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John Ford made a handful of classic westerns, chief among which are Stagecoach (1939) and The Searchers (1956). The plot of Stagecoach is deceptively simple; a prostitute, a pregnant woman, a drunken physician, a whiskey salesman, a gambler, a bank manager who has embezzled his firm’s funds, and the Ringo Kid travel on a stagecoach through hostile Indian territory. The picture made a star of John Wayne, whose first appearance—a rapid dolly from long shot to close-up—is one the most exhilarating moments in cinema. The other star of Stagecoach is Utah’s breathtakingly beautiful Monument Valley, made famous by Ford here and in many later westerns. The marvellous support given them by Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Andy Devine, John Carradine, Thomas Mitchell, George Bancroft, and Donald Meek adds immeasurably to the film’s strength. The chase scenes and stuntwork, coordinated by master stuntman Yakima Canutt, are innovative and impressive. Chiaroscuro lighting and Ford’s mastery of the epic long shot, together with the picture’s balance of finely etched character studies and peerless action, make it one of the great American films. Orson Welles claimed to have learned how to edit a film by watching it forty-five times. Stagecoach is a masterpiece.

 

R. Dixon-Smith on 3rd May 2006
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