Stagecoach

After watching Stagecoach the other day I was left quite pleasantly surprised. I've not had a great deal of experience with Westerns in my life other than the odd bits and pieces I have caught whenever my grandad is left in charge of the telly although I always felt as if I knew what to expect: they're all pretty much the same with the cowboy hats, the saloons in the one horse town, sheriffs and Red Indians with bow and arrows etc etc. The only Western I can remember sitting enjoying actually turned out to be a carry on film. But after watching Stagecoach the whole way through I did quite enjoy it and, although I didn't feel strongly either way about Westerns beforehand, I realise they can actually be quite good.

First of all the music. I love the music in Westerns, everyone knows the Magnificent Seven theme even if you didn't realise you do. And after about ten minutes of watching Stagecoach I had familiarised myself with the triumphant strings melody that kept recurring every few minutes when we saw the stagecoach in the journey through the desert.

The film has a really good story and was interesting from a writing point of view. As opposed to what we have said about a lot of Hollywood films being very plot driven, I think Stagecoach is largely character driven. All the characters are very carefully chosen so there is the right combination of different characteristics needed to make drama, conflict, and comedy. I liked that the film had a good comedy value to it. The drunken doctor had quite a few funny moments as did the stagecoach driver, Buck. At the same time there is also conflict between the doctor and Hatfield, Lucy and Dallas and the banker with pretty much all the other characters.

Since we've been talking about it a bit recently I'll say a little about the representation of women in the film. Obviously there are two central female characters, Lucy the well respected wife of a soldier and the prostitute, Dallas. Dallas is looked down upon instantly by Lucy for her poor social status and there is friction between them at different points in the film. However by the end, it is obvious that Dallas is a very caring and considerate character. The men in the film treat the women with great respect most of the time except when Hatfield, who has assigned himself as Lucy's guardian, decides that Lucy is too good to be dining at the same table as Dallas. At one point in the film Dallas is also instructed to make go and make coffee however this is more of an indication of social related injustice than gender related.

The film also made me realise how far the phrase "riding shotgun" goes back. It predates the days of cop shows and cop cars right back to the days of stagecoaches. So remember that next time you shout "Shotgun!" and try to claim the front seat Mr Alford.