Smith goes to washington, wuthering heights, and of mice and men, and still, even with all that. Stagecoach 1939 is the ideal example of the maturity of a style brought to classic perfectionstagecoach is like a wheel, so perfectly made that it remains in equilibrium on its axis in any position. Smith goes to washington, wuthering heights, and of mice and men, and still, even with all that competition. Stagecoach study guide contains a biography of john ford, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. John ford built a standard that many future directors would follow with his classic 1939 film stagecoach. Stagecoach 1939 is a classic western from film auteur john ford. Stagecoach, john ford 1939 john wayne homage stagecoach suite richard hageman.
The western movie i pick is john fords movie stagecoach 1939. Stagecoach how john ford saved the western youtube. The john ford feature film stagecoach was filmed at several locations. Stagecoach 1939 is the ideal example of the maturity of a style brought to classic perfection stagecoach is like a wheel, so perfectly made that it remains in equilibrium on its axis in any position. Stagecoach begins in the tonto, arizona territory in june of 1880. Stagecoach analysis essay stagecoach is a 1939 production directed by john ford, starring john wayne, clair trevor, berton churchill, along with many other actors and actresses. Stagecoach sweeping and powerful drama of the american frontier, stagecoach displays potentialities that can easily drive it through as one of the surprise big grossers of the year. The revolutionary western john ford built a standard that many future directors would follow with his classic 1939 film stagecoach. With john wayne, claire trevor, andy devine, john carradine. See the article in its original context from march 3, 1939, page 0 buy reprints view on timesmachine timesmachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers.
This is most marked in the music that accompanies the stagecoach as it continues down the road. Whether we choose to read something along those lines into the film or not, monument valley is at least a captivating presence in the film, although for me, the cinematography could have been better technically, especially considering that stagecoach was made at the same time as the wizard of oz 1939. Although he had appeared before in many films, as an extra, a stuntman and then an actor in b films, this was john waynes first starring role in a film by john ford. A group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of geronimo and learn something about each other in the process.
Stagecoach 1939 cast and crew cast photos and info. This is the rko encino ranch western town where the stagecoach arrives to pick up passengers. The passengers on the coach include a drunken doctor, two women, a bank manager who has taken off with his clients money, and the famous ringo kid, among others. Boone, a heavy drinker and a kindly medical practitioner. Film analysis essay the soundtrack, in stagecoach 1939. Director john ford combined action, drama, humor, and a set of welldrawn characters in. Jul 14, 2014 i have a theory that any western film that came after the screening of stagecoach, probably got their character archetypes from this film. Gatewood, a corrupt banker who is making off with his depositors money. This film possesses facets which complicate our modern sensibilities of racial and sexual politics. I have a theory that any western film that came after the screening of stagecoach, probably got their character archetypes from this film. Film analysis essay the soundtrack, in stagecoach 1939 00659603 tutorials for question of general questions and general general questions. It is also the film that made the iconic actor john wayne a star. It wouldnt be surprising to me if it were to be true, because after all, the characters within the film are pretty much completely different from one another, and each them of.
The music motif the music in stagecoach is always highly meaningful, signifying not only what is going on onscreen, but how the viewer ought to feel about it. The film challenged not only western stereotypes but. The close proximity of adverse events such as the great depression and wwii took a toll on the american economy and what resulted was a paradigm shift in american economic policy and concepts. The passengers include alcoholic doctor doc boone, disreputable prostitute dallas, gambler hatfield, crooked banker henry gatewood, whiskey salesman mr peacock and a pregnant young wife lucy mallory, who is hoping to be reunited with her husband, a cavalryman. Notes for viewing john fords stagecoach the movie is set in 1885. Stagecoach was based on earnest haycoxs short story stage to lordsburg, first featured in collier magazine in 1937. Nov 28, 2014 fords camera doesnt just film the titular stagecoach as it moves horizontally on a line, but it places it in a spot on the screen to show depth and length. Mallory, an upright young wife of a cavalry officer. In the meantime, he had produced the superb, oscarwinning drama about irish republicanism, rkos the informer 1935. Dallas claire trevor is a female prostitute the law and order league wants out of town.
It marked the first film of many in which director john ford used monument valley as a backdrop for his narrative. Stagecoach 1939 directed by john ford from a screenplay by dudley nichols is generally considered to be the first adult western adult in the sense that it took a set of archetypes who were familiar to audiences from westerns of the past the dancehall girlprostitute, the southern gentleman gambler, the drunken doctor, the young outlaw, the girl from the east, placed them in a. It wouldnt be surprising to me if it were to be true, because after all, the characters within the film are pretty much completely different from one another, and each them of them presents a character archetype that can be found in later western films. A stagecoach travelling to the town of lordsburgh carries a mixed array of passengers.
John fords stagecoach 1939 starring john wayne and claire. To optimize your experience with your screen reading software, please use our website, which has the same tickets as our and websites. Directed by 1 writing credits 3 cast 67 produced by 1 music by 1 cinematography by 1 film editing by 3 art direction by 1 costume design by 1 makeup department 1 production management 2 second unit director or assistant director 3 art department 1. The real villain of john fords stagecoach 1939 bright. For ford, it was a return after some years to a genre about which his ideas had grownthe genre in which he would. Stagecoach is a classical hollywood western 1939 which explores the dynamics across gender and class of nine strangers aboard a stagecoach, as they come across the elements, warring indians, and distrust of each other.
Stagecoach 1939 the definition of depression giggles is pretty fluid in my class because were touching on every genre which hit theaters during the 1930s. Mar 21, 20 john ford built a standard that many future directors would follow with his classic 1939 film stagecoach. Yet stagecoach is one of the films that initiated these conventions and perhaps has lost some of its freshness only through subsequent imitation of later works. Western classic that transcends the genre as a stagecoach carrying nine passengers through frontier wilderness faces an impending apache attack. The screenplay by dudley nichols is an adaptation of the stage to lordsburg, a 1937 short story by ernest haycox. The film was shot both at a movie ranch in california and on location in monument valley. For ford, it was a return after some years to a genre about which his ideas had grownthe genre in which he would make many of his greatest films. The film has everything from social injustice to alcoholism, prostitution, gambling, and even working class people in general.
The film follows a group of strangers riding on a stagecoach through dangerous apache territory. Stagecoach, american western film, released in 1939, that is a classic of the genre, widely considered to be the first adult western. Read the full synopsis of stagecoach, 1939, directed by john ford, with claire trevor, john wayne, andy devine, at turner classic movies. Stagecoach 1939 portrays indians in a wholly negative light. Jul 31, 2012 john fords stagecoach 1939 starring john wayne and claire trevor july 31, 2012 by cliff aliperti 10 comments stagecoach was the first john wayne movie i saw when i was a kid and it remains my favorite of any of his films. Film synopsis o ne day in 1880, a stagecoach leaves a town in arizona, heading for lordsburg, new mexico. Western genre pieces, such as john fords stagecoach 1939, exemplify the mirror effect that some films had during those decades. Hommage john wayne 1930 1939 marie djezarlevallois. This effect results from the films concentration on the creation of a tight narrative unity, with all of its elements serving that goal.
Stagecoach is possibly the perfect example of a wellbalanced film. The use of non diegetic sounds to enhance audience emotional investment. May 25, 2010 like the great moment when fords camera stays on lucys face as the scene passes from griffithian melodrama hatfields gun barrel dipping into the frame to save her aryan honor to nearbrechtian analysis lucy virtually announcing the cavalrys arrival to the audience, the film continues to feel both classical and startlingly. The movie is about a group of people traveling together by stagecoach from the town tonto to lordsburg. Along the way after rounding a turn, a rifle shot is heard, and a tracking shot zooms in losing focus for a moment for a large clear closeup of ringo kid john wayne in his first major western role, the role that made him famous, launching him as the most durable western hero from the perspective. Two notable westerns were released in 1939 that transcended the bmovie cheapie status that had defined that genre for ten years or more. The characteristics, features and conventions of stagecoach john ford, 1939 allow this film to fit directly under the title of classical hollywood cinema. A jaunty tunethe score was written by a large group of peopleplays as we see shots of the stagecoach making its way down the. Stage coach 1939 is the ideal example of the maturity of a style brought to classic perfection.
An analysis of the film stagecoach for my intro to film class. The stagecoach is not the object in these frames, it is an element integrated into the object. In the front, sit buck the driver and marshal curley wilcox, who is riding shotgun to protect the stage from hostile indians and from the plummer brothers, a vicious band of outlaws. Stagecoach is like a wheel, so perfectly made that it remains in equilibrium on its axis in any position. We see them solely from the perspective of the white men, as threatening savages on the warpath, who, we get the vague sense, are going to attack the stagecoach only because they are violent and spiteful people.
There, a group of strangers board a stagecoach to lordsburg, new mexico. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. The film stagecoach was released in 1939 to enormous critical and monetary acclaim. Oct 28, 2015 an analysis of the film stagecoach for my intro to film class. This papers aim is to bring to light some of these messages that are. Stagecoach how john ford saved the western one hundred years of cinema. This now iconic western won several of the academy awards that year, scooping up the best supporting actor and best music and scoring, while also being nominated in almost every category including best. Although there were westerns before it, stagecoach quickly became a template for all movie westerns to come. The film uses a few main characters that the audience members get to know well and create their own feelings for. Stagecoach 1939 movie summary and film synopsis on mhm.
Hatfield is the only one of the nine passengers who doesnt survive the trip to lordsburg. In 1855, the overland stage from tonto to lordsburg leaves town with eight people on board. The story line entails a stagecoach trip from the more civilized east to the more natural setting of the west, specifically lordsburg. This effect results from the film s concentration on the creation of a tight narrative unity, with all of its elements serving that goal. Below is a photographic look at the sites with screen captures from the film along with descriptions of the locations. A stage coach sets off across the untamed wilderness carrying a mixed assortment of characters. John fords directing techniques in the film stagecoach by bob for cine 121 01 john fords film stagecoach from 1939 had several important hidden messages tucked away inside it. Although there were a plethora of western films made before 1939, the film stagecoach revolutionized the western genre by elevating the genre from a b. This film his first sound western was a return to his mostacclaimed film genre after a thirteen year absence following foxs three bad men 1926 and the iron horse 1924. Watch stagecoach 1939 full movie free online streaming. The western was a bmovie experience during this time period, a surprising thought considering the alist talent associated with this 1939 film. The film opens as a stagecoach is set to make the perilous journey from.
Stagecoach symbols, allegory and motifs gradesaver. While, many hollywood film ventures at the time were made for whimsy, some films, specifically in the western genre, reflected the times. Lucy mallory louise platt is a pregnant wife on her way to meet up with her cavalry officer husband. In the meantime, he had produced the superb, oscar. Mar 02, 2020 stagecoach, american western film, released in 1939, that is a classic of the genre, widely considered to be the first adult western. Stagecoach is a 1939 american western film directed by john ford and starring claire trevor and john wayne in his breakthrough role. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing stagecoach 1939 near you.
The dramatic action of the chase scene makes for a great climax to the journey of stagecoach, but the conclusion of the film is yet to come. Stagecoach 1939 a one of the 15 films listed in the category art on the vatican film list. The revolutionary western john ford built a standard that many future directors would follow with his classic 1939 film stagecoach although there were a plethora of western films made before 1939, the film stagecoach revolutionized the western genre by elevating the genre from a b film into a more serious genre. One of director john fords defining movies, it also elevated john wayne to stardom. The 1939 film is still considered a classic of the genre but why. The stagecoach is brought to a halt and ringo jumps off the lead horse, runs to the carriage, and opens the door to find hatfield telling everyone his last dying words before he slumps over dead. This film possesses facets which complicate our modern sensibilities of racial and sexual politics, which is par for the course of most films of the era. Stagecoach was released the same year as gone with the wind, the wizard of oz, mr. A simple stagecoach trip is complicated by the fact that geronimo is on the warpath in the area. Stagecoach between the late1920s and the mid1940s america underwent major economic and social change. A national catholic register videodvd picks film sdg. Although there were a plethora of western films made before 1939, the film stagecoach revolutionized the western genre by elevating the genre from a b film into a more serious genre.
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