There are countless genres of movies as there are of any other storytelling medium. The more common ones tend to have archetypal examples that serve as touchstones for other films of a similar stripe. One notable genre that has many such films to draw on is Westerns, although fewer are made these days. The names “John Ford” and “John Wayne” are practically synonymous with Western movies. The director and actor worked together several times, but this was the first. A breakout part for “The Duke,” and also the first movie that Ford filmed in Monument Valley, this is 1939’s “Stagecoach.”
Of all the elements that go into a film production, the cast of actors is one of the most obvious to most viewers, and John Ford had a fine one here. Including not only John Wayne, but also Claire Trevor, John Carradine, and Andy Devine, everyone here turns in a credible performance. The characters are a little broadly drawn, but there’s just enough depth to each of them that none of them comes across as a cardboard cutout. I felt at least a little bit invested in every story, no mean feat with an ensemble of nine principal players. Wayne’s and Trevor’s get a little more attention than the rest, but not so much that they grossly overshadow the others. The balance is impressive, both in the script and in the performers.
In a time when a lot of movies were still assembled like someone had pointed a camera at a stage production, John Ford was really starting to do things differently. The camera is dynamic throughout the film, with angles and pans coming together to give a tremendous sense of scope. This is partly due to the sweeping exterior vistas, but I’d say half of the shots were done on a soundstage. The editing is so tight that it’s easy to just get lost in the movie and not notice how frequently shots alternate between location and stage, often in very short spans. The long chase sequence near the end is rife with these edits, but you would hardly know it without looking for them. This sequence also features quite a few gasp-worthy practical stunts. I suspect a lot of film students have had to pick over it through the years, and with good reason. It really is magnificent.
For a movie that is pushing 80 years old, I think “Stagecoach” has aged remarkably well. Very little about it seems dated after all that time, at least from a technical perspective. I feel I would be remiss if I did not mention the unfortunate portrayal of Native Americans in the narrative, which is certainly an artifact of the movie’s own time and that of its setting. The best I can say for that is that the movie does not belabor the point as a defining characteristic. Take an appropriate dosage of salt for it. That aside, this is still a masterfully crafted piece and it’s easy to see why its popularity has endured for so long. While it doesn’t feature the larger-than-life cowboy heroes found in so many of the other great Western movies, its characters and story are nonetheless memorable with a more grounded slant. This movie gets an “A” for being not only an outstanding example of the genre but also of cinema in general.