Stagecoach
Directed by John Ford
Written by Dudley Nichols from a story by Ernest Haycox
1938/USA
Walter Wanger Productions
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental
#130 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
[box] Buck: If there’s anything I don’t like, it’s driving a stagecoach through Apache country.[/box]
John Ford finds a canvas wide enough to contain his vision.
A motley group of passengers board a stagecoach on a dangerous journey through Apache country. Town drunk/medical man Doc Boone (Thomas Mitchell) and painted lady Dallas (Claire Trevor) are being driven out of town. Much to Doc’s delight, a little whiskey drummer (Donald Meek) is along for the ride. The passengers are rounded out with a sick lady on the way to join her soldier husband and her last-minute protector shady gambler Hatfield (John Carridine). As the coach is departing town a whingeing blowhard banker hops a ride. In the drivers seat is Buck (Andy Devine), with sheriff Curley riding shotgun (George Bancroft). The party is completed when the Ringo Kid (John Wayne), who has escaped from jail, is forced to hitch a ride and apprehended by the sheriff.
The story follows the group dynamics as they move from a bickering set of individuals to a mostly cohesive unit battling challenges from child-birth, to love, to Apaches on the warpath.
It is hard to imagine a time when John Wayne wasn’t a movie star but such was the case here. He didn’t even get top billing. That distinction went to Claire Trevor, who previously had been nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Dead End. And, really, this is an ensemble piece. Wayne does make his entrance in grand style, though!
For me, John Ford is the star of this movie. The use of composition and vistas is stunning. Ford would never look back.
Thomas Mitchell won a Best Support Actor Oscar for his work in this film. (He couldn’t have been hurt by his great performances in Gone with the Wind and Only Angels Have Wings either.) The film also won an Academy Award for its Scoring. Stagecoach was also nominated by the Academy in the following categories: Best Picture; Best Director; Best Cinematography (B&W); Best Art Direction; and Best Film Editing.
Theatrical Trailer
I’m not particularly a John Wayne fan but this is one of my two favorites of his films (the other being The Searchers. His first appearance in the film is iconic. This is a wonderful film and all the players are at the top of their form, even John Carradine who does tend to overact sometimes. A classic John Ford winner.
Agree that Carradine is in top form in this one.
I love this film. This is to me the quintessential western, but so much more than that. As you say it is an ensemble film and thus a template for most ensemble/road movies to come. Too bad it was made in that great year of 1939. In any other year the oscar harvest would have been a bumper crop.
As far as I’m concerned, they could have nominated almost everyone for a Supporting Actor/Actress Oscar. Off to read your review!
I don’t always believe Orson Welles. In fact, I seldom believe him. That said, I do believe that he watched STAGECOACH over and over (maybe not 100 times) and learned how to make a movie. He not only got John Ford as a mentor, he got the brilliant Gregg Tolandin the bargain. Welles’ best idea ever was to put Toland on CITIZEN KANE. The rest is Hollywood history….
The film historian’s commentary on the Criterion DVD points out Ford using camera angles showing the ceilings of rooms in Stagecoach, well before Citizen Kane which is noted for this effect. So Welles probably got the idea here. Beautiful movie.