1. The Stagecoach (1939)

2. The Western John Ford, The Stagecoach (1939)

3. Definition Films set primarily in the later half of the 19th century in the American Old West. Often revolve around the stories of cowboy or gunfighter armed with a revolver and a rifle who rides a horse. Cowboys typically wear Stetson hats, bandanas, cowboy boots with spurs and buckskins. Other characters who frequently appear include Native Americans, bandits, law enforcers, bounty hunters, outlaws, cavalry, settlers, ranchers townsfolk like barmen and barmaids

4. Gun men in High Noon (1952)

5. Sheriff in High Noon (1952)

6. Henry Brandon as Scar in Searchers (1956)

7. Cavalry men in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

8. A Mexican bandit in Yaqui Drums (1956)

9. A saloon keeper in Johnny Guitar (1954)

10. Defitions Settings: The harsh wilderness of the West and actions take place in desolate landscape and mountains. Ranches, small frontier towns, saloons, railways and cavalry camps and fortresses Stock plots Crime, pursuit of the criminals, rivalry, revenge, retribution, which end up with a shoot out or duel.

11. The wilderness – Monument Valley in The Stagecoach (1939)

12. Farm house in Wyoming – Shane (1953)

13. Saloon in My Darling Clementine (1946)

14. Frontier town in My Darling Clementine

15. Cattle and cowboys wading the river in Red River (1951)

16. The Western as a Genre ‘The origins of the Western’ Folk music; Indian captivity tales; James Fenimore Cooper’s fictions; 19th c. pulp romances (Schatz, 45) The early Westerns (pre-talkie): many of them were historical dramas recording the westward advance. They gradually gave way to Westerns which looked at the past nostalgically. (Schatz, 46) Many were B movies The growing historical distance and technological development (post-silent) rejuvenated the genre

17. The Landscape of the West The conflicts between civilized and savage forces The landscape of the West was not agricultural but presented as space where civilization battled with savagery. The Western covers the period between the years following the Civil War and the early part of the 20th century (Schatz, 47-8)

18. The Stagecoach (1939) Directed by John Ford George Bancroft as Marshall Written by Dudley Nichols Donald Meek as Peacock based on Ernest Haycox’s Berton Churchill as Banker novel Tom Tyler as Luke Claire Trevor as Dallas Produced by John Ford John Wayne as Ringo Kid Music by Gerard Carbonara Andy Devine as Driver Cinematography by Bert John Carradine as Gambler Glennon Thomas Mitchell as Doc Edited by Otho Lovering Louise Platt as Mrs. MalloryDorothy Spencer

19. The Stagecoach (1939) Art direction by Alexander Aspect ratio: 1.37:1 Toluboff Locations: Monument Costume by Walter Plunkett Valley, Arizona Makeup by Norbert A. Myles Santa Clarita, Cal Stunt coordinator Yakima Canutt Walter Wanger Production Distributed by United Artists Runtime: 96 mins

20. The Stagecoach (1939) The opening sequence of the film ‘not only sets the thematic and visual tone’ but also ‘reflects the basic cultural and physical conflicts which have traditionally characterized the Western form.’

21. The Stagecoach (1939) The opening sequence of the film ‘not only sets the thematic and visual tone’ but also ‘reflects the basic cultural and physical conflicts which have traditionally characterized the Western form.’ (Schatz, 49) Vast wilderness and inhospitable landscape – Monument Valley in Arizona Dotted with oases (civilization) – frontier town, cavalry posts, and fortress Connected by the railroad, the stagecoach and telegraph

22. The inhospitable wilderness

23. Occasional oases – a Cavalry camp

24. Occasion oases – a frontier town

25. Oases are linked by the stagecoach

26. The Stagecoach (1939) The Western community is threatened by external forces, hostile aborigines, as well as its own internal corrupt or violent members. In The Stagecoach, ‘Its passengers must contend with Indian attacks but also with the conflicts which divide the group itself.’ (Schatz, 49) A righteous sheriff; a naïve driver; an alcoholic doctor; an arrogant, embezzling banker; a cowardly whisky salesman; a gold-hearted prostitute; a genteel gambler; an Eastern lady; the hero, an escaped convict

27. Frontier society with conflicts

28. The Stagecoach (1939) What sets The Stagecoach apart apart from earlier Western films The Western conventions were redefined by John Ford through the film. It is no longer about a simplistic battle between white settlers and native Indians or between civilization and savagery, but contains moral ambiguity and ‘a range of social issues.’ Alcoholism, crime, prostitution, self-reliance (Schatz, 50)