!
Review: While this movie retains many of the OLD style western film trademarks (indian chases, good guy, bad guy relationships), Stagecoach is where J. Wayne begins to develop real character depth. The worst people (the drunk, the prostitute) are the dependable folks who take charge and get the job done when things get tough, and the respectable folks (army wife, banker) are really all talk, with no stomach for lifes realities. This type of acting was new at the time, where characters actually worked to hide a part of what they were, which was different from their society-defined role in life. More complex characters, and thus, more complex acting, sets the tone for both John Wayne's and Hollywoods future. It was still shot in black and white, though, so don't expect great technological advances in film science or special effects. You almost need to watch a couple of Wayne's earlier films before watching Stagecoach to really appreciate the difference. If you watch his later films first, Stagecoach will seem like "just another old movie".

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Summary: Grandpappy of All Westerns Still Wows Us Today
Review: "Stagecoach" bears more than a passing resemblance to Bret Harte's famous western parable, "The Outcasts of Poker Flats", which is why it, like the short story, are both great classics. A major difference between the two, however, is that "Stagecoach" has an overall happy ending, whereas the poor outcasts suffer various tragic fates.

Our "Stagecoach" has a number of interesting inhabitants: The Ladies Decency League has managed to put aboard the town's drunk doctor (Thomas Mitchell) and a lady of ill repute (Claire Trevor). A mild-mannered whiskey drummer played to perfection by Donald Meek is of great interest to the doctor, who's more than happy to hold (and raid) the salesman's sample case en route to Lordsberg. A "great lady", expecting and off to join her calvary officer husband, is warned by the town biddies not to ride with that hussy Claire Trevor, but she goes anyway. The notorious town gambler (John Carradine) sees her out the window, and offers gallantly to accompany her. Why does he seem so familiar to her? Why does he deny it? Why does he look at her "that way"? Hmmm. Andy Devine is the pessimistic coach driver, and George Bancroft is the sheriff who has decided to ride shotgun because Geronimo is on the warpath again. Then, just as the stage is leaving the outskirts of town, the town banker jams himself into the coach. The audience has just seen him embezzle funds from the bank, but the passengers know nothing of it. If this weren't enough folks already on this journey, then out on the prairie they spy a lone figure carrying a saddle, the Ringo Kid, played by John Wayne. As he's a jailbreaker bound for Lordsberg to kill the evil men who sent him up river falsely, the sheriff's got his eye on Ringo at all times.

Before this "routine" trip is over, there will be babies born, Indian chases, marriage proposals, arrow wounds, stolen horses, and a lot of near-misses for all concerned. Not to mention one big shoot-out at the end! The outcast characters will prove themselves, and some of the high and mighty will tumble awfully low. "Stagecoach" is a medieval quest set in the Old West, as everyone is on their own journey, thinking they know what they will find, but getting something very different along the way. It's my personal favorite John Ford western, and only Gary Cooper's "High Noon" stands higher in my affections. For an exhilarating ride tonight, hoist yourself into the "Stagecoach" and ride off into the sunset with this slice of humanity.