Why so few posts? - Stagecoach (1939) Discussion

[–] csu16387 20 years ago

It is one of the most important westerns ever. Fabulous cast, led by John Wayne who became a major star after this film. Stagecoach also has one of the great chases in cinema history. This is definitely in the top five of John Ford's best films.

"Dry your eyes baby, it's out of character."

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[–] LionHearted99 17 years ago

It was one of the most important westerns ever made for several reasons...not least of which the characters had both good and dark sides. Up until that movie was made...all western characters were portrayed as either good or evil. One had not much difficulty telling who was good and who was not. But in this western those black and white contrasts are blurred. Doc Boone was a hopeless drunk but had a heart of gold. Gatewood the banker was a pillar of society who was embezzling bank funds. Dallas the prostitute had bad reputation but a generous heart and a gentle touch. Ringo was an escaped jailbird who followed through when he gave his word. Westerns were forever changed after this film.

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[–] TooShortforThatGesture 20 years ago

What?? And have people actually watch a movie that was made before 1980? and in black and white? in which nobody takes their clothes off? and nothing blows up?

It'd be great. But what a dreamer you are!

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[–] desktop_lamp 20 years ago

I think there are so few posts because i know for a fact that this movie is quite hard to get hold of on video or DVD

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[–] crittercat 20 years ago

It's now available on DVD.

Come read the site: http://www.FeralFiction.com

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[–] josephjohnston 20 years ago

I bought it for $10 in a sale in the UK (video) - scandalous! I also bought "The Searchers" for next to nothing. Stagecoach is a more polished film. It is said that Orson Wells watched it 50x before starting work on Citizen Kane. Personally, I would rather watch Stagecoach 50x (and have done so!) than have to sit through the Wells' film again: it's simply overrated by crappy modern critics.

Everything about Stagecoach is perfect. It's just a beautiful experience, like reading a good poem or novel.

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[–] obiwan_1999 19 years ago

What?? And have people actually watch a movie that was made before 1980? and in black and white? in which nobody takes their clothes off? and nothing blows up?

BusterLA, I believe you are absolutely correct on this point!! I do not believe that the younger generations, raised on stallone, arnie, and bruckheimer, can appreciate nuances like plot, character development, and talented acting.

Peace!

"Life is a journey, not a destination"

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[–] dbellmyer 19 years ago

I agree that the movie is deserving of more attention. After all, it was nominated for seven Academy Awards, and won the Best Supporting Actor award for Thomas Mitchell.

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[–] StarvinArtist126 19 years ago

obiwan...man...let me just make something clear here...

"Stagecoach" is one of my favorite films..i'm 19...not exactly a preteen or "tween"..but in the same generation you're referring to...the *beep* movies that corporate hollywood puts out now..while meant to appeal to kids...are NOT made by kids...they're made by middle aged, balding, fat ass, greedy mother*uckers

ok..that may have been a bit of a guess...

anyway, don't be so quick to have scorn on my peers..in fact, i know more closedminded adults with poor taste in cinema than anyone....people who refuse to watch a film with subtitles *beep* idiots, man

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[–] obiwan_1999 19 years ago

Yo Starvin! Thanks for the post. Actually, I agree with you. My earlier post no longer reflects my current opinion. That post was several months ago, when i first discovered the imdb message boards. After participating in many board discussions, I have discovered that taste(or lack thereof) is not generational at all. Ignorance knows no age limits(lol), and i shouldn't have judged people based on their age and/or generation.

The true irony is that when I made that statement, I was being just as close-minded as the people I was complaining about, and I have always strived to be open-minded. I think I must have been feeling grouchy that day, lol!

Peace!

"Life is a journey, not a destination"

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[–] StarvinArtist126 19 years ago

And I appreciate your reply..lol...I know exactly what you mean, and it's interesting to think that we all can be exactly what we try to fight against...I mean, looking at that post even a few hours later really made me rethink what I wrote, because it was just as closedminded as anything I've ever seen..ahh well..we can't all be perfect...good luck obiwan!

may the force be with you...

so corny..had to do it

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[–] dana_peltier 19 years ago

The predjudice people have against B&W movies is just horrible. My wife won't even give a movie a look if its in B&W. I on the other love them. I am trying to not let this seep down to my son. He has watched Stagecoach with me, as well as a few other B&W movies such as King Kong.
Stagecoach would have won the academy award any other year. When you have to go up against Gone With the Wind, and The Wizard of OZ. Wow, what a year for movies that was.

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[–] magnus-brav 19 years ago

On one hand I too get the feeling a lot of (young) people don't watch black and white films anymore becuase they simply cannot appreciate them. Which is a shame, because if you let yourself be stopped from watching a movie just because it's black and white, you'll end up missing a lot of outstanding movies. And it'll be your loss.

On the other hand, I hope and think that there will always be a certain amount of people who do appreciate these old movies. The classics will always live on. Just like we still read Homer and Dante today, I think in the future, people will still be watching quality movies, whether they are in black and white or in colour.

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[–] kilocycles 19 years ago

> people don't watch black and white films anymore becuase they simply cannot appreciate them.

A large part of the problem is the fact that there are so many bad prints of older films out there, both B&W and color. And how many of the current generation have EVER had the chance to see one of the classics projected correctly from a good print on a screen with the proper aspect ratio? It makes all the difference in the world. (Some years back, Disney re-released Treasure Island, the Robt. Newton version, to theatres; the local house that showed it used their "wide-screen" ratio, meaning that a substantial part of the picture was missing. It was worse than watching a pan-and-scan 'Scope pring on TV.)

But there's something truly magical about watching a clean 35mm print shown on a large 4/3 screen. It's a shame that it's an experience that most of our current movie-watchers have never had, and likely never will.

jc

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