Stagecoach

1) Stagecoach was an American, John Ford, film released in 1939. It was released during a time, where it is said to be the greatest period in American Movie making. Ford, won four “best director” awards for films in his illustrious career. He was mainly known for his array of westerns, Military films, and his social dramas. Although Ford was told that westerns held a high risk on ruining his career, he was persistent and it turned out to work well in his favor, and it showed. He combined action, drama, and humor, in Stagecoach. Along with the genres he incorporated, the main story line consisted of a set of symbolic characters in a stagecoach set to leave Tonto, New Mexico for a settlement far away in Lordsburg, with a diverse set of passengers along with it such as an alcoholic doctor, two women, and a bank manager who has taken off with his client's money. Little do they know, along the way Geronimo becomes an obstacle and attacks, making the trip a tad more interesting. 

2) “Relegated to B-movie status by the mid-1930s, the western was regenerated most prominently by John_Ford's Stagecoach in 1939. Ford and screenwriter Dudley_Nichols artfully balanced the genre's standard action with the character studies and quality production values of prestigious 1930s films. In the microcosm of the stagecoach, the confrontation between "civilization" and "savagery," Western future and Eastern past, is played out among characters journeying through hostile Apache territory, with honor-bound outlaw Ringo fighting valiantly for a society that shuns him. Though not the top-billed player, and then a B-movie actor, John_Wayne as Ringo became the star hero from the moment that Ford introduces him with a rare kinetic flourish. Ford here introduced his signature Western setting of Monument Valley, lending Stagecoach a realism that set it apart from studio-bound films; and his deep focus interiors preceded Citizen_Kane by two years. A critical and commercial hit, Stagecoach helped spearhead the revival of the Western as a viable A-feature, and it turned Wayne into an A-list star. When he made Citizen_Kane, Orson_Welles claimed that he learned everything about directing movies from watching Stagecoach more than 40 times. Lucia Bozzola, Rovi” (http://www.starpulse.com/Movies/Stagecoach/Review/)

3) This article covers the main aspects of the film, on as well as off of the screen. Ford, took an average film and made one of the greatest films in AMerican history. It reinforces Ford’s use of social satire, in his beloved western style. He compared the civilized beings to Geronimo’s barbarians, and depicted the “good guys” winning. The off screen aspects of the film, include the brilliant cinematography, for the era of the films release, as well as the emergence of John Wayne, in his first major role in a film. 

4) In my opinion, I have to give respect to one of the great movies in our country’s history, however I thought this movie was painful. I can appreciate the social messages that the plot consisted of, as well as the status of the different individual characters. So, clearly the content of the message was good, in my eyes. Overall, I am not a huge fan of western films, and the fact that it was in black and white, was very painful to watch. If not for the scene where Geronimo and his men attacked, I might have fallen asleep. However, people should see his movie, since it is such an iconic film in our history.