Director: John Ford
Distributor: United Artists
Top Billed Actors: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Andy Devine
Won 2 Oscars:
Best Supporting Actor - Thomas Mitchell
Best Scoring - Richard Hageman, W. Franke Harling, John Leipold and Leo Shuken
Nominated for 5 more:
Outstanding Production - Walter Wanger
Best Director - John Ford
Best Art Direction - Alexander Toluboff
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White - Bert Glennon
Best Film Editing - Otho Lovering and Dorothy Spencer
Plot: Nine people have nine different reasons to take the stagecoach to Lordsburg with the looming threat of those blasted savages complicating the travels.
Distributor: United Artists
Top Billed Actors: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Andy Devine
Won 2 Oscars:
Best Supporting Actor - Thomas Mitchell
Best Scoring - Richard Hageman, W. Franke Harling, John Leipold and Leo Shuken
Nominated for 5 more:
Outstanding Production - Walter Wanger
Best Director - John Ford
Best Art Direction - Alexander Toluboff
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White - Bert Glennon
Best Film Editing - Otho Lovering and Dorothy Spencer
Plot: Nine people have nine different reasons to take the stagecoach to Lordsburg with the looming threat of those blasted savages complicating the travels.
Stagecoach (1939) begins the year the inspired me to do this whole Project. The Best Picture nominees for 1939 is full of bona fide classics and it's a year that had me thinking about which movie should have won the top prize. In my propensity to do everything to the fullest, I ended up evaluating every single Academy Awards but it's these 12th Awards that really has me thrilled. John Ford's Western classic is an amazing start to what is going to be my top rated year thus far. In a time when Westerns weren't made as "A" pictures, mostly due to the difficulties of shooting sound pictures in the vast exteriors that are called for, Ford was finally able to put together a film that was turned down at a couple of studios. Little known production company Walter Wanger Productions ended up as the backers and United Artists distributed it's first run. One of the reasons a bigger studio didn't take the picture was Ford's insistence of casting John Wayne, who had never starred in a successful picture to that point. In a vote of confidence from the director, Wayne is introduced in the film with a mesmerizing kinetic zoom into a close-up of the actor's face. The age of the John Wayne Western was born.
Of course the cinematography, music, and performances are all great in this, but the aspect that I think tops these all is the screenplay and story. The passengers are an amalgamation of the various ideals and social constructs of the American people, especially at that time of Western expansion. What's more, these are nine people that hold values that we can draw lines to today. The crooked banker calls for "America for Americans" and that "we need a businessman to be President." In addition to the banker, there's a drunk doctor with good intentions (Thomas Mitchell won his Oscar for this), a gentleman with a sketchy past, a prostitute with a heart of gold, a lawman, a fugitive, a meek traveling businessman, a prim and proper lady that really shakes the narrative up, and the jovial driver of the coach who seems to get along with everybody while also being a pushover. I bet we can all relate to one or multiple of these characters and weaving these archetypes into the story make the film as entertaining as it is enlightening. Part of that entertainment is the stuntwork choreographed and performed by one Yakima Canutt. There are a few stunts that take place in the attack by the Apaches near the end of the film that look like a misstep away from a real death. Canutt was able to be dragged by horses before falling to the ground so the coach could speed over him. My jaw also dropped when he jumped from horse to horse at breakneck speeds.
What breaks my heart about the stunts is that there was a maneuver to trip horses at full gallop with a wire to give the appearance of the animals being shot. This dangerous method caused horses to die anyway. While the action in this famous sequence is adrenaline-inducing and the definition of 'exciting,' I can't help but think of the real-world implications of these stunts. The only other detracting element of the film involves the depiction of Native Americans. It's certainly not specific to this film - the whole Western genre is notorious for superficially portraying natives as "savages" who just want to kill the white man. In a film ripe full of varied representations of Americans, we just needed a scene that showed the legitimate grievance of the white men taking control of their land. Instead, it's an uncomfortable black-and-white villainous role for a whole troop of Geronimo's warriors.
Overall, the rich story that showcases the many representations of Americans headlines the first Ford/Wayne Western, a bona fide classic that is not without its controversies. The lush orchestral music accompanies the expanse of the West and the harrowing stunts highlight the action-oriented moments of this mostly talkative picture.
My Score: 8/10
Guest Reviewer: Andrew Dunfee
With the 1939 Awards, I brought in a guest reviewer to give a second opinion on the highlights of one of the greatest years in cinema history. He watched and reviewed six of these Best Picture nominees and is also making his choice for what should have won Best Picture at the 12th Academy Awards.
On a first viewing, Stagecoach lives up to its billing as one of the great American westerns. Its influence on the genre, and film in general, is undeniable. In what is today a trope, Stagecoach worked to near perfection the combination of a ragtag group of individuals, all with different ambitions and missions, but all heading to the same end point. In this case, the vessel for the combination is the titular stagecoach and their journey takes them from Arizona Territory, to Lordsburg, New Mexico. They must deal not only with the dangers on their expedition but also clashes amongst themselves.
This is the first, and arguably greatest, of the collaborations between John Wayne and John Ford. Up to this point John Wayne was a stuntman and actor in B films but Ford brought him to center-stage as the vengeful, yet charming, Ringo Kidd. Ford had made it his goal to make Wayne a star with this film, and from how he’s framed brandishing his shotgun in his opening shot to how he rides off into the sunset (moonlight?), that mission is achieved. While Wayne was by all accounts a terrible guy and his acting range left much to be desired it’s easy to see early on the charisma and magnetism that carried him to a successful 40 year career.
While Wayne is certainly the star, the highlight for me is the performance of Thomas Mitchell as the alcoholic, but competent Dr. Boone. Mitchell infuses humor into the film while still playing the character with empathy and nuance. The future Uncle Billy Bailey rightfully took home Best Supporting Actor in what may be the greatest year for any character actor in the history of cinema. Not only did he play important roles in two other best picture nominees in Gone with the Wind and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, he also had memorable turns in the Hunchback of Notre Dame and Only Angels Have Wings.
The film is of course not without its flaws. Andy Devine cakes it on a little too thick as the bumbling stagecoach driver. His southern drawl and over the top mannerisms would fit better in Blazing Saddles than it does in this dramatic western. And, as with many Wayne westerns, the depiction of Native Americans is regressive and dangerous. They’re used solely as the “other” to be feared throughout the journey. They’re savages who crave violence, with no mention of the genocide that drove them from the land being traveled.
Overall, the achievements of this film are undeniable and its role as the launching point for one of the most prolific actor-director pairings forever cements it’s place in cinema history.
Of course the cinematography, music, and performances are all great in this, but the aspect that I think tops these all is the screenplay and story. The passengers are an amalgamation of the various ideals and social constructs of the American people, especially at that time of Western expansion. What's more, these are nine people that hold values that we can draw lines to today. The crooked banker calls for "America for Americans" and that "we need a businessman to be President." In addition to the banker, there's a drunk doctor with good intentions (Thomas Mitchell won his Oscar for this), a gentleman with a sketchy past, a prostitute with a heart of gold, a lawman, a fugitive, a meek traveling businessman, a prim and proper lady that really shakes the narrative up, and the jovial driver of the coach who seems to get along with everybody while also being a pushover. I bet we can all relate to one or multiple of these characters and weaving these archetypes into the story make the film as entertaining as it is enlightening. Part of that entertainment is the stuntwork choreographed and performed by one Yakima Canutt. There are a few stunts that take place in the attack by the Apaches near the end of the film that look like a misstep away from a real death. Canutt was able to be dragged by horses before falling to the ground so the coach could speed over him. My jaw also dropped when he jumped from horse to horse at breakneck speeds.
What breaks my heart about the stunts is that there was a maneuver to trip horses at full gallop with a wire to give the appearance of the animals being shot. This dangerous method caused horses to die anyway. While the action in this famous sequence is adrenaline-inducing and the definition of 'exciting,' I can't help but think of the real-world implications of these stunts. The only other detracting element of the film involves the depiction of Native Americans. It's certainly not specific to this film - the whole Western genre is notorious for superficially portraying natives as "savages" who just want to kill the white man. In a film ripe full of varied representations of Americans, we just needed a scene that showed the legitimate grievance of the white men taking control of their land. Instead, it's an uncomfortable black-and-white villainous role for a whole troop of Geronimo's warriors.
Overall, the rich story that showcases the many representations of Americans headlines the first Ford/Wayne Western, a bona fide classic that is not without its controversies. The lush orchestral music accompanies the expanse of the West and the harrowing stunts highlight the action-oriented moments of this mostly talkative picture.
My Score: 8/10
Guest Reviewer: Andrew Dunfee
With the 1939 Awards, I brought in a guest reviewer to give a second opinion on the highlights of one of the greatest years in cinema history. He watched and reviewed six of these Best Picture nominees and is also making his choice for what should have won Best Picture at the 12th Academy Awards.
On a first viewing, Stagecoach lives up to its billing as one of the great American westerns. Its influence on the genre, and film in general, is undeniable. In what is today a trope, Stagecoach worked to near perfection the combination of a ragtag group of individuals, all with different ambitions and missions, but all heading to the same end point. In this case, the vessel for the combination is the titular stagecoach and their journey takes them from Arizona Territory, to Lordsburg, New Mexico. They must deal not only with the dangers on their expedition but also clashes amongst themselves.
This is the first, and arguably greatest, of the collaborations between John Wayne and John Ford. Up to this point John Wayne was a stuntman and actor in B films but Ford brought him to center-stage as the vengeful, yet charming, Ringo Kidd. Ford had made it his goal to make Wayne a star with this film, and from how he’s framed brandishing his shotgun in his opening shot to how he rides off into the sunset (moonlight?), that mission is achieved. While Wayne was by all accounts a terrible guy and his acting range left much to be desired it’s easy to see early on the charisma and magnetism that carried him to a successful 40 year career.
While Wayne is certainly the star, the highlight for me is the performance of Thomas Mitchell as the alcoholic, but competent Dr. Boone. Mitchell infuses humor into the film while still playing the character with empathy and nuance. The future Uncle Billy Bailey rightfully took home Best Supporting Actor in what may be the greatest year for any character actor in the history of cinema. Not only did he play important roles in two other best picture nominees in Gone with the Wind and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, he also had memorable turns in the Hunchback of Notre Dame and Only Angels Have Wings.
The film is of course not without its flaws. Andy Devine cakes it on a little too thick as the bumbling stagecoach driver. His southern drawl and over the top mannerisms would fit better in Blazing Saddles than it does in this dramatic western. And, as with many Wayne westerns, the depiction of Native Americans is regressive and dangerous. They’re used solely as the “other” to be feared throughout the journey. They’re savages who crave violence, with no mention of the genocide that drove them from the land being traveled.
Overall, the achievements of this film are undeniable and its role as the launching point for one of the most prolific actor-director pairings forever cements it’s place in cinema history.