Stagecoach
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Movie Reviews of Stagecoach
Movie Review: Impressive Entry to the Genre
Summary: 5 Stars
An interesting bunch of people are about to share a common bond; they will be travelling together in a small stagecoach across an Indian-infested land. Doc Boone (Thomas Mitchell) and Dallas (Claire Trevor) are being kicked out of town because of their shady activities. Mrs. Mallory (Louise Platt), accompanied by gambler Hatfield (John Carradine), is travelling to meet her soldier husband. Samuel Peacock (Donald Meek) is going home after a long journey selling alcohol. Henry Gatewood (Berton Churchill) is an embezzler trying to flee town with the bank's payroll. Curly Wilcox (George Bancroft) is escorting outlaw Ringo Kid (John Wayne) to jail. Driver Buck (Andy Devine) leads the way as this diverse group aims for a common goal: to get to Lordsburg alive.
I am not normally a western fan. The barren landscapes and the rough characters are not my cup of tea. However, this film features a cast of characters that are very similar to any ordinary dramatic classic. There are outcasts like Dallas and Ringo, character actor parts like that of Doc Boone and Mr. Peacock, and straight parts like Mrs. Mallory or Curly. It is the characters that make this film truly great. However, they are aided by wonderful scenery in Monument Valley, Utah; expert editing; and an interesting take on a standard genre.
This is the film that made Wayne a star, and it is no wonder why. For a man characterized by his minimalist acting strategy, his talents run a wide gamut here. He is appropriately clueless in some scenes, strong in others, and romantic in still others. It is an impressive performance by any standards, and even moreso based on the work Wayne did previous to Stagecoach. Other notables include Mitchell who won an Oscar for his role. He is excellent comic relief, but also a sympathetic character.
Stagecoach has it all: action, romance, and craft!
Movie Review: Ford's seminal Western fashioned the mold from which all others sprang
Summary: 5 Stars
Every Western that came after STAGECOACH owes in no small measure a debt to John Ford's 1939 classic. As a matter of fact, they are all essentially riffs on STAGECOACH. All the diverse elements of the genre are present in this one movie, each waiting to be probed and dissected in the future, not only by other filmmakers, but by Ford himself.
STAGECOACH introduced the public to the Duke, John Wayne, and in every film he made thereafter you can find a bit of the Ringo Kid in each of his roles. The characters in STAGECOACH may be a bit too stereotypical or cliched for some tastes, a criticism applied to many Ford films, but the acting in this film is uniformly excellent. Aside from Wayne, Claire Trevor, John Carradine, Thomas Mitchell, Andy Devine, George Bancroft, and Donald Meek, are outstanding.
A hallmark of Ford's work is great pacing, and STAGECOACH is purposeful in it's demand for the viewers' attention from start to finish. There is very little waste or extraneous action and dialogue. Each sequence fits together in a seamless chain that moves the story forward to it's dynamic conclusion. Ford knows how to tell a cinematic tale efficiently and dynamically, and like almost all of his films, STAGECOACH is a work of great visual beauty, humor, heart, and soul..a film that explores themes with timeless relevance..an essential film.
Movie Review: Ringo Kid (John Wayne) Saves the Day: Begins Era of Modern Westerns
Summary: 5 Stars
An overconfident group of stagecoach travelers is suddenly attacked by an overwhelming force of Apache Indians. The horses pulling the stagecoach cannot outrun the attackers, and the Apaches surround the stagecoach. Arrows and bullets fly. The defenders manage at first to hold off the attackers. Outlaw Ringo Kid (John Wayne) redeems himself during the defensive effort. But then the defenders are almost out of ammunition. Are they doomed? One of the men is about to shoot one of the women--apparently so that she does not have to die a cruel death at the hands of the Apaches.
However, this is not entirely a white-vs-Indian thing. Earlier, a Cheyenne Indian had informed the men about the whereabouts of the Apaches, "because the Cheyenne hate the Apaches even more than we do."
The earlier part of this western has a lot of dialogue but almost no action. Background music is played. Ringo Kidd falls in love with Dallas, one of the women in the group. Another woman, Mrs. Mallory, travels on the stagecoach because of her insistence on finding her husband, who is in the Army. Since he is in danger, she does not mind also being in danger.
There is another shootout. Ringo Kid faces three opponents. Does he have a chance?
Movie Review: Stagecoach
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're looking at ordering Stagecoach, you probably don't need me to tell you that it's a great movie. Yes, it's in black and white. Yes, it's a little grainy. Yes, its on a square screen. That will keep the brats who don't like looking at a movie in black and white from seeing it. This is a movie for the more informed, the more enlightened.
The movie itself is excellent and complete. It deserves its four stars. The commentary which accompanies the movie as a special feature is very, very well done. I watched the movie three times and listened to the commentary twice before I could put it into my collection. This is the first great, adult western. You will be pleased with your purchase.
Movie Review: STAR- MAKING TOP-NOTCH WESTERN
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the film which made John Wayne a star; he would go on to become the biggest star ever. The team of Ford and Wayne would give us many more great westerns in succeeding years, but their union began with "Stagecoach." Action, characterization, comic relief - they are all here, blended with Ford's unerring eye for stunning landscapes and well-composed scenes. The rest of the cast is also memorable - Claire Trevor's heart-of-gold prostitute, Thomas Mitchell's philosophizing alcoholic doctor, John Carradine's sinister yet gentlemanly card sharp and Andy Devine's raspy-voiced stagecoach driver. "Stagecoach" is a film made for multiple viewings.