Stagecoach
Release date 15th February 1939
Country : USA
Running time : 96 mins
Genre : Western
Starring John Wayne, Claire Trevor
Screenplay by Dudley Nichols
Directed by John Ford



  A variety of passengers embark on a stagecoach journey through Indian territory.

The quality sound western really began here, first the filming of Monument Valley produced iconic imagery rather like in the best silent films. The people aboard the stagecoach are skilfully chosen to provide an interesting array of character interactions, this is the Grand Hotel of the plains but better with more believable acting.

The director made certain the plot and characters were what mattered when he cast no major stars (George Bancroft, John Carradine, Thomas Mitchell, even Claire Trevor were more supporting players). John Wayne though was well established as a star by this one film, his first appearance calling the stagecoach to a halt is one of the great entrances in any movie.

 

Ford's mastery as a director is perhaps most apparent in the Indian attack near the end of the film. This sequence is brilliantly shot on the move and looks incredibly authentic. Orson Welles is said to have replayed this scene continually in preparation for the making of his first feature Citizen Kane (1941).