Stagecoach Review

Stagecoach — 

Stagecoach (1939)

If you like western movies you may want to take a look at Stagecoach, John Ford's tribute to the pioneers who settled the old west.

Before Ford made his film, westerns were considered disposable Saturday afternoon fodder, churned out as cheaply as possible and often ran second as part of a double bill. Once Stagecoach was released, audiences were wildly enthusiastic about the unexpected complexity and the pattern was set for western movies which were thereafter respected as an art form all their own.

The story concerns the passage of a stagecoach between two towns in the far west, with Lordsburg New Mexico the final destination. Meanwhile the Apaches are on the warpath.

There are eight distinct characters running the gamut of society, from a prostitute to a criminal going to prison; a banker; a doctor; a whiskey peddler; a soldier's wife; a Southern gentleman; and the drivers, one of whom is the marshal.

The movie has a rhythmic structure that consists of a character development scene, then a traveling scene, then repeat the cycle, through several alternations. This organization has a way of drawing you into the movie as you watch each character get tested, some to their credit and some to their shame.

The actors are convincing and a line up such as you seldom see: Claire Trevor, plays Dallas, who is an undesirable single female; Thomas Mitchell is the drunken Doc Boone; John Wayne is the Ringo Kid, going back to the prison he escaped from; John Carradine is the gambler Hatfield; there is also a crooked banker and a pregnant military wife.  Topping it off is Andy Devine, driving the coach.  Each of these actors nails their character to the screen.