Review of Stagecoach (1939) by Allan C — 10 Jul 2016

A true American film classic. John Wayne was little more than a B-western film star at the time and the studio didn't want him on this picture, but director John Ford insisted, which led to a collaboration between the two that would last for decades to come and would produce some of the best pictures in film history ("The Searchers," "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" "The Quiet Man" etc.

). The story involves a disparate group of characters on a stagecoach trip across dangerous "indian territory." What did film did better than most westerns of the time, beside simple production values, is that it took time to develop characters and also offered some brilliant film direction from director Ford.

Orson Welles credited this film with greatly helping him prepare for the making of "Citizen Kane." He's reported to have privately watched this film about 40 times while he was making Kane.

The western was pretty much a disreputable genre when this film was made, but Ford wanted to elevate it with this picture and he succeeds on all account. This film still ranks among the greatest films ever made whenever there is an international poll of film critics, and it absolutely deserves to be there.