Stagecoach

1. Even though I was unable to attend class last week, I did watch the film Stagecoach on my own time and I thought that the film was really great. Back when the film was made, western films were not extremely popular. Just the time period alone was very popular because from 1939-1941, this is when some of the greatest films in history were made. These films include Citizen Kane, Gone With the Wind, and the Wizard of Oz. There was also a discussion about John Ford and how he made all of these films and racked up a number of different films that he had previously done before Stagecoach. There was also discussion about how Ford was particularly good at Westerns, Military Films, and Social/Political Dramas. There was also discussion about his techniques that were highlighted and featured in the powerpoint notes. There was also discussion about John Wayne's career and according to the notes in class, work with John Ford about 24 times on other films as well as Stagecoach. Also, the film went on to revitalize the Western genre and the impact that Stagecoach has had on today's western films.


2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stagecoach_(1939_film)
The article that I found a lot of information about the film was on wikipedia. The article talks a lot about the plot of the film. The article goes on to talk about the career of John Wayne and how Stagecoach was his breakthrough role. He then later went to direct films in other genres from 1929-1939. The article also gives a full summary of the plot and then it gives a full description of the pre-production of the film. What I thought was most interesting in the article is the description/section where it talks about the process it took for Wayne to get the part in the film as The Ringo Kid. The article then goes on to tell about the origins of the film and how the screenplay, by Dudley Nichols and Ben Hecht, was based on the short story called "The Stage to Lordsburg" by Ernest Haycox. The film went on to be called one of the greatest films ever made and was heavily praised by critics as well as Orson Welles. The film was so good that it went on to be nominated for a total of seven Academy Awards. Stagecoach went on to win for Best Music, Scoring and also Thomas Mitchell, Best Supporting Actor for his role as Doc Boone. The other Academy Award nominations included Best Picture, Directing - John Ford, Best Art Direction-Alexander Toluboff, Best Cinematography (Black and White)- Bert Glennon, and for Film Editing- Otho Lovering and Dorothy Spencer. John Ford also went on to win a New York Critics Circle Award for Best Director.


3. The article was very much the same as what was in the notes in class. However, what the notes did not say or discuss about was the relationship on and and off camera between Wayne and Ford. They were always good friends and worked very well together on the projects that they did. The film itself really made an impact in the genre and gave it a rebirth and revitalization. The article also gives a very detailed plot and it also gives more stronger indications that John Ford was right in this element when he made this film.


4. When I was watching the film, I thought about how great and significant the film was as far as the impact that it had on the film industry and also the public. The film had everything. It had great actors, sets, costumes, sound, cinematography/camera shots, and just everything in it was just really great as far as excitement goes for anyone who loves western films. Back before Stagecoach came along, no one wanted to see westerns and they were very unpopular, but this film helped to pave the way for other western films to follow in its footsteps. That is why I like to watch all of these films. I like to relive the history and to watch the films that pioneered and laid the path for what film are like to this day.