Ford is the great artist whose work continues to keep the American story alive.
It’s June 1880, and a stagecoach with eight people is traversing through the Arizona desert, headed to Lordsburg, New Mexico. The sight of the stagecoach appears so insignificant juxtaposed against the vastness of the American West, and its passengers are aware of dangers that could await them—one of them being the Apaches and their leader, Geronimo.
They have finally settled into a rhythm on the journey when suddenly, the horses are spooked by a shotgun blast. It’s not the Apaches or Geronimo. It’s a white man, Ringo Kid, who is wanted for breaking out of prison and is on his own personal vendetta to avenge the murder of his father and brother. He, too, is headed to Lordsburg and seeks a spot in the stagecoach because his horse is lame. Ringo is portrayed by none other than John Wayne, and the director John Ford introduces him here to the world with a famous close-up shot that began Wayne’s journey into stardom.
Like all John Ford westerns, “Stagecoach” (1939) is an integral part of Ford’s exploration of the American legend of the West. His films are gripping stories about people and their relation to the land, both claimed and unclaimed. The characters are often not only human beings with personal histories and deeply drawn characters, but also archetypes that transcend the particularities of their time and place. This is especially true of “Stagecoach.”