Stagecoach - Grand Format

More than fifty years after its first appearance, Stagecoach remains the most famous Western ever made. Resisting David O. Selznick's description of his project as "just another Western", director John Ford intended something special from the start : a film which would integrate all the traditions of the horse opera - chases, gunfights, spectacular scenery - with a tale of romance and intrigue appealing to a sophisticated audience of both sexes.
To give the film class, Ford employed Dudley Nichols, writer of his previous prestige successes The Informer and Mary of Scotland, as well as such comedy classics as Bringing Up Baby. In the casting, Ford was adept in blending established actors like Thomas Mitchell - who won an Academy Award for his performance - with veteran Hollywood saddle tramps. And as the Ringo Kid he chose an unknown who had spent the past ten years languishing in the obscurity of B-Westerns.
The part made John Wayne a star. Shedding new light on an old favourite, this is an enjoyable account of how the film got made, combined with a careful scene-by-scene analysis, a wealth of illustrations and the most complete credits yet assembled.