Movies Under the Stars

Stagecoach (1939)
(B&W Film)

An NCPA & Film Heritage Foundation Presentation

Orson Welles saw Stagecoach 40 times before he made Citizen Kane (1941). Stagecoach was John Ford’s first Western of the sound era that had John Wayne in his first starring role for Ford, as the daredevil outlaw, the Ringo Kid. The film tells the tale of Ringo Kid, who joins a motley bunch of passengers that include a bumbling driver, a prostitute with a heart of gold, an elegant gambler, an alcoholic, a travelling whisky salesman, the wife of an army officer, and a scheming banker, thrown together by chance, as they travel on a stagecoach through treacherous Apache territory. As with any story of people confined in a space, Stagecoach depicts changing group dynamics, shifting allegiances and the formation of a chain of command among the passengers. Their eventual cooperation demonstrates that it takes all kinds to make a world. The extended stagecoach chase sequence is a masterclass in editing. Superbly shot against the backdrop of Utah and Ford’s beloved Monument Valley in Arizona, this sweeping and powerful drama of the American frontier is an enduring masterpiece that elevated the Western from the B-grade to serious cinema.

Director: John Ford
Writers: Ernest Haycox (original story) & Dudley Nichols (screenplay)
Cinematography: Bert Glennon
Cast: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Andy Devine, John Carradine & Thomas Mitchell

Admission on a first-come-first-served basis.  NCPA Members will get preferential seating till 6.20 pm.