1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.
Westerns before Stagecoach were low budget b-movies at best. Stagecoach was a major leap for Western's in this time period. Westerns of this time period were more along the lines of the typical cowboy vs. Indian shoot-em-up. Although the Western genera was controversial John Ford saw the potential to make an award winning film. To add to the controversy Ford hired John Wayne who was a mid grade b-movie actor. Unlike all of the other Westerns of its time Stagecoach had a spectacular plot that kept the viewer wondering where the movie was going until the last minute of the film.
2) Find a related article and summarize the content. (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) You can use the library or the internet. Cite the article or copy the url to your journal entry. Summarize in your own words the related article but do not plagiarize any content.
http://www.decentfilms.com/reviews/stagecoach
Overall the article spoke more about the plot and characterization of Stagecoach. Stagecoach was the western that started it all, "but it has been called the first great western." All the other westerns of its time were filled with jokes, bad acting, and tons of gun battle. Which is why Stagecoach was one of the best Westerns ever it had virtually no satire. The movie was serious, it had a real plot that kept the views attention through its characterization. Aside from the storyline the cinematography was astounding. Having stagecoach filmed in the remote Monument Valley in Arizona made more of an impact than anything, the views were real it made the viewer think they were there.
http://www.decentfilms.com/reviews/stagecoach
Overall the article spoke more about the plot and characterization of Stagecoach. Stagecoach was the western that started it all, "but it has been called the first great western." All the other westerns of its time were filled with jokes, bad acting, and tons of gun battle. Which is why Stagecoach was one of the best Westerns ever it had virtually no satire. The movie was serious, it had a real plot that kept the views attention through its characterization. Aside from the storyline the cinematography was astounding. Having stagecoach filmed in the remote Monument Valley in Arizona made more of an impact than anything, the views were real it made the viewer think they were there.
3) Apply the article to the film screened in class. How did the article support or change the way you thought about the film, director, content, etc.?
The article supported almost everything that we talked about in class and also my feelings of the movie. The author clearly has a great appreciation for film and the time period. Although the author stayed from Stagecoach a few times he always related it back to the original point which gave me a better understanding of the movie and time period.
The article supported almost everything that we talked about in class and also my feelings of the movie. The author clearly has a great appreciation for film and the time period. Although the author stayed from Stagecoach a few times he always related it back to the original point which gave me a better understanding of the movie and time period.
4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and
the article. I am less interested in whether you liked or disliked a
film, (although that can be part of this) than I am in your
understanding of its place in film history or the contributions of the
director.
Overall the movie was good. When I heard we were seeing a Western I expected something completely different. I expected something with non-stop action and a few bar fights. I'm sure most people going to see the movie when it first came out expected the same thing because in 1939 that's all westerns were. I was pleasantly surprised after watching Stagecoach to find that it was not an action film at all, it was more of a drama with a great story and well though out characters.
Overall the movie was good. When I heard we were seeing a Western I expected something completely different. I expected something with non-stop action and a few bar fights. I'm sure most people going to see the movie when it first came out expected the same thing because in 1939 that's all westerns were. I was pleasantly surprised after watching Stagecoach to find that it was not an action film at all, it was more of a drama with a great story and well though out characters.
1) ( x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) ( x ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.
3) ( x ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.
4) ( x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
5) ( x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) ( x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7) ( x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
8) ( x ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.
Name: Christian Hansen Date:03/19/2013
