Stagecoach: A Review

 

STAGECOACH

This review is part of the Summer Under the Stars Blogathon. Today's star is John Wayne.

Stagecoach is one of the definitive Westerns, both intimate and sweeping, with a star-making turn by one of the giants of the silver screen. It is also a very good film, expertly crafted in front and behind the camera. 

The Indian chief Geronimo is on the warpath once again. Into this tense situation a group of disparate travelers must journey on their way from Tonto, Arizona to Lordsburg, New Mexico. Dallas (Claire Trevor) and Dr. Josiah Boone (Thomas Mitchell) are being driven out of town due to Dallas being a prostitute and Doc being a drunk. Whiskey salesman Mr. Peacock (Donald Meek) is on his way back to his home in Kansas City, Kansas. Mrs. Lucy Mallory (Louise Platt) is joining her military husband at his post. Driver Buck (Andy Devine) is jittery about riding despite local Marshall Curly (George Bancroft) riding shotgun. Curly suspects that his frenemy the Ringo Kid, who has broken out of prison, may be on his way to Lordsburg to avenge his father and brother's killings. 

Two more travelers join at the last minute: professional gambler Major Hatfield (John Carradine) and shady banker Ellsworth Gatewood (Berton Churchill). The stagecoach does have an Army escort, but it will not travel with them all the way. Before they make their first stop, they come upon Ringo (John Wayne), stopping them to join the stagecoach. Ringo knows Curly, Buck and Doc personally, as well as what Curly needs to do. Nevertheless, with the threat of Indians, Curly opts to take him rather than let the Army do it.

As they make their way to Lordsburg, their various agendas and needs come through. Ringo treats Dallas with respect. The pompous Gatewood is up to something in his impromptu journey. Doc rises to the occasion when Lucy is in need of medical attention. Proud Union veteran Doc's own antagonism towards the Confederate Hatfield fades, especially when the stagecoach comes upon by Indian warriors. Will everyone survive to Lordsburg? Will Ringo get his revenge? Will Dallas get her man?

Stagecoach manages to set things up quickly without skimping on story and character. It is a surprisingly short film: running a little over an hour and a half. In that running time, however, we get to know the characters through bits of visual and verbal information. The best example of this is through Ringo and Dallas. Ringo, unaware of Dallas' reputation as a lady of the night, treats her as he would any lady. Trevor's reactions reveal the mix of delight and quiet joy at being treated with respect. Over time, Ringo might have an idea of Dallas' shady past, but by this time he has seen past that to find a good woman whom he has fallen in love with.

After asking her to marry him, Dallas attempts to dissuade him. "But you don't know me. You don't know who I am". He looks at her and replies, "I know all I want to know". It is a perfect scene: romantic and true. We get all the information we need about Dallas and Ringo: her hesitation and his awareness but the ability to look past it.

One of the most beautiful elements in Stagecoach is that these are flawed characters, but ones who get their own moments of redemption across the exceptional Monument Valley scenery. The arrogant Hatfield and the lush Doc rise to their separate occasions for the greater good. Lucy sees the error of judging others. The obnoxious Gatewood, full of bluster, gets his comeuppance. 

Stagecoach gives us moments of drama and romance with Dallas and Ringo. There are moments of action with a final shootout and Indian chase. Thanks to Devine, we get moments of comedy. Stagecoach won Thomas Mitchell the Best Supporting Actor Oscar against a very stiff competition. Mitchell had a banner year: not only was he in Stagecoach but in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and in that year's biggest hit, Gone with the Wind. Mitchell, I think, could have won for any of those films. In Stagecoach, however, he balances the humor of Doc's drunken manner with the drama of when he has to sober up. 

Trevor is moving as the hooker with the heart of gold, her face expressing so much. Devine was wonderful in his comic relief role of Buck, forever fearful. Meek, a welcome presence, balanced a bit of comedy with drama as the yes, meek Mr. Peacock. 

None of them, however, matched the overwhelming power of John Wayne. From his very first appearance as the camera moves in on him, Wayne's mere presence dominates the film. He, however, is able to show an acting range that he was not perhaps given credit for. At times friendly with others like Doc, formal with Hatfield, tender with Dallas, fierce with the men who killed his family. It was an excellent performance and powerful debut to audiences.

John Ford got exceptional performances out of his cast. He also used the camera exceptionally well. The chase scene where the stagecoach is trying to outrun Geronimo and his Apache warriors is thrilling and tense. However, we got a great scene when they have to cross a burned-out ferry, giving people an overhead POV that is thrilling and inventive. 

Stagecoach brings in a lot of elements that now seem standard: the various mix of travelers, Native Americans attacking, certain character types. That the film never feels stilted or slow is a credit to all involved. Thrilling and tender, Stagecoach is a giant film in the Western genre and the extraordinary year of 1939. 

DECISION: A+