Stagecoach (1939)

 
BACKGROUND
 

Raoul Walsh’s 1931 The Big Trail, which was John Wayne's first leading role, was a colossal yet undeserved failure, which put an end to large budget westerns until Ford single handedly revived the genre with Stagecoach starring John Wayne. It was a seminal film for Ford and for the medium itself as the first self-consciously highbrow western that ironically celebrates B-western plot-devices and character tropes. 
 

In order to produce the film the way he envisioned it however, Ford had to stand his ground to the bitter end. Having developed the project from scratch and seeing a deal with David O. Selznick fall apart Ford shopped the script all over Hollywood and finally made a deal with Walter Wanger. Zanuck wouldn’t even read the script, which does not say very much for his instincts as a producer. After Stagecoach’s stunning success Zanuck stuck to Ford like glue, which is indicative of the fact that it was his business instincts more than artistic contribution that was truly where his talent resided.

PLOT SUMMARY

A group of travelers who share a stagecoach journey are threatened by a raiding band of Apache’s led by Geronimo.

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