John Ford made many a masterpiece, particularly in the western genre. Stagecoach was the first of many. The film is full of great, well rounded characters who all have their own personal journeys. The cinematography is breathtaking for its time and the action is suspenseful and exciting. The story is full of great moments and I only wish it was longer so we could learn more about the characters. I've seen this story redone several times, most notably in "The Hateful Eight". That's a good film, and adds a nice mystery element, but it pales in comparison to "Stagecoach" Granted, the depictions of native Americans in the film leave something to be desired, and some of the less important characters lack character development (even though all the characters have their fair share of it). This does not deter the movie though. The acting is excellent. John Wayne, John Carradine, Claire Trevor and Thomas Mitchell are deserving of much praise. This movie is a top notch western still after all these years and is up there with the best of the genre. It also lives up to Ford's other masterpieces like "The Searchers" and "The Grapes of Wrath" 1939 is called by many historians and critics as the greatest year for film. This film is a great starter for people who want to watch westerns and get into classic movies. A timeless, must see classic.

STAGECOACH is a slick, action-focused western from famous director John Ford, best known as the movie that catapulted John Wayne from B-movie success into Hollywood stardom. The plot is simplicity itself and involves a stagecoach riding through Apache territory. Much of it gets by thanks to character interplay between a diverse assortment of different types, among them Wayne's convict hero and John Carradine playing a gambler. After an hour of set-up, the climax lets rip with some well-shot mayhem and a ton of stunts. This isn't my favourite western, but it certainly sets the stage for subsequent entries in the genre.

Nearing the end of the poll on ICM for the best movies of 1939,I started to check on Amazon UK for DVDs. Hearing about the impact it had on Citizen Kane,and also a fan of their team-up for The Long Voyage Home,I saddled up for the first collaboration between John Ford and The Duke.The plot:In 1880 a group of passengers get on the stagecoach from Tonto, Arizona Territory to Lordsburg, New Mexico Territory. Among the passengers are prostitute Dallas and alcoholic doctor Boone. Before setting off,Buck finds out that his regular guard has gone off to chase after outlaw Henry "The Ringo Kid" escaped jail so he can get revenge for Luke Plummer killing his dad and brother,which leads to Marshal Curly Wilcox taking the role of guard. Going into Apache land, the stagecoach team are soon met by the Apache's,and Ringo.View on the film:Riding into his first "talkie" Western, producer/ director John Ford & cinematographer Bert Glennon display a remarkable eye for using the soundtrack to build upon the images,from the pop of bullets darting round the screen,to the creaking sounds of the stagecoach highlighting how close the group are to danger at every turn. Going to Monument Valley for the first time, Ford looks across a valley of spectacular action,via wide-shots crisply following Yakima Canutt's stunt work, and stylish shots looking out of the window of the rumbling coach.Inspiring Orson Welles (who watched it over 40 times when making his debut) use of ceilings in Citizen Kane,Ford and Glennon brilliantly contrast the great outdoors action with an intimate,claustrophobic atmosphere,of the limited space in the rooms subtly bringing a closeness to Dallas and Ringo,and also squeezing the group into a tight space,where they must work with each other to escape. Loosely based on Boule de Suif by Guy de Maupassant (whose Bel Ami was wonderfully adapted in the same year) and Ernest Haycox's short story The Stage to Lordsburg,the screenplay by Dudley Nichols superbly gives every member of the gang their fair share of attention,which goes from the ill at ease Wilcox and dashing Ringo, to the playful Buck and alluring Dallas. Sending them round the track,Nichols makes each element of the group join into a thrilling team, with the cornering from the Apaches sanding down the dividing differences.The biggest name in the cast when the movie was made, Claire Trevor gives an excellent performance as prostitute (something the Hays Code had "issues" with) Dallas,thanks to Trevor making Dallas strong- willed against any of the guys,but also being well aware of the "outcast" status the job labels her with. Joined by a charming Andy Devine as Buck and a terrific George Bancroft as Wilcox, Da Duke gives a great performance as outlaw Ringo. Pushed around by Ford behind the scenes, Wayne bring out the rough treatment on screen by giving Ringo eyes a burning determination to see the stagecoach complete the journey.

The American West, late-1800s. A stagecoach sets off across the untamed wilderness carrying a mixed assortment of characters: an infamous outlaw, a drunk doctor, a prostitute, a whiskey salesman, the wife of an Army officer, a gambler, a bank manager, the local Marshall and the driver. Animosities and petty differences, and unexpected friendships, surface. Their fortunes take a turn for the worse when they learn that an Apache raiding party, lead by Geronimo, is in their vicinity. A masterpiece that is the most important Western ever made. Great plot, well directed by the legendary John Ford. Not just a conventional cowboys-vs-Indians / gunfight sort of Western (though there a large element of that) but a character drama too. There is great character depth and development on display and this is used well in developing the story.Some great themes running through the movie too, especially one of anti-prejudice.Good performances all round. John Wayne is great as the Ringo Kid and shows a softer side that wasn't always apparent in his later films. Thomas Mitchell deservedly won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance as Doctor Boone.More than just a brilliant movie, a movie that created the blueprint for Westerns, and pretty much defined the genre. It also made John Wayne a star. He had acted in plenty of movies before this without much impact but Stagecoach is what truly launched his career as we know it.John Ford had already won a directing Oscar before directing Stagecoach, so this movie wasn't as career-enhancing to him as it was to John Wayne. However, it did set him up as the foremost director of Westerns. Moreover, it was to be the first of many collaborations with John Wayne, a series of collaborations that would see them make movies like The Searchers, Rio Grande, The Quiet Man, They Were Expendable, Fort Apache and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.A brilliant and historic movie.