Stagecoach
Directed by: John Ford
Written by: Dudley Nichols
Starring: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, John Carradine, Andy Devine

With comic book movies and fantasy films ruling the box office, it’s safe to say that the ‘B movie’ is now ‘the A movie’. While the idea of the blockbuster is nothing new, there seems to have been a shift in the quality of talent that have attached themselves to films that years ago might have been considered substandard (actually, most of it still is substandard). Similarly, the western was once considered pure pulp filmmaking until John Ford’s Stagecoach set a standard that legitimized the American western and turned a B movie actor (John Wayne) into a legend.

While the plot of Stagecoach is pretty straightforward, the characterizations are fairly subversive considering this was Ford’s first ‘talkie’ western. The first act of the film takes its time setting up the multitude of characters — from differing social classes — looking to catch an east-bound stagecoach ride to New Mexico. There’s the hooker with a heart of gold (Claire Trevor), a drunken doctor (Thomas Mitchell), a crooked banker (Berton Churchill), a whisky salesman (Donald Meek), a Confederate gambler (John Carradine) and a woman (Louise Platt) travelling to see her calvary officer husband. When news spreads that Geronimo and his Apache’s are on the loose, the stagecoach is joined by a small troop of soldiers who will provide an escort for half of the trip. The result is a sort of siege film on wheels. Eventually the coach runs into John Wayne as the Ringo Kid, in what is considered to be one of the most memorable entrances in film history. Ford does a rapid push in on the Kid; a camera move so aggressive it immediately turned Wayne into a star. Still, Ford was aware of The Duke’s limitations as an actor. You’ll notice Ringo pop up in an unusual amount of reaction shots, establishing Wayne’s presence while curbing any distaste for his brand of machismo. I guess it isn’t surprising that he lost top billing to the more bankable Claire Trevor.

After a thirteen year hiatus from the western, Ford’s 1939 return to the genre resulted in a movie that’s now considered by some to be one of the most influential films ever made, and with good reason. Orson Welles reportedly screened Stagecoach 40 times while making Citizen Kane, drawing inspiration from John Ford’s keen eye for composition. In fact, while most have cited Kane as being the first film to show ceilings, Ford actually beat Welles to the punch with Stagecoach. Ceiling fans of the world rejoice! It’s this attention to detail that resulted in a film worthy of multiple viewings. Ford’s visual artistry and his grasp on the fundamentals of great storytelling single handedly revitalized the western and shaped the future of his own filmography. The film’s seemingly conventional narrative is subverted by Ford’s love of the anti-hero, turning the socially respectable characters (a banker, a doctor) into reprobates and the misfits into heroes. I’m reminded of Wayne’s performance as the revenge thirsty Ethan Edwards in The Searchers; a man who crosses many moral lines in the attempt to find his kidnapped nieces. It’s this sort of moral ambiguity that adds a complexity to the characters, elevating them beyond simple pulp caricatures. Anyone who claims that a protagonist must be an example of purity and good virtue in order to connect with an audience should definitely have a look at Stagecoach and The Searchers.

On top of the great characters, the film happens to feature one hell of an action sequence as legendary stuntman Yakima Canutt performs some amazing feats of danger hopping between horses during a full blown stagecoach chase. One of these stunts might look familiar to Indiana Jones fans; an Apache warrior, in an attempt to board the stagecoach, is shot and falls on the ground between the legs of six horses and two giant wagon wheels. Truly harrowing work that puts you right in the middle of the action. On top of this, some amazing camera work manages to capture every second of the action with amazing precision for the time. This sense of danger is missing in modern filmmaking. Every time a horse is brought down by a tripwire in Stagecoach, an angel gets its wings. Now-a-days we’re lucky if we even get a stuffed animatronic horse! If I want to see a cowboy bite it, he best not be riding pixels. Bring back the trip wire dammit! (Actually, no. Don’t.)

While Criterion’s digital transfer of Stagecoach is more than satisfying, the source material has seen better days. According to the booklet that comes with the blu ray, the original negative has been lost for decades. After some research, the producers of the disc settled on a 1942 duplicate negative which they considered to be in the best condition available. While it certainly shows its age at times, the imperfections take nothing away from this otherwise stunning high definition transfer. The disc also contains some great supplemental materials, the best of which includes an hour long interview with director John Ford and a look at the legendary stunt work of Yakima Canutt. Another satisfying package for fans of this legendary western!

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