1) Relate
what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.
One of the biggest impacts Stagecoach had on cinema was that it brought Westerns to A-list status. Before Stagecoach Westerns were mainly fun, little, shoot-em-up adventures for kids that didn't get much credit. Stagecoach had a lot of adult elements and it was directed by the man who is considered America's greatest director which changed the genre to how we know it today. After watching Stagecoach it was very easy to see how it was able to accomplish this. Instead of lacking good elements, it was an original story and adventure with some great performances.
2) Find a related article and
summarize the content.
This article gives a few random facts about the film. It starts off with the Breen Office rejecting treatment originally because of the prostitute, the Kid's taste for revenge, and a few other things. It then went on to talking about how the movie was first step in John Ford's long-term friendship with the Navajo Indians of Monument Valley. He did this by providing them with acting jobs and paying them union scale salaries.It then talks about the stunt that Yakima Canutt did where he rolled under the horse carriage. It talks about how the stunt was done and that John Ford did not want to shoot it again because it was really dangerous. It then goes on to talk about how Ford was very mean to his actors and bullied them constantly. This was to encourage them to perform better. It then ends with saying that it was Walter Wagner's highest grossing film to date when it came out earning nearly one million dollars.
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/91227/Stagecoach/articles.html
3) Apply the article to the film
screened in class.
The article managed to change my view slightly because it shows that movies are very hard to get going both before and during production. When a film struggles to get rolling or has problems along the way I gain a lot more respect for the film. A film like Apocalypse Now went through a lot during its production which made me appreciate that much more. Knowing that Stagecoach had trouble getting made changed how I viewed the film.
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.
Westerns are a very popular genre and one that I happen to like when made right. Without Stagecoach, many great movies would not have been made. We wouldn't have The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly or 3:10 to Yuma without Stagecoach bringing Westerns to A status. However influence can only go so far when it comes to a great film. As a film itself I felt as if it was missing something. I wasn't very engaged it most of it. Although I liked the movie as a whole and it is a classic I wasn't blown away. Some of the stunts really impressed me however, such as the rolling under the horse carriage. Unfortunately I found the movie somewhat boring and dull up until the chase scene. The ending wasn't superb either. I feel as if it could have been shot better. Although overall, it was a solid movie I would give a 7/10.
2) (Yes) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.
3) (Yes) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.
4) (Yes) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
5) (Yes) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) (Yes) 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) (Yes) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
8) (Yes) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.
Name: Geoffrey Perez_____________________________ Date: 2/12/13_______________________
