Rising star Claire Trevor plays the film's love interest, Dallas. She’s been run out of Tonto as an undesirable (along with Doc Boone) and over the course of the journey to Lordsburg rediscovers herself and regains her self-respect. This was Trevor’s first of four films with John Wayne and by far the best.
Coming from B westerns into such an illustrious cast, one could have forgiven Wayne for being overshadowed, but such isn’t the case. He commands the viewer’s attention right from his first appearance, with director John Ford giving him one of the most memorable entrances in screen history. The Ringo Kid is the heart of the film as he heads to Lordsburg looking for vengeance and finds romance along the way. The film's central theme of redemption applies to more than just Ringo - Doc Boone and Dallas are both better people by journey's end – but Ringo’s story is the central one, leading to the film's powerful climax.
John Ford’s film is a character piece yet it also features one of the best action sequences ever filmed. The attack by the Indians still has the power to excite, the stagecoach going flat out with Monument Valley as the scene’s magnificent backdrop. Yet Ford also knows what not to show, with the film's climactic shootout all the more effective for being off-screen.
This marked the first time Wayne had been directed by Ford in a leading role. It was also Ford’s first film in Monument Valley. It wouldn’t be the last of either.
Article comments
1 - Katie McNeill
I watched 'Stagecoach' the first time with my mom when I was very young. When John Wayne's character walks Dallas home I had no idea why she didn't want him too. I kept asking my mom but she never explained it very well. We laugh about it now.
'Stagecoach' has been a favorite from then on. This is a great article and I'm looking forward to the rest of them. :)
2 - Ian Woolstencroft
Thanks for the Stagecoach story Katie.
Hopefully you enjoyed the '40s retrospective as well. The rest should follow soon.