Stagecoach (1939)

Written by Dudley Nichols

Directed by John Ford

1998 List Ranking: 63

2007 List Ranking: NA - Removed

For my readers who have been following along with my reviews, there is a genre that I have struggled to be entertained by: the Western. Try as I might, I just can’t seem to get into them. 1992’s Unforgiven is probably the closest I’ve come to liking a Western, with the exception of Westworld (and I’m not entirely sure that counts, especially now that they’re not in the park anymore (OR ARE THEY I DON’T KNOW I HAVEN’T WATCHED SEASON THREE YET SHUT UP)).

Suffice it to say that Stagecoach doesn’t do my apathy towards Westerns any favors, as it just kind of…exists, and I didn’t feel myself moved one way or the other. It’s not bad, it’s not good, it’s just…a movie. Granted, the premise is somewhat interesting, and a few of the performances are mildly entertaining, but all the good things about the film are cancelled out by the bad things about the film, so it lands squarely in the middle.

The cast of Stagecoach

At its core, the film follows a stagecoach (admittedly, I was nearly halfway through the film when I said “OH MY GOD THAT’S WHY THE MOVIE IS CALLED STAGECOACH”. Yeehaw). Aboard the stagecoach are nine (YES, NINE; IT’S LIKE A CLOWNCAR) people who are all somewhat connected to one another (willingly or not), on their way across the great frontier for various reasons. Along the way, they are threatened not only by Native American tribes but also by their conflicts with one another.

John Wayne in his breakout role

This film is the breakout film of John Wayne’s career. I’ve never seen a John Wayne film (at least, to my recollection), but I’ve seen many parodies of him (Peter Griffin’s “It’s tha first Thanksgiving, PILGRIMS” comes to mind). I’m going to assume that those parodies are of his later work, because here, in a younger version of the image I think most of us have of him, his acting isn’t too bad: it’s pretty naturalistic, and although he doesn’t do much except act like a somewhat decent person, he is definitely captivating to watch. Wayne plays a semi-reluctant outlaw, hell-bent on revenge for the murder of his father and brother. Despite his status as a criminal (and, as such, under the not-very-strict custody of the marshal also aboard the stagecoach), he’s helpful and respectful of everyone, even when given the chance to escape (admittedly, he aborts his escape attempt due to the threat of Native Americans).

Louise Platt and her dead face

Contrasted against him are many other characters that detract from his good performance. My issues narrow down to two actors, Andy Devine as Buck and Louise Platt as Lucy. Devine is just grating and whiney: he spends the bulk of the film complaining about anything that happens, to the point where I was begging for the marshal to shoot HIM. Platt is even worse, with a stone face to rival Buster Keaton, which, in this case, is not a compliment. No matter what is happening to her, she has a dead, soulless expression plastered across her face; it’s as if she is even more bored with this film than I was. Even during the large chase scene between the stagecoach and the Native Americans, she just…looks out of the window. Someone in the carriage already got arrowed in the chest, yet she looks like she’s starring in an emotional music video from the 90’s.

(I should note that, at one point, a character goes to shoot her in the head to avoid her being captured, and it’s really unintentionally funny, merely because she is, emotionally, already dead).

The rest of the cast is okay…there’s a lot of judgmental staring at each other in the first half of the film, but with the tangled web of connections between them all, it was slightly more interesting than a game of poker. The running time and the setting work in the film’s favor of allowing their relationships to breathe, and the stagecoach, at times, becomes a bit of a powder keg waiting to ignite, so that tension was fairly well played.

The Native Americans attack the stagecoach

The biggest issue in the film is the not-so-surprising stereotypes that permeate it; namely, the Native Americans portrayed as savage killers of White people (despite, you know…all the awful things White people did to them first). It’s not right, of course, and I don’t forgive the film for falling into those cliches, but I guess it’s somewhat understandable: it was the view that was popular at the time. It doesn’t make it right, of course (I equate it as being almost as bad as blackface), but like some of the earlier films, it does at least provide a historical look at our attitudes and prejudices.

I don’t know if I’ll ever find a Western that I actually like (and, to be honest, I’m not really looking for one). It’s so strange: the idea of a Western sounds appealing to me, but I so rarely am entertained by it. Stagecoach is helped, at least, by its interesting premise, but it’s over-reliance on stereotypes and bad performances make it a weaker entry on this list.

FINAL GRADE: C