Critical ideological analysis of a film helps one criticize the body of ideas in a movie that reflects on the community’s social needs shows the systematic way the world views the concepts in the society incorporated in a movie. There are different ideologies in a film, such as implicit, explicit, neutral, and capture interest ideologies. The film analysis of Stagecoach shows the significant points in the movies. In Stagecoach, the film talks of two careers renewed with John Wayne as the starring in the whole film. Stagecoach was made in 1939 that revolutionized the genre of the film more seriously. The film challenged the class divisions and the western stereotypes. The film has western characters a banker, a doctor, a pregnant woman, a prostitute, a gambler, and an outlaw. There is an upper class and the lower-class characters classification. The gambler, banker, and the pregnant woman are of the upper class, while the other characters are of the lower course. The two social types show the social prejudic e in the community. For example, Lucy Mallory, the pregnant lady, does not seem happy to sit with Dallas, the prostitute. The characters in the upper class rarely associate with the lower class, and there is also social prejudice in the characters in the upper class.
When the Stagecoach is in Lordsburg, the pregnant woman is taken in a stretcher, and Mallory offers help to Dallas and develops an apologetic look. Mallory’s perception of Dallas changes through the resolution in the film since, at the beginning of the film, Mallory is always uncomfortable around Dallas. When Dallas helps take care of Mallory’s baby, Mallory changes her perception of Dallas. The social classes change the definition of the roles and character traits of the characters, such as Doc Boone, who is full of intoxication but still delivers Mallory’s baby. On the other hand, Ringo defends the Stagecoach and helps fight the Indians. John Ford sheds new light on the Western cliches and helps transform the western genre (Kitses, 58). The discussion covers the principles that allow defining the film as a western genre, the characteristics of the West genre in Stagecoach, and contemplation on the differences that discuss Western changing mythological and ideological dimensions.
In the Stagecoach, there is a western genre since there are recurrent elements that are a mixture of the history and archetype with a dramatic structure (Bernstein, 62). The storyline is of the upper class and lower-class people trying to live and exist in the community. At the film’s start, everyone tries to maintain their social class, such as Mallory trying not to associate with Dallas since Dallas is a prostitute. The drama is seen when Dallas takes care of Mallory’s child, and Mallory, in the end, considers Dallas a friend and changes her perspective of the past about the low-class people. Some feelings are evoked from the film that helps sensitize the traits of the character and help a viewer to understand the happenings in the film. The sensitivity in films is produced in Westerns since it helps create the audience and their expectations. The principle of convention qualifies Stagecoach as a western genre (Kitses, 63).
The principle of convention ensures that the audience and the director connect through the art in the interrelated aspects of the western genre in terms of history, themes, archetypes, and icons in the film. The film Stagecoach provides history since the genre of the west is all about the tension between events of the past and the freedom that the characters achieve in the end. In this case, although social inequality was common in the past, John Ford shows the evolution from social inequality to all the members appreciating the presence of each other. Also, the principle of convention ensures that every film has themes and, in this case, the theme is social inequality. It is shown by the upper and lower social classes that define the way of living of the characters in the film. The themes represent the happenings in the community, and the characters of the movie perfect their skills to communicate the information to the audience in the simplest ways. The characters’ situations deliver the traits that explain the themes to the audience. For example, although Ringo is considered outlawed, he helps fight the Indians and defends the Stagecoach. This shows the dedication of Ringo to his people, although there are different views of his traits by the other characters.
The archetype helps show the film’s comedy, romance, tragedies, and morality through the characters. Different activities occur as the characters are in the slow-moving Stagecoach since character traits have various moral issues. It caused the Western act as there were romance and tragedies that led to the civilization of all citizens into ultimate democracy from social injustices. Some disasters occur when the philosopher, ill repute and the liquor salesman, and Ringo fight as they go through the Wild West (Kitses, 61). When Mallory learns that her husband got wounds from the battle that occurred with the Apache, she faints and gets into labor when Dallas and Doc Boone help to deliver the child; this causes emotions that lead to morality in the end Mallory appreciates Dallas and Doc Boone. Also, romance is seen when Ringo asks for Dallas to marry him, although Ringo had earlier been jailed to protect his brother and father from the Plummers.
Western genres use imagery that helps to use characters, places, events, and character traits to represent what happens in the community. There are many examples of imagery in Stagecoach that helps the audience critically think and analyze the film during the events all through. There are repetitions in the film, and the film contains dialogue that provides the audience to think and learn of the ideas of the characters. For example, the Apache warriors signify the tension on the passengers of Stagecoach as a battle is to occur (Braudy & Marshall, 132) . The Stagecoach is also a symbol of the community with different people with different character traits that have to survive. The movie of the western genre since there is civilization when Mallory appreciates Dallas since they both had faced judgment. When Ringo and Dallas get engaged and ride off, Doc Boone comments,” Well, they’re saved from the blessings of civilization.”
There are many basic conventions of the Western that Stagecoach adheres to throughout the film. Western genre films are shot in the west, which is evident in Stagecoach, which is set during the Apache wars that are in Arizona. Western films contain conflicts where there are protagonists and antagonists. In Stagecoach, the passengers have to fight with the Apache to continue their journey (Bernstein , 321). In Western films, the frontiers are not allowed to have social classes or other distinctions; however, Stagecoach has social classes who were considered outcasts and were condemned by the other passengers (Bernstein ,322). Stagecoach is filled with discoveries and interactions between the passengers with different perspectives. The storyline of Stagecoach contains two main storylines of Ringo’s revenge on the Plummers because of his family and the revenge of the Apaches. Different destinations link the fil, for example, in the Dry Forks station where passengers vote on whether to continue with the journey or stop, and in the Apache Wells station where Mallory’s son is born amid the fights. Stagecoach is a film in the Western genre and contains the sense of the history and identity of the Americans. The western setting increases the human desire to watch Stagecoach.
Since the film is a western genre, it is shot in open landscapes that show the passengers’ abilities and opportunities to search and reinvent themselves. For example, Ringo is important in the film since he brings the unpredicted happenings of shotguns in the Stagecoach (Bernstein, 330). It leads to Ringo’s revenge, which is evident in films of the western genre that deny individuality and humanity. “For example, it is entirely appropriate that the “notorious” Ringo Kid enters the film on the trail from out of nowhere with a rifle shot. Equally famous are the extreme long shots of the Stagecoach on the floor of Monument Valley, which quickly pans left to a group of Apaches in medium-long-shot range planning their attack on the coach.” (Bernstein 333). When the passengers are at war with Apaches, they envelop to ensure they are protected, and this occurs when Doc Boone goes to add light that will add brightness to the hallway, he finds Mrs. Mallory wanting to deliver and helps in the delivery process that ensures the safety of the baby and the mother (Bernstein, 336). Also, Doc Boone and Curley see the love for Ringo and Dallas and allow them to flee even though Dallas had stressed her prostitute state as she had not informed Ringo that she was returning to her prostitute state (Bernstein, 336). Dallas has hope as she tells Ringo that she will never forget Ringo asking to marry her. However, in the end, Ringo and Dallas flee, which shows a new life for both Ringo and Dallas despite their challenging past.
Works Cited
Bernstein, Matthew. Stagecoach: The Classical Holywood Western Par Excellence. 1939.
Braudy, Leo, and Marshall Cohen, editors. FILM THEORY AND CRITICISM. 7th ed., New York Oxford OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2009.
Kitses, Jim. “Authorship and Genre: Notes on the Western.” Horizons West, 1969, pp. 57-69. Accessed 9 Mar. 2022.
