Stagecoach John Ford 1939 1939 1941 Greatest Period

Stagecoach John Ford 1939

1939 -1941 ü Greatest Period in American Movie Making ü Serious & Ambitious films ü Studio System at its best ü Citizen Kane, Gone With The Wind, Wizard of Oz, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Wuthering Heights, Grapes of Wrath

The American Western ü American Old West served as setting for tales of mythical heroism, classic tragedies, and legendary adventures ü gunslinger and the use of violence to solve problems ü Native Americans

Classic Westerns ü Stagecoach - 1939 - John Ford ü High Noon - 1952, Fred Zinneman ü The Searchers - 1956 - John Ford ü Rio Bravo - 1959 - Howard Hawks ü The Magnificent Seven - 1960 -John Sturges ü The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - 1966, Sergio Leone ü The Wild Bunch - 1969 - Sam Peckinpah

Background ü ü ü Setting in American West , Primarily late 1800 s Popular in the Silent Era - 1910 s and 1920 s Seen as Hollywood “pulp” or B-Pictures by the 1930 s Stagecoach - 1938 - Milestone Television Serials - 1940 s and 1950 s ü Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Rawhide, The Lone Ranger etc.

Themes ü Conquest of wilderness, Subordination of nature, Man vs Nature ü Civilized vs Uncivilized Society ü Codes of honor and law Loyalty and Virtue ü Nomadic Wanderer (Outlaw)

Spaghetti Western ü Mid 1960 s ü Sergio Leone - director, Ennio Morricone composer ü Produced and directed by Italians ü Shot in Spain and Italy ü Dollars Trilogy - A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965), The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966) ü Clint Eastwood as the Man with No Name

John Ford ü Four Best Director Oscars üInformer (1935) üGrapes of Wrath (1940) üHow Green was My Valley (1941) üThe Quiet Man (1952)

John Ford ü Westerns ü Social/Protest Dramas ü Military

John Ford ü Irish Catholic ü Ford’s Values üFamily, Home, Law, Decency, Religion, Democracy üPut his faith in the people, not institutions (like banks) ü Used visual images, rather than a lot of talk ü Frontier is metaphor for the American spirit ü Evil: nature or people

ü Asked why, in the climactic chase scene, the Indians didn't simply shoot the horses to stop the stagecoach, director John Ford replied, "Because that would have been the end of the movie. "

Notes ü Westerns were out of favor ü Ford told it would ruin his career ü Producers objected over John Wayne

John Wayne ü B-movie Actor/ Stagecoach made him famous and legitimate ü 24 times worked with John Ford ü Best Films üThe Searchers üRed River üThe Quiet Man üThe Man Who Shot Liberty Valence üTrue Grit (only Oscar)

Stagecoach revitalized The Western ü Elevated Western to “A” Movie Status ü "Its success singlehandedly revitalized the moribund genre, showing that Westerns could be "intelligent, artful, great entertainment—and profitable” Wikipedia

Stagecoach ü Set in 1880 ü Trip from Tonto to Lourdsburgh üGeronimo Indian Attack üShot in Monument Valley

Stagecoach is a metaphor for society A society has to have law but there are people who carry a just law within themselves

Structure ü Four Scenes of Action üShort prologue üFirst Part of Trip üSecond Part of Trip üThird part of Trip ü Four Scenes of Character Interaction üScene in Tonto üDry Fork Way Station üApache Wells Outpost üTown of Lourdsburgh

Themes and Roles ü Different social classes in a small setting ü Sexual & Social Prejudice ü Greed ü Alcoholism/Shame ü Redemption ü Revenge ü ü ü ü ü Banker Sheriff Outlaw Prostitute Doctor Wife Salesman Gambler Stage Driver

Academy Awards ü Best Supporting Actor (Thomas Mitchell) - born in Elizabeth, NJ. ü Best Score ü Nominated for… üPicture üDirector üB&W Cinematography üInterior Decoration üEditing

Other interesting facts… • Orson Welles is said to have watched Stagecoach forty times while he prepared to make Citizen Kane. • It is one of the most admired and imitated of all Hollywood movies • Spectacular stunt: the dangerous horse-jumping scene on the stagecoach during Indian attack