John ford's stagecoach is a film shot in

In 1971, ford and his cast and crew reminisced in the dgas action magazine about making a film that truly changed the genre. With john wayne, claire trevor, andy devine, john carradine. Ford s evocative use of the territory for his westerns has defined the images of the american west so powerfully that orson welles once said that other film makers refused to shoot in the region out of fears of plagiarism. Before i discuss how each film complied and diverged from the classical western film genre, i will discuss the formula, the characters, icons, conventions and the social function of. A group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of geronimo and learn something about each other in the process. Fords storytelling, casting, direction and use of iconic locations, such as monument valley, coalesced into a cinematic classic that brought the awestern. He is renowned both for westerns such as stagecoach 1939, the searchers 1956, and the man who shot liberty valance 1962, as well as adaptations of classic 20thcentury american novels such as the grapes of wrath 1940. John fords stagecoach, 2003 online research library. It was a major success and one of the top 20 moneymaking films of the year. Screenshot of a scene from forrest gump, filmed at monument valley. John fords decision to film parts of stagecoach on location in monument valley, utah and arizona, launched a legacy that included nine moviesfive with leading man john wayneand the creation of the most iconic film location in western cinema history. Stagecoach was john ford s first western in over a decade and despite the studio s initial unwillingness for the director to make a western this movie became a defining work in film history reinvigorating the genre and introducing us to the pairing of ford and wayne as well as the beautiful location of monument valley.

Stagecoach, american western film, released in 1939, that is a classic of the genre, widely considered to be the first adult western. The utah film commission recently announced in a press release that they have awarded film incentives to six more productions to shoot in the state this summer. My own style had nothing to do with his, but stagecoach was my movie textbook. Bucks guard leaves him and he has to see marshall curley wilcox for help. Jul 03, 2012 the three featurelength films i have chosen for this analysis were fords stagecoach 1939, the searchers 1956 and the man who shot liberty valance 1962. Scene from director john fords stagecoach 1939, shot in arizona and utahs monument valley. He is renowned both for westerns such as stagecoach 1939, the searchers 1956, and. It is one of the greatest examples of architecture as character in photography and filmthese characters are swallowed up by the rugged uncivilized world. Ford skillfully blended iverson and monument valley to create the movies iconic images of the american west. Others find it second only to fords own the searchers 1956.

John fords stagecoach 1939 starring john wayne and claire. Stagecoach was the first of many westerns that ford shot using monument valley, in the american southwest on the arizona utah border, as a location, many of which also starred john wayne. John wayne starred in she wore a yellow ribbon 1949 john fords first time shooting in color at monument valley. A s is often the case with early genre foundations, to see john fords epochal western stagecoach today means looking back past the countless subsequent films that would go on to build on it. Stagecoach is the next 1939 best picture oscar nominee to be screened as part of the academy of motion picture arts and sciences series hollywoods greatest year. In 1938, john ford assembled a veteran ensemble cast, including george bancroft as marshal curley wilcox left and louise platt as mrs. In the meantime, he had produced the superb, oscarwinning drama about irish republicanism, rkos the informer 1935. Scene from director john ford s stagecoach 1939, shot in arizona and utah s monument valley. Stagecoach 1939 is a classic western from film auteur john ford. John fords stagecoach 1939 starring john wayne and claire trevor july 31, 2012 by cliff aliperti 10 comments stagecoach was the first john wayne movie i saw when i was a kid and it remains my favorite of any of his films. Stagecoach 1939 directed by john ford from a screenplay by dudley nichols is generally considered to be the first adult western adult in the sense that it took a set of archetypes who were familiar to audiences from westerns of the past the dancehall girlprostitute, the southern gentleman gambler, the drunken doctor, the young outlaw, the girl from the east, placed them in a. It is also the film that made the iconic actor john wayne a star. Clint eastwood on the impact of john fords stagecoach a.

The film was shot both at a movie ranch in california and on location in monument valley. Robert horvat on june 24, 2019 john ford bought the rights to stagecoach from colliers magazine in 1937 an adaptation of a short story called the stage to lordsburg and made a pitch to almost every studio in hollywood to have it made. Directed by john ford, and starring john wayne and claire trevor, stagecoach will be presented on monday, june 1, at 7. May 25, 2010 a s is often the case with early genre foundations, to see john fords epochal western stagecoach today means looking back past the countless subsequent films that would go on to build on it. John ford returned eight times to film there, and other directors followed suit. Over the course of a halfcentury, he appeared in nearly 250 movies, but the film that made john wayne a star was stagecoach 1939, directed by john ford. Many observers consider it the last great ford film. John ford is, arguably, the great american director. Scenes from stagecoach, including a sequence introducing john waynes character the ringo kid, blended shots of monument valley with shots filmed on the iverson movie ranch in chatsworth, california, rko encino movie ranch, and other locations. Lucy mallory right to support bmovie cowboy john wayne as the ringo kid center in stagecoach. Its an update of melvillejohn wayne is ahab here, obsessionmonomaniacal. Robert horvat on june 24, 2019 john ford bought the rights to stagecoach from colliers magazine in 1937 an adaptation of a short story called the stage to lordsburg and made a. John fords great western stagecoach revolutionized the genre in 1939 while making a major star of john wayne and establishing monument valley, utah a.

The fourtime oscarwinning director made over 140 films in his long career, spanning the silent era through the 1960s. The 3 most iconic film locations in utah locationshub. Jun 08, 2006 and wayne himself, from his starmaking entrance as the ringo kid in stagecoach 1939 to his valedictory performance in the man who shot liberty valance 1962, his last western with ford, is. Cheyenne autumn, the final john ford western, appeared in 1964. Like the characters in last stage to lordsburg, the characters in the film stagecoach are stereotypes, but, except for gatewood, they acquire a depth and. A group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of geronimo and learn something. For ford, it was a return after some years to a genre about which his ideas had grownthe genre in which he would.

Stagecoach 1939 is considered by many the best western ever made. Stagecoach is truly one of the titans of cinema, and upon a viewing, it becomes resoundingly clear why the film commands such notability in the annals of film history. John fords smash hit and enduring masterpiece stagecoach revolutionized the western, elevating it from b movie to the alist and establishing the genre. In 1962, john ford released the man who shot liberty valance starring james stewart and john wayne. Although he had appeared before in many films, as an extra, a stuntman and then an actor in b films, this was john wayne s first starring role in a film by john ford. And wayne himself, from his starmaking entrance as the ringo kid in stagecoach 1939 to his valedictory performance in the man who shot liberty valance 1962, his. This is the first of john fords westerns to be shot in monument valley, which. Serious westerns werent in fashion in 1938 when john ford and company went to monument valley to shoot stagecoach. Unfortunately, no one was interested in doing another forgettable western, especially with a b movie actor by the name of john wayne, as the films main protagonist. Jul 01, 20 john ford s enduring milestone his first sound western was the film that orson welles studied over and over before embarking on citizen kane.

Walter wanger productions world war ii was a watershed for ford. Ford used the breathtaking landscapes of monument valley, and even in blackandwhite, theyre still used to vivid effect. John ford bought the rights to stagecoach from colliers magazine in 1937 an adaptation of a short story called the stage to lordsburg and made a pitch to almost every studio in hollywood to have it made. Walter wanger productions stagecoach was ford s first western in more than a decade, and it helped elevate the genre from bfilm status to serious fare. Stagecoach was john fords first western in over a decade and despite the studios initial unwillingness for the director to make a western this movie became a defining work in film history reinvigorating the genre and introducing us to the pairing of ford and wayne as. The man who shot liberty valance is a film that is highly revered today by critics and audiences alike, although when it was released in 1962 it wasnt met with the same enthusiasm. The first image of an apache indian in john fords stagecoach 1939 follows a reaction shot and shout from the whiskey salesman peacock, as he spots yakima, the stationkeeper chriss wife. The quintessential tale of a group of strangers thrown together into extraordinary circumstances, stagecoach features outstanding performances from hollywood stalwarts claire trevor, john. Ford was the film making counterpart to zane grey, the exdentist turned writer who singlehandedly. Stagecoach is a film in which two great careers were. Lieutenant blanchard arrives in tonto and informs buck and his guard that geronimo is raiding and has cut the telegraph lines.

John fords second western shot in monument valley was my darling. The real villain of john fords stagecoach 1939 bright. The man who shot liberty valance 1962 directed by john. He is renowned both for westerns such as stagecoach, the searchers, and the man who shot liberty valance, as well as. It marked the first film of many in which director john ford used monument valley as a backdrop for his narrative. These include anthony manns elemental odysseys, budd boettichers prairie chamber pieces, sergio leones luxuriating arias, sam peckinpahs squib fiestas, and clint eastwoods sagebrush. The tagline of the film, a powerful story of 9 strange people, is deceptively simple. In 1971, ford and his cast and crew reminisced in the dgas action magazine about making a film that truly changed the genre adapted from the dgas action magazine septoct 1971.

Monogram movie riders of the dawn, which was filmed at the same location. Ford typically shot only the footage he needed and often filmed in sequence, minimizing the job of his film editors. He got what he wanted on film, then left it to the cutter to put it together. The screenplay by dudley nichols is an adaptation of the stage to lordsburg, a 1937 short story by ernest haycox. Unfortunately, it was not a success at the box office. Notes for viewing john fords stagecoach the movie is set in 1885. Through the stagecoach lens, this is the beginning of john fords rise to auteurship. Ford was the filmmaking counterpart to zane grey, the exdentist turned writer who singlehandedly. How john fords 1939 western classic transformed the dying genre into the. Jul 31, 2012 john fords stagecoach 1939 starring john wayne and claire trevor july 31, 2012 by cliff aliperti 10 comments stagecoach was the first john wayne movie i saw when i was a kid and it remains my favorite of any of his films. The three featurelength films i have chosen for this analysis were fords stagecoach 1939, the searchers 1956 and the man who shot liberty valance 1962. Stagecoach is a film in which two great careers were renewed. John wayne became a hollywood star following his role in stagecoach, which was also john fords first ever nonsilent western and his first shot in monument valley, the red, mesafilled landscape that quickly became a western staple. When orson welles, who repeatedly screened fords stagecoach 1939 as a crash course in filmmaking before helming his first film, citizen kane 1941, was asked who his three favorite directors were, he.

Although he had appeared before in many films, as an extra, a stuntman and then an actor in b films, this was john waynes first starring role in a film by john ford. A group of people with conflicting personalities are shoved together on a. John ford s movie stagecoach 1939 has a fair claim to be the most influential western ever made. For ford, it was a return after some years to a genre about which his ideas had grownthe genre in which he would make many of his greatest films. This film his first sound western was a return to his mostacclaimed film genre after a thirteen year absence following foxs three bad men 1926 and the iron horse 1924. Film locations for john fords stagecoach 1939, in arizona and california. Comparing john fords 1939 stagecoach to the 1966 and. The searchers is a meditation on wilderness and civilization. Ironically today it is one of john fords most popular films along with the searchers and stagecoach. John fords stagecoach 1939 starring john wayne and.

On the stagecoach to cheyenne, a mixed group of passengers must work together to survive the arduous journey and the indian attacks. A great picture from arguably the cinemas finest single year of films. John ford s second western shot in monument valley was my darling. John ford 18941973 was an american film director whose career spanned from 19 to 1971. The film opens as a stagecoach is set to make the perilous journey from. Fords evocative use of the territory for his westerns has defined the images of the american west so powerfully that orson welles once said that other filmmakers refused to shoot in the region out of fears of plagiarism. One of director john fords defining movies, it also elevated john wayne to stardom. Stagecoach became the first in the series of seven classic ford westerns filmed on location in monument valley, with additional footage shot at another of fords favorite filming locations, the iverson movie ranch in chatsworth, calif. With annmargret, alex cord, red buttons, mike connors. Stagecoach is a 1939 american western film directed by john ford and starring claire trevor and john wayne in his breakthrough role. The television movie starts exactly as john fords 1939 stagecoach.

Born in maine, ford entered the filmmaking industry shortly after graduating from high school with the help of his older brother, francis ford, who had established himself as a leading man and director for universal studios. Over the course of a halfcentury, he appeared in nearly 250 movies, but the film that made john wayne a star was stagecoach 1939, directed by john ford stagecoach is not only responsible for creating the heroic, rugged, selfreliant wayne persona, it also is arguably the first exemplar of. John ford wouldve celebrated his 126th birthday on february 1, 2020. His action shots of an apache attack and war raid are also stunning, even by todays standards. The 75th anniversary committees clint eastwood on the impact of john fords stagecoach was an informative and engaging evening that analyzed the careers of dga lifetime achievement award recipients ford and eastwood two filmmakers serving as cornerstones of a definitively american film genre, the western.

Comparing john fords 1939 stagecoach to the 1966 and 1986. Jul 17, 2019 in 1962, john ford released the man who shot liberty valance starring james stewart and john wayne. Sep 04, 2016 the television movie starts exactly as john fords 1939 stagecoach. Screenshot from once upon a time in the west 1968, filmed at monument valley. Not long after, stagecoach would have a great impact on the cinematography of hollywood films. Similar geographic incongruencies are evident throughout the. Fords direction is economical and highly evocative. Like the characters in last stage to lordsburg, the characters in the film stagecoach are stereotypes, but, except for gatewood, they acquire a depth and humanity that haycoxs characters dont. John ford february 1, 1894 august 31, 1973 was an american film director. May 07, 1999 john ford s great western stagecoach revolutionized the genre in 1939 while making a major star of john wayne and establishing monument valley, utah a vast navajo tribal area of huge, sandy.

When orson welles, who repeatedly screened ford s stagecoach 1939 as a crash course in filmmaking before helming his first film, citizen kane 1941, was asked who his three favorite directors were, he answered, john ford, john ford, and john ford. John fords movie stagecoach 1939 has a fair claim to be the most influential western ever made. Although there were westerns before it, stagecoach quickly. Director john ford combined action, drama, humor, and a set of welldrawn characters. It is an emotionally affecting filmperhaps fords most affecting. In the meantime, he had produced the superb, oscar. The film follows a group of strangers riding on a stagecoach through dangerous apache territory. It was the director s first attempt into the genre since 1926 and his first to be shot against the impressive scenery of monument valley. John fords enduring milestone his first sound western was the film that orson welles studied over and over before embarking on citizen kane.