John Ford's Stagecoach

Offers a rich overview of this classic in essays by six leading film critics.

Barry Keith Grant (Edited by)

9780521797436, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 5 December 2002

256 pages, 20 b/w illus.
22.8 x 15.6 x 1.5 cm, 0.35 kg

"Stagecoach is must reading for any student of the Western, of Ford, and of Stagecoach itself, for both the multiplicity of approaches the contributors employ and for the riches of their analyses." Film Quarterly

Stagecoach is one of the classics of Hollywood cinema. Made in 1939, it revitalized the Western genre, served as a milestone in John Ford's career, and made John Wayne a star. This volume offers a rich overview of the film in essays by six leading film critics. Approaching Stagecoach from a variety of critical perspectives, they place the film within the contexts of authorship, genre, American history and culture. Also examined are the film's commentary on race, class, gender and democracy, while remaining attentive to the film's artistry.

Introduction: spokes in the wheels Barry Keith Grant
1. Stagecoach and Hollywood's A-western renaissance Thomas Schatz
2. 'Powered by a Ford'?: Dudley Nichols, authorship, and cultural ethos in Stagecoach Charles J. Maland
3. That past, this present: historicizing John Ford, 1939 Leland Poague
4. 'A little bit savage': Stagecoach and racial representation J. P. Telotte
5. 'Be a proud, glorified dreg': class, gender and frontier democracy in Stagecoach Gaylyn Studlar
6. Stagecoach and the quest for selfhood William Rothman
Reviews of Stagecoach: 1. The Hollywood Spectator (February 18, 1939)
2. New York Times (March 3, 1939)
3. The Daily Worker (March 4, 1939)
Filmography
Select bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Film theory & criticism [APFA]