Stagecoach (1939)

A Criterion Collection DVD (Spine #516) Review in Twelve Frames

The frame from John Ford’s classic American Western film Stagecoach (1939), exhibits Mrs. Lucy Mallory’s (Louise Platt) facial expression and attitude thought the film. The way Mrs. Lucy Mallory’s eyes appear dazed, looking to the left as if she’s rolling her eyes and the smirk on her face, gives the on-screen impression that she is fed up with being trapped in a small stagecoach with a bunch of riff-raff. She’s stuck with an outlaw, who goes by Ringo Kid (John Wayne), the inebriated Doc (Doctor) Josiah Boone (Thomas Mitchell), a woman of the night named Dallas (Claire Trevor), a gambler named Hatfield (John Carradine), a whiskey salesman named Samuel Peacock (Donald Meek) and a greedy banker named Ellsworth Henry Gatewood (Berton Churchill). The only thing that keeps Mrs. Lucy Mallory in the stagecoach with the eclectic group of people headed to the New Mexico territory is the mission to find her husband. ~Benjamin J. Alexander

In this scene of Stagecoach (1939), the tension between characters of different social classes is explicitly conveyed through the tight facial expressions and stiff postures of Dallas (Claire Trevor), Ringo Kid (John Wayne), Mrs. Mallory (Louise Platt), and Gatewood (Berton Churchill) as they unwillingly interact. The production design plays a key role in building the tension of the scene, as the actors eye each other across the cluttered, untouched table, waiting for someone to make the first move – a western standoff between the social classes. ~ Kelsey Davis

The appearance of a shadowy figure (Claire Trevor) builds tension for viewers, letting them recognize the woman at the same time as the other characters, which becomes a recurring theme throughout the film. ~Paul Cirigliano

This single frame creates an empowering message of mystery through its strong shadows, forming silhouettes that test the audience, along with the bold angles and John Wayne's position looking at Claire Trevor, drawing one’s eye to the center of the frame, engaging the viewer in this perplexing story that’s unraveling. ~Brittany Lowe

This elegant shot in Stagecoach (1939) features back lighting that provides a beautiful silhouette which elongates the hall making the characters, Ringo (John Wayne) and Dallas (Claire Trevor), seem farther apart creating a sense of intimacy or vulnerability, though this particular frame does not feature the characters directly interacting. ~Sarah Baylor

John Ford uses the effects of chiaroscuro to draw the viewer’s attention to the depth of field—forcing the viewer to reckon with the physical and symbolic meaning of the distance between the Ringo Kid (John Wayne) and Dallas (Claire Trevor). ~Garrett Farrington

[Stagecoach (1939) at 1:11:18.]As the climax of Stagecoach (1939) reaches its peak, the viewers find themselves on the edge of their seats itching to see how the remaining scenes unfold. With the use of auditory noises that includes lively music and the characters hollering, the viewer can expect a noteworthy action scene to unfold before them. ~Madison Landau

This frame from John Ford’s Stagecoach (1939) captures the entire essence of the film in a single, beautifully balanced image by using the different facial expressions of each of the characters to show that their group is composed of a variety of strangers (consisting of an outlaw played by John Wayne, a prostitute played by Claire Trevor, an alcoholic doctor played by Thomas Mitchell, a pregnant woman played by Louise Platt, a whiskey salesman played by Donald Meek, and more) as well as fitting the entire group and their vehicle into the frame, demonstrating that this disparate cast must unite on this stagecoach in order to escape the Apache in this moment and complete their journey to New Mexico. ~Tyler Linden

The claustrophobic framing around Hatfield (John Carradine) featured in these shots from John Ford’s Stagecoach (1939) adds the perfect amount of tension for such a pivotal scene. ~Christian Fulton

This shot is part of a one-take shot that lasts thirty-seven seconds, and is one of the shots that has always interested me in this film. During the stagecoach’s attempts to outrun and defend itself from a raid of Apache horsemen, the Southern gambler Hatfield (John Carradine) notices he has one bullet left and decides to “spare” the pregnant Lucy Mallory (Louise Platt) from the Apaches by using it on her. The shot begins with a medium close-up of his face and then travels to a close-up of hers as she is praying for them to make it out alive. He puts the gun up to her head, pulls the hammer back, and before he can pull the trigger is shot himself. As he drops the gun, we hear the horns of the cavalry on the charge to save them. Lucy, not having any knowledge of what almost happened, proclaims with joy that she can hear the bugle and that the charge has been ordered. This shot can be seen as the darkest point of the scene, as this is the moment when Hatfield believes that it would be better for Lucy to be dead than captured. This is mirrored in the tight shots of the actor’s upper bodies, not only further demonstrating the close quarters of the stagecoach but also their proximity to their impending doom. They are trapped, and we are there with them in the trap. With its mix of chiaroscuro, it almost feels like a shot from film noir, which adds to the dread. This is complemented by the worn, frightened expression on Louise’s face and the cold resignation on Carradine’s. He has lost hope, and she is clinging to hers. It’s an excellent shot that adds to one of the greatest action sequences in classical Hollywood history. ~R. F. Karmi

In the chosen frame, Dallas leads Ringo towards the Red-Light district. The camera lingers on the two in a long shot as they head towards the illuminated houses, providing a deep-camera focus on what lies ahead of the pair. ~Connor Allen Lummert

DVD by The Criterion CollectionSPECIAL EDITION FEATURES• Audio commentary by western authority Jim Kitses (Horizons West)• Bucking Broadway, a 1917 silent feature by John Ford, with new music composed and performed by Donald

Sosin• Journalist and television presenter Philip Jenkinson’s extensive 1968 video interview with Ford• New video appreciation of Stagecoach, with director and Ford biographer Peter Bogdanovich• New video interview with Ford’s grandson, Dan Ford about the director and his home movies• New video piece, featuring journalist Buzz Bissinger, about trader Harry Goulding’s key role in bringing

Monument Valley to Hollywood• New video homage to legendary stuntman Yakima Canutt, with celebrated stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong• Video essay by writer Tag Gallagher analyzing Ford’s visual style in Stagecoach• Screen Director’s Playhouse 1949 radio dramatization of Stagecoach, with John Wayne, Claire Trevor, and Ford,

downloadable as an MP3 file• Theatrical trailer• PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by David Cairns and Ernest Haycox’s “Stage to Lordsburg,” the short story

that inspired the film• New cover by Eric Skillman

For more information about this product, please visit: https://www.criterion.com/films/980-stagecoach