Documentaries

In 1941, the British released a propaganda film called Churchill’s Island about the defense of the country ever since his premiership began. Made from the National Film Board (NFB) of Canada, who were also at war with Germany, it is constructed of all the reel footage shot of all areas of the country’s defense, including the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. The film won the first Oscar ever given for Best Documentary (Short Subject) and for the NFB, it was their first Oscar even after being established in 1939. They would also produce Squadron 992, which follows the barrage balloon team that serves to fight German air attacks, and The Children From Overseas, following families who sent their kids across to Canada to avoid the air raids and remain safe for the duration of the war.

When the United States entered the war and Frank Capra was hired to make a series of documentaries under the title, Why We Fight, his fourth focused on the German attack at the UK in their failed attempt to invade the island. Walter Huston narrated the story to inform the American public, especially those who really didn’t want to be in the war, on how the Nazi machine crushed the French and leaving the UK all alone in the fight. It’s an impressive and engaging piece of history which ends with the famous line said by Churchill, “Never was so much owed by so many to so few.” Other notable documentary shots from the propaganda machine include The Call For Arms, London Can Take It, and Dover, which follows the town of the same name which served at the frontline of the battle and was narrated by Edward R. Murrow.

Feature Films

There is obviously the titled Battle Of Britain from 1969 which brought in the best actors from home to take part in this flying epic. Lawrence Olivier, Trevor Howard, Christopher Plummer (as a Canadian pilot), Susannah York, Michael Caine, Robert Richardson, Robert Shaw, Ian McShane, and Michael Redgrave. It was a large scale film with amazing flying sequences that got caught up in the anti-war feeling over Vietnam and failed at the box office. More notably and with more acclaim is Mrs. Miniver, which was shot and released in the middle of the war, but while it was a Hollywood production, it brought a sense of pride for British viewers and gave a sense to Americans what families were doing under constant threat. In 1987, John Boorman wrote and directed Hope and Glory, based on his personal experiences surviving the war through the eyes of a young boy.

More recently, there was the comedy-drama Their Finest by Lone Scherfig (An Education) about the Ministry of Information’s program to make movies for boosting morale. A script girl and her artist husband scramble to make a movie based on two women who survived the Dunkirk evacuation and get an eccentric group of people to make the picture. It’s a charming film about writers and directors, something relatable to those who want to create. Mrs. Henderson Presents from Stephen Frears told another funny true story during the Battle of Britain of a British socialite (Dame Judy Dench) who partners with an impresario (Bob Hoskins) to make a successful show featuring nudity, even though it is technically not allowed to show it. It is the creative freedom to impress and defying the threat by staying open among the bombs that rained over them.

It’s a period during the Second World War of doubt because the British were thought to be sitting ducks against the unstoppable Germans who tied themselves to the Japanese and Italians, seeking to install a New Order on the world. The United States kept out for the meantime, but thanks to the propaganda machine, sympathy was built up to prepare themselves for war. This period also served as the basis for many movies like the entire war did. And, as we enter 80 years of this horrible conflict, they serve as moving pieces of history to a turbulent time.

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The Ox-Bow Incident is an eye-opening experience that I think many of us would benefit from watching, especially younger people in an educational setting. This is a film which demonstrates how quickly the sense of morality, compassion and empathy for others can deteriorate when a group of people feel threatened. It shows the power and gravitational pull of conformity, the compelling need to fit that lies inside all of us. It’s a Western that is only a Western in terms of its visual aesthetics and setting. It’s a film which could take place at any point throughout the history of mankind, a timeless story that we can always draw and learn from.

Adapted from the 1940 novel of the same name, written by Walter Van Tilburg Clark, The Ox-Bow Incident, takes place in Bridger’s Wells, Nevada in 1885. From the very get-go, the viewer is placed into a state of uncertainty and anxiety, as we follow the characters of Art Croft (Harry Morgan) and Gil Carter (Henry Fonda) as they ride into town and enter Darby’s Saloon. There’s something odd about these two, the other drinkers don’t seem practically friendly towards them and you could cut the atmosphere with a knife. It quickly becomes knowledge that there have been recent incidents of cattle-rustling in the nearby area. And, as Art and Gil are rarely seen in Bridger’s Wells, they are suspected to be rustlers. Gil doesn’t make things easy for the pair when he gets into a petty fight.

The tension is escalated when a man enters the saloon and announces that a rancher named Larry Kinkaid has been murdered. This news sends shockwaves throughout the town, and pThe immediately a posse is formed in order to pursue the murderers, who they believe are cattle rustlers. Judge Tyler (Matt Briggs) informs the mob that they must bring the suspects back for trial. Arthur Davies, (Harry Davenport) is at first opposed to forming the posse, but also joins in an attempt to talk some sense into the townsfolk. They’re led by “Major” Tetley (Frank Conroy) who drags his son Gerald (William Eythe) along with him, in some perverse act of ‘making a man out of him’. In order to avoid raising even more suspicion, Art and Gil join the posse.

At Ox-Bow Canyon, the posse finds three men sleeping, and they believe these are the guilty culprits.These men are Donald Martin (Dana Andrews); a Mexican, Juan Martínez (Anthony Quinn); and an old and possibly senile man, Alva Hardwicke (Francis Ford, the older brother of director John Ford). Believing that these three men are responsible despite the lack of proof, the posse decides to hang them  at sunrise.

The film’s events slowly unfold over the course of 75 minutes, with director William A. Wellman building on the tension continuously until the inevitable occurs. Hope is only a fleeting thing, offered to us briefly before being snatched away. In the end, there are no winners in The Ox-Bow Incident, only losers. As outsiders we can clearly see how severe the lack of evidence is against the three men, but we are powerless to stop the force that is the mob. If we are to take anything away from The Ox-Bow Incident, it’s the importance of having the evidence to hand, and to step away from the herd in order to reach your own judgement.

Ultimately, while The Ox-Bow Incident is an astounding piece of cinema and storytelling, it is also a film that leaves you uncomfortable as the viewer finds themselves being confronted with the reality of how dangerous herd mentality can be. This isn’t to say that the mob can’t be a force of good, when people unite behind a sole cause they can promote change for the greater good. If unchecked, it can also strip people of individuality, and it can act as a way for people to hide away from responsibility. You can find the entire film on YouTube, if you have seen it already then I highly recommend you watching it, it just might well be the most important film you watch this year.

This week on Episode 380 of the InSession Film Podcast, inspired by our review of Die Hard with a Vengeance, we discussed our Top 3 action heroes in film. It’s almost hard to believe that it took 380 episodes to get to this topic. Action movies are a major staple of blockbuster summer fare and we’ve seen some iconic action heroes over the years. To be fair, we’ve certainly mentioned many of them on other lists and discussions, but somehow we haven’t dedicated a specific segment to them and what a better weekend to remedy that. There are, of course, many to consider and that made this challenging, but man it was fun talking about the great action heroes or heroines in film. That said, here are our lists:

(Note: Please keep in mind that we each had different criteria for our selections)

Brendan

1) Sanjuro Kuwabatake – Yojimbo
2) Snake Plissken – Escape from New York
3) Furiosa – Mad Max: Fury Road

Jay

1) Indiana Jones – Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark
2) Furiosa – Mad Max: Fury Road
3) Chev Chelios – Crank

Honorable Mentions (Combined)

Prince Ashitaka – Princess Mononoke
Prince Nausicaä – Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Rambo – First Blood
Ethan Hunt – Mission: Impossible Franchise
Ellen Ripley – Alien / Aliens
The Bride – Kill Bill
Inspector Chan – Police Story
Max – Mad Max
Dominic Torreto – The Fast and Furious Franchise
Bob Parr / Ellen Parr – The Incredibles
Jason Bourne – Bourne Franchise
John Wick – John Wick Trilogy
Johnny Utah – Point Break
Neo / Morpheus – The Matrix Trilogy
John McClane – Die Hard Franchise
Luke Skywalker – Star Wars Franchise
Captain James Kirk – Star Trek Franchise
Martin Riggs – Lethal Weapon
James Bond – James Bond Franchise
Jack Sparrow – Pirates of the Caribbean Franchise
Jack Burton – Big Trouble in Little China
Black Dynamite – Black Dynamite
MacGruber – MacGruber
Django – Django Unchained
Kikuchiyo – Seven Samurai
Inigo Montoya – The Princess Bride
Johnnie Rico – Starship Troopers
Scott Pilgrim – Scott Pilgrim vs the World

Hopefully you guys enjoyed our lists and if you agree or disagree with us, let us know in the comment section below. As is the case with a topic like this, depending on your tastes and criteria, your list could end up being very different than what we talked about. That being said, what would be your Top 3? Leave a comment in the comment section or email us at insessionfilm@gmail.com.

For the entire podcast, click here or listen below.

For more lists done by the InSession Film crew and other guests, be sure see our Top 3 Movie Lists page.

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This week on the InSession Film Podcast, Jay fills in for JD as we review Die Hard with a Vengeance, which recently celebrated its 25th Anniversary. We also discuss our Top 3 action heroes in film and a few other films we’ve seen recently.

Big thanks for Jay stepping up this week and covering for JD. It’s always great when we can get the Extra Film guys on the show. The summer is here and maybe we don’t have the usual summer fare we’re used to, but there is still fun to be had. With Die Hard with a Vengeance recently celebrating its 25th anniversary, it felt appropriate to dive into what makes it the best Die Hard sequel to date. We also had a blast talking action heroes as well.

On that note, check out this week’s show and let us know what you think in the comment section. Thanks for listening and for supporting the InSession Film Podcast!

– Movie Review: Die Hard with a Vengeance (4:40)
Director: John McTiernan
Writer: Jonathan Hensleigh, Roderick Thorp (certain original characters)
Stars: Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, Samuel L. Jackson

– Notes / Discussion (42:57)

As usual we talk about the films we’ve been watching and catching up with, and this week we briefly discuss The Vast of Night and the original Italian Job.

RELATED: Listen to Episode 375 of the InSession Film Podcast where we discussed The Godfather: Part II

– Top 3 Action Heroes (1:01:58)
It’s almost hard to believe that it took 380 episodes to get to this topic. Action movies are a major staple of blockbuster summer fare and we’ve seen some iconic action heroes over the years. To be fair, we’ve certainly mentioned many of them on other lists and discussions, but somehow we haven’t dedicated a specific segment to them and what a better weekend to remedy that. There are, of course, many to consider and that made this challenging, but man it was fun talking about the great action heroes or heroines in film. That said, what would be your Top 3?

Show Sponsor: First Time Watchers Podcast

– Music

Bank Invasion – Michael Kamen
Brothers In Arms – Junkie XL
Indiana Jones – John Williams
The Return of the Eagle – Atli Örvarsson

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InSession Film Podcast – Episode 380

Next week on the show:

Main Review: Amadeus
Top 3: TBD

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This week on Extra Film, Ryan and Jay continue their Robert Altman Movie Series with 1980’s Popeye and review the latest (and supposedly final) entry in Michael Winterbottom’s travelogue quadrilogy, The Trip to Greece.

Upon release, Popeye was largely dismissed by critics and was not quite the financial hit the studio anticipated. Over the years, though, there has been a bit of a critical re-evaluation. Its unique approach and charm has resulted in a sizable cult following. This is the seventh film in the Altman series and the first film of the 1980’s to be covered in the series. Miraculously, after directing seven essential films from 1970 to 1980, the next film in the series was made in 1992. So, before the Altman lull of the 1980’s, enjoy a conversation on the final film of Altman’s Golden Age!

After talking about the adventures of Popeye the Sailor Man, the conversation moves to The Trip to Greece, the fourth film in a franchise that has now gone on for a decade. While it has largely existed off the radar of mainstream audiences, the The Trip franchise has been one of the best and most consistent franchises of the last decade. The films seem extraordinarily basic, in their conceit, but the guys focus on the underlying sadness of the series in their review.

Thanks for listening!

– Movie Review: Popeye (3:09)
Director: Robert Altman
Screenplay: Jules Feiffer
Stars: Robin Williams, Shelley Duvall, Ray Walston, Paul Dooley, Paul L. Smith

– Movie Review: The Trip to Greece (56:17)
Directors: Michael Winterbottom
Screenplay: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon
Stars: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon

– Music

I’m Popeye The Sailor Man – Robin Williams
On the Nature of Daylight – Max Richter
The Return of the Eagle – Atli Örvarsson

We try to make this the best movie podcast we possibly can and we hope you enjoy them. Subscribe today on iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher, and please leave us a review on iTunes. You can also find us on Soundcloud, PlayerFM and TuneIn Radio as well. We really appreciate all your support of the InSession Film Podcast.

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Popeye / The Trip to Greece – Extra Film

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The Camerman (1928)

Buster Keaton was still dueling it out with Charlie Chaplin in who was the funniest on the silent screen when talkies made its introduction to the movies. In what was the last great film from Keaton, and in his first film of a deal with MGM (which Keaton called “the worst mistake of my career,” Keaton plays a portrait photographer who falls for a secretary and rivals another cameraman for her heart. The photographer, a novice with a movie camera instead of a still, goes out to areas where things are happening and has some mishaps, even though the secretary clearly is helping him get the scoop because she likes him back. Keaton constantly fought with MGM executives over control of the production, having 22 different writers assigned to help make the script which Keaton threw out all the time. A fire in the MGM vault was thought to have destroyed the negative, but a print was found in Paris and went under restoration to preseve the movie’s charm.

Tokyo Olympiad (1965)

This was the right time for its release because of the Olympics returning to Tokyo this year, but COVID-19 pushed it back a year and rightfully so. It’s never too early to start watching these incredible documentaries about the Games and Kon Ichikawa’s montage of the 1964 Summer Olympics is one of the greatest about sports in history. Because of Akira Kurosawa’s controlling nature, the committee opted to go with Ichikawa, who didn’t just shoot cameras filming the events, but assembled a rhythm of athletic achievement on the players themselves instead of a blanket covering of everything that happened. The link here is a two-hour version from the Olympics’ YouTube page, but Criterion and the Channel has Ichikawa’s full 2:52 minute version.

An Unmarried Woman (1978)

Paul Mazursky’s feminist-driven dramedy follows a recently divorced woman, played by Jill Clayburgh, who received an Oscar nomination for her performance, as she rebuilds her new life as a single woman by addressing everything that was changing of the time: a woman’s place in the world, older men seeking younger women, sex, and bouncing back from adversity. It is about liberation founded as the 1970s altered society, making things permanent and continuing to progress from hereon. Besides Clayburgh’s nod, the film was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture.

Come And See (1985)

Rome Open City. Kanal. The Bridge. Saving Private Ryan. The Thin Red Line. These are some of the greatest European Front World War II movies ever made in the world. Add this Russian shocker to it, one that rattles viewers to the core and doesn’t just end innocence, it burns it into ashes. Director Elem Klimov said he stopped making movies after this because there was nothing else he wanted to say, especially after his wife’s sudden death. The title comes from The Book of Revelation in the Bible, and its passage is exactly what you will witness. An apocalypse only the Russian front could not have foreseen or have imagined, especially if you’re a boy.

Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (2019)

Yup. We’re already getting the treatment to such an underappreciated film, but if you’re Neon, and you have Parasite, any other year, this would be the one getting awards recognition. Céline Sciamma made this forbidden love affair such an intoxicating follow for men & women, gay and straight, courtesy of Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel giving such moving performances that may have been too moving for the Cesar Awards, so they just awarded Roman Polanski again, pissing off everyone, and leading Sciamma and the ladies to walk out in protest. When production begins again after this virus subsides, American cinema should take note and hire Sciamma to do something to revive what will be a nearly bankrupt industry.

Follow me on Twitter: @brian_cine (Cine-A-Man)

Studio executives may have voiced their concerns about the anti-heroes Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid just a couple of short years ago, but one can only imagine their sheer shock and horror watching the characters that make up the ‘wild bunch’ and the levels of violence that occur in just the film’s opening scenes alone. Bonnie and Clyde had ended in a morbid shootout,a ballet of bullets as some critics would describe it, but Peckinpah was not to be outmatched in his film. The opening remains raw and shocking today, even though we have witnessed the rise of the Slasher film. No-one, not even women and children, can escape the tidal wave of violence and mayhem that Peckinpah unleashes in all of its macabre glory.

It’s 1913, the glory days of the Wild West are nearly a faded memory. This is a world on the brink of a World War, where automobiles are fastly replacing the good old faithful horse, and the weapons are getting deadlier. We follow the likes of Pike Bishop (William Holden), the leader of a gang of aging outlaws which consist of Dutch Engstrom (Ernest Borgnine), brothers Lyle and Tector Gorch (Warren Oates and Ben Johnson), and Angel (Jaime Sánchez). Bishop is seeking retirement after one final score: the robbery of a railroad office containing a cache of silver.

However, upon arriving in town they are ambushed by Pike’s former partner, Deke Thornton (Robert Ryan), who is leading a posse of bounty hunters hired by the railroad. A bloody shootout kills several members of the gang as well as countless innocent civilians. Bishop, Dutch, Lyle, Tector and Angel all escape with their lives. They reunite with old-timer Freddie Sykes (Edmond O’Brien) and head for Mexico, where their paths soon cross with General Mapache, (Emilio Fernández) a corrupt, brutal officer in the Mexican Federal Army.

The opening may be a touch watch and certainly not for the faint-hearted, but it’s hard not to be impressed by the use of montage and quick cuts (the film was edited by Louis Lombardo who would later collaborate on several of Robert Altman’s films including his take on the Western, McCabe & Mrs. Miller). The opening to The Wild Bunch is something to marvel at in terms of how Peckinpah uses all aspects of filmmaking (cinematography, sound, music, editing, and action) to build up on mood, atmosphere, suspense and tension as well as playing on our expectations of how a Western should play out.

The Wild Bunch was a film that didn’t only just tap into the bloodshed that took place in the era in which the film took place in, it also acknowledged the changing landscape of the late 1960s and 70s. As Stratton breaks down in his book, cast and crew arrived in Mexico to start filming just days before the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. During the course of filming, the Vietnam  War was waging on. And a few short months later, Robert F. Kennedy would be assassinated. Violence was in the air. There was no escape and you could not shy away from it. And, here was Peckinpah who wanted to remind the audience, just how nasty it could all be.

When asked about the levels of violence in The Wild Bunch, Peckinpah is said to have replied that “The point of the film is to take this façade of movie violence and open it up, get people involved in it… it’s ugly, brutalizing, and bloody awful; it’s not fun and games and cowboys and Indians. It’s a terrible, ugly thing, and yet there’s a certain response that you get from it, an excitement, because we’re all violent people.” Perhaps, there’s another deeper message beneath all the bloodshed and violence. At one point, Pike Bishop says “We’ve got to start thinking beyond our guns. Those days are closing fast.” and this may be a message from Peckinpah himself, a warning to the society he saw imploding all around him…violence isn’t the answer.

While I don’t exactly have the stomach for the violence, the sexism or the racism/xenophobia of The Wild Bunch, I do admire it for its artistic and technical aspects. There’s something oddly fascinating about the film and Peckinpah filmography as a whole. Apparently, there have been talks of a remake since 2011, and in 2018 it was announced that Mel Gibson was remaking the film (possibly updating it to a contemporary setting). In all honesty, I can’t see this film existing any other time aside from 1913, and nobody could ever outdo Peckinpah.There can only be one Wild Bunch.

With that said, what do you think is the best non-superhero action movie set in New York City?

This week on Episode 379 of the InSession Film Podcast, inspired by our review of Fast Five, we discussed our Top 3 movie heists. Long time listener’s of the show may remember that on Episode 235 we discussed our top 3 movie heists after our review of Logan Lucky. However, JD wasn’t on that show and we thought it would be fun to revisit that particular list. There are many great heists we’ve seen in films over the years and it was a joy to once again talk about what makes them alluring cinema That said, here are our lists:

(Note: Please keep in mind that we each had different criteria for our selections)

JD

1) Stealing Immortan Joe’s Women – Mad Max: Fury Road
2) Bank Robbery – Bonnie & Clyde
3) Stealing the Data – Mission: Impossible

Brendan

1) Jewel Heist – Rififi
2) Opening Heist – Thief
3) Bank Robbery – Out of Sight

Kolby

1) Time Heist – Avengers: Endgame
2) Casino Heist – Ocean’s Eleven
3) Bank Heist – The Dark Knight

Honorable Mentions (Combined)

Various long takes in these films – The Killing, The Asphalt Jungle, The Great Train Robbery, The Town, The Italian Job, Fast Five, Heat, Jackie Brown, Inception, Ocean’s 13, Point Break, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, Rogue One, Hell or High Water, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Inside Man, Drive, Three Kings, Bottle Rocket, Widows, The Bling Ring, The Old Man and the Gun, Victoria, The Thomas Crown Affair, Dragged Across Concrete, Baby Driver, The Sandlot

Hopefully you guys enjoyed our lists and if you agree or disagree with us, let us know in the comment section below. As is the case with a topic like this, depending on your tastes and criteria, your list could end up being very different than what we talked about. That being said, what would be your Top 3? Leave a comment in the comment section or email us at insessionfilm@gmail.com.

For the entire podcast, click here or listen below.

For more lists done by the InSession Film crew and other guests, be sure see our Top 3 Movie Lists page.

Then Ford and cinematographer Gregg Toland introduce Ringo/John Wayne to us in all of his glory. The camera swoons upon the first sight of Wayne as he twirls his shotgun. You may be wondering whether ‘swoon’ is the correct word to use, but there’s really no other word that can describe the giddiness of the camera. In this one moment, Ford doesn’t care about realism, or the rules of filmmaking.The camera breaks free of the constraints of rigid principles of traditional filmmaking, and here it’s almost as if the camera has a mind of its own.

Rather than using editing to cut to a close-up of Wayne’s face, Ford makes the decision to have us swoop in for a better look. For a brief second, the shot becomes hazy and out of focus, as we move in from a mid-shot to that close-up of Wayne. His entire face fills the frame, and he embodies everything that we so desperately seek…boldness, assertiveness, and confidence. As introductions go, this was Ford’s fanfare announcement to the world, here’s the arrival of a true Star.

Of course, this wasn’t Wayne’s first rodeo. He had been making Western pictures throughout the 1930s, mostly B-Movie schlock, known as Poverty Row Westerns. If it wasn’t for the success of Stagecoach, he may have been doomed to remain a B-Movie Star. Ford took a gamble with hiring Wayne, a gamble that producers David O. Selznick and Walter Wanger couldn’t exactly see eye to eye on. Ford would part ways with Selznick over the casting of John Wayne. The reason why Ford had even sought out the financial back from these independent filmmakers was down to the fact that no major studio would put up the money.

Looking back at how the Western genre came to dominate film, it seems hard to imagine that was ever a time that the major studios were wary of making big budget Westerns like Stagecoach, which had a budget of over $500,000. However, you can’t exactly blame them, the last big budget Western (which coincidentally starred Wayne in his first leading role) had been the blockbuster bomb, The Big Trail (1930). Ford himself had passed on and had given the script over to his friend Raoul Walsh, to direct. In actual fact,Ford hadn’t directed a Western since the silent era, with Stagecoach marking his return to the genre.

The tagline of the poster “A Powerful Story of 9 Strange People” gives you all the information you really require going into the film. For 96 minutes we follow a group of strangers riding on a stagecoach through dangerous Apache territory. These nine strangers come from different social classes and bring along their baggage (both in the figurative and literal sense). There’s Dallas (Claire Trevor, who would get top billing over Wayne), a prostitute who has been driven out of town; Hatfield, a professional gambler (John Carradine) who joins in order to assist pregnant Lucy Mallory (Louise Platt), who happens to be travelling to join her cavalry officer husband; there’s the drunken Doc Boone (Thomas Mitchell), whiskey salesman Samuel Peacock (Donald Meek) and lastly there’s banker Henry Gatewood (Berton Churchill) who is up to no good and seems to be in a real hurry to get out of town.

The stagecoach is driven by Buck (Andy Devine) who acts as our comic relief, who is joined by his shotgun guard Marshal Curley Wilcox (George Bancroft). Along the way they come across Ringo, who has broken out of prison after hearing that his father and brother had been murdered by Luke Plummer (Tom Tyler). Over the course of the journey, the stagecoach must fend off attacks from the likes of Geronimo and his Apaches, which results in a climatic third act full of stunts and action that still holds up today.

In terms of plot, Stagecoach seems so familiar and ingrained into our conceptions of what makes a good story. It’s simplicity is what makes the film so easy to ingest. It may not shake the foundations of the genre, in the way that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid did, and in that regards, contemporary audidences may find it all a little twee and quaint. Instead, what Stagecoach successfully does is lay the foundations for the great Western film that would come to dominate the cinematic landscape for the next couple of decades.

Where Stagecoach seems to flatter is in its pacing, the first opening ten minutes drag on as we are introduced to all the characters, and there’s a slump in the levels of action towards the second act. However, its major flaw is in its depiction of the Apaches and the Mexcian characters are deeply problematic and as a contemporary viewer it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Both Ford and Wayne would go on to have long careers in Hollywood, with Wayne appearing in nearly two dozen of John Ford’s films over twenty years. It’s hard to imagine that we came close to never having these two talents transform American cinema.