5/5 Stagecoach w/John Wayne
  by TARHEEL (NORTH CAROLINA)
A lot of great movies came out in 1939...Stagecoach was close to the top of the list. It helped launch John Waynes career from "B" movies to one of the best, if not the best cowboy of all time.

3/5 Life and Death in the Southwest
  by Acute Observer (North Jersey Shore)
The film opens on a road in the southwest. Two riders gallop into an Army post. The Apaches are on the warpath, led by Geronimo. [No reason given.] The coach stops to change their six horses. The conversation introduces the characters. "What's good for the banks is good for the country." [Does the banker resemble President Harding?] Dallas is driven out of town by the good women to avoid a calamity. Doc Boone hasn't done well. Cavalry escorts the stagecoach to guard against attack. The banker hops aboard. Johnny Ringo hitches a ride. They proceed through Monument Valley. Shall they continue without a cavalry escort? They take a vote. "What difference does it make?" Seating at the table shows their status.

The banker spouts political slogans that are still relevant (and wrong) today. They take a detour north for safety and learn bad news. Mrs. Mallory faints and needs medical attention. "It's a baby!" Ringo must carry on the family feud. We learn more about the people and their concerns. [Too sentimental?] Smoke on the mountain sends a signal. The stress affects the people. The next stop reveals a burned house and ferry. They get across the stream and continue. An arrow announces the Apache attack, the chase begins. [That wasn't much of an ambush! Would the clever Apaches attack in the open?] Will the cavalry arrive in the nick of time? The survivors arrive in town. "Johnny Ringo is in town." Luke's hand had aces and eights. The telegraph was repaired and the Sheriff greets banker Gatewood.

Ringo is given his ten minutes. The men in the bar await the news. Three men look for Ringo in the dark. Shots are heard, a woman screams. Ringo returns to the Marshal, and meets Dallas again. There is a surprise for a happy ending. The film reflects the culture of that era and hasn't aged bacly. Ringo had knocked around enough to know what Dallas was and wouldn't care anyway. [Too sentimental?]

Ernest Haycox wrote many popular Western novels, some adapted to films. This is a story of clichés about a group of people who are thrown together, face a peril, and live through it. How did it compare to the other western movies from that era? Few have survived to be placed on tape or disc. Was it more censored in some respects and less in others? I think remakes of this fil will drop the banker and pregnant wife due to cultural changes. John Wayne played in many westerns before this film.



3/5 On rails
  by Roger Long (Port Clinton, OH USA)
This is about a stagecoach trip, but the movie might as well be "on rails." The plot is predictable in the extreme, and the characters are one dimensional. There's the whore with the heart of gold, although we are never told specifically what her calling is. There's the killer who is really a nice guy and deserves a break. There's a drunken doctor who sobers up at the crucial moment and comes through in spades. Etc. Subtlety is not to be found here.

The one redeeming quality is the almost poetic cimematography at times. As was often the case, director Ford used Monument Valley as a backdrop. In fact, the stage never quite gets out of the valley, town after town. Still, the backdrop is spectacular and wonderfully filmed.

I realize that this movie is revered as a cinema classic, but I don't understand why. Westerns of the era were so predictable, mostly B movies and Saturday matinee fare for the kiddies. Later westers would improve to give us "The Ox Bow Incident," and "True Grit" and best of all "Lonesome Dove." I will probably be criticised for mocking "Stagecoach," but that's the way I saw it.

5/5 The Milestone of Western Genre
  by Koray Erdivanli (Istanbul, TURKEY)
Stagecoach is known to be the milestone of western genre as it started the era of modern western movies. It is very impressive in terms of directing and acting as well as its influencial style of story telling.
The movie is about a group of passengers that travel by a stagecoach under the threat of a possible apachi attack. The final shootout scene is very short but quite exciting.
The director John Ford proves his extraordinary talent by creating such a great movie under the limited technical and technological circumstances of the 1930s. He deserves the highest praise not only for his directing skills but also, for his decisiveness in giving the role of Ringo Kid to the young John Wayne although the big Hollywood studios turned him down because of this insistence.
John Wayne shines like a star throughtout the movie. In fact, he has reached the star status through this movie and has become a legendary actor through his future works.
On the other hand, Thomas Mitchell garnered an Oscar at the Best Supporting Actor category for his bright performance in Stagecoach. Actually, I have a very special note for Turkish cartoon lovers: The famous "Dr. Salasso" character of Tommiks ( Known as Capitan Miki in Italy ) was created by the inspiration of the drunken doctor character played by Thomas Mitchell.
Stagecoach is a must-have for all the western lovers. It is a masterpiece of its genre. I highly recommend this movie.

5/5 Stagecoach
  by Cool Carl
The movie is by all accounts a true classic. I am thrilled to have this DVD in my collection. The image quality of this B/W film is great.