StageCoach

Title of Film: StageCoach

1.   In class we discussed the success of John Ford’s “StageCoach” and how it singlehandedly revitalized the moribund genre. Stagecoach was set to be in the year 1880. It was shot in Monument Valley. Stagecoach is filled with various scenes of action. It starts out with a group of people who are on a journey, but they are troubled by the threat of Geronimo. They all learn a lot about each other on this adventure. The passengers on the stagecoach are Doc Boone, Dallas, the Ringo Kid, Samuel Peacock, Lucy Mallory, Buck, Marshal Curly Wilcox, Luke Plummer, and Hatfield. However, when the odds are against them, they all learn that they have to work together if they all wish to survive the attacks.

We also discussed the various themes and roles that are displayed in Stage Coach. There were a lot of different social classes amongst the passengers of the stagecoach. One is a drunken doctor, one is a prostitute, another is a professional gambler. Then there is also an army wife, a cop, a banker, a liquor salesman, and a fugitive. Sexual and social predjudices are very obvious in Stagecoach. The women aboard the stagecoach are not always respected by all of the passengers throughout the movie. Especially since one is a prostitute. Additional themes presented in Stagecoach is greed, revenge, redemption, and lots of alcoholism.

      http://www.decentfilms.com/reviews/stagecoach.html

2) Before John Ford’s “Stagecoach”, the Western genre was considered to be cheap and “B-movie” status. However, prior to its release, the Western genre seemed to have been revitalized. Stagecoach had given the genre new life for many years to come. Even though Stagecoach is not the greatest Western movie ever, it played a main part in the status of Westerns as an American genre. It also captured the stunning view of the Monument Valley landscape. In addition, instead of the usual “bad guy vs. good guy” routine, Stagecoach used social commentary, moral drama and characterization.

3) Stagecoach can be considered as a “redemption story” in addition to the fact that it lacks moral rigor. There’s also a revenge subplot that can be described as uncritical as any in the Western genre. The cinematographer from Stagecoach, Greg Toland used some of the same camera angles and lighting in Stagecoach as he did for other popular movies like Citizen Kane, for example. The Indian attack scene that is towards the end also established new heights for action movie making.

4) Stagecoach is your average cowboy vs. indian movie that combines a lot of very diverse and dynamic characters with fully rounded personalities with extreme action. I think most of the characters have a great amount of emotion and depth to them wich empowers the storyline. Even though Stagecoach contains a lot of clichés, I think John Ford did a fairly good job with this film. He did a nice job choosing all the right camera angles and controlling all the aspects of the film. However, I think that the action is the best part of the movie and it plays a big role in the reason why John Wayne was a successful actor.