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DVD Review Stagecoach (1966) DVD Review (1 Viewer)

Matt Hough

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After MGM came a cropper in 1960 trying to film a new widescreen color remake of a classic 1930s western with Cimarron, one might think 20th Century Fox would have used their example and stayed far away from another 1930s classic oater Stagecoach. No such luck. The 1966 remake brought everything to the table it could: Cinemascope, color, and a raft of stars both vintage and newly formed, and it stayed as close to the original story as it was possible to stay while adding a bit more explicit violence and sex appeal. Still, it just didn’t work. Audiences of the time weren’t interested in revisiting one of the classic John Ford westerns tinkered with by other hands.



Stagecoach (1966)
Directed by Gordon Douglas

Studio: Twilight Time (Fox)
Year: 1966

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 anamorphic
Running Time: 115 minutes
Rating: NR
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 mono English
Subtitles: none

MSRP: $19.99


Release Date: October 11, 2011

Review Date: October 2 , 2011



The Film

3.5/5


Nine people undertake a hazardous journey through hostile Indian country without the benefit of the cavalry to protect them in an effort to reach the town of Cheyenne. There is town whore Dallas (Ann-Margret), run out of town by Lieutenant Mallory (John Gabriel) when fellow dance hall hostesses protest her presence. Also tossed out of town is the drunken Doc Boone (Bing Crosby) who can’t pay his rent and whose best days as a physician seem to be behind him. And then there are mild mannered liquor salesman Mr. Peacock (Red Buttons), bank messenger Mr. Gatewood (Bob Cummings) who's secretly absconding with the bank’s $10,000 payroll, Marshal Curly Wilcox (Van Heflin) who’s taking the wanted Ringo Kid (Alex Cord) to town for transfer to prison (though the Kid is anxious to settle the score with the Plummer family who killed his father and brother), Lucy Mallory (Stephanie Powers) who’s unusually eager to join her cavalry officer husband at the end of the line, charming gambler Hatfield (Michael Connors) with an eye on Lucy, and eternally gabby stagecoach driver Buck (Slim Pickens). Along the way are surprises galore including proposals, Indian attacks, childbirth, and attempted escapes.


On its own terms, the 1966 Stagecoach is an action-filled, decent western. The action scenes directed by Gordon Douglas zing with suspense (the trek on a winding, muddy mountain road at night and the climactic Sioux attack which sustains for about ten minutes are both expertly managed), and the characters are all interesting and well crafted personalities. And you know instantly you’re not watching something from the heavily orchestrated Production Code 1930s when the opening Indian rampage and a following saloon brawl display carnage that wouldn’t have been allowed almost thirty years earlier. But what’s missing is magic: the magic of the original’s Monument Valley locations (Colorado substitutes for Wyoming here), the magic of electric personalities connecting at just the right moment in time (John Wayne had been in movies for almost a decade when he made the original, but his first appearance in the film is like he’d never been seen before, orchestrated by John Ford as his introduction to true superstardom), in short, the magic of originality. The actors here for all their individual fame simply don’t create sparks, especially the Ringo-Dallas love match. The two actors are gorgeous, but there’s no chemistry. The other stars do what they can, but none truly break out into characterizations that give the film its own unique identity. They’re good, but they don’t lift the film into being anything but a satisfying albeit overly familiar western.


Of the ten top-billed stars, Bing Crosby perhaps does the most with the part he’s inherited (Thomas Mitchell won the Oscar for the role in 1939). Playing the drunken Doc Boone who seems to live for nothing but booze but who measures up to the responsibilities of his profession when the need arises, Crosby’s performance is the most enjoyable in the film. Also very good are the always reliable Slim Pickens as the talkative, cowardly Buck and Van Heflin as the marshal tasked with bringing in the Ringo Kid. Bob Cummings uses his smarmy charm to try to get away with his robbery while pretending to be a stalwart of society who looks down on such common folks as gamblers and dance hall girls. And Michael Connors shows some of the earnest talent that had garnered him starring roles on television in the years before and in the years to come. Less memorable are Red Buttons who doesn’t do much with the whiskey salesman or the two principal ladies: Ann-Margret who’s beautiful but rather synthetic as Dallas (likely too young for the role) and Stephanie Powers who’s colorless in a drab role as Mrs. Mallory. Alex Cord in the most thankless role in the movie trying to replace the irreplaceable John Wayne as the Ringo Kid just never stood a chance. He’s handsome and unassuming, but there’s no charisma there for him to build on, and his performance is a cipher. Keenan Wynn gets a showy few moments in the climax as the head of the ornery Plummer clan.



Video Quality

4/5


The film has been framed at its Cinemascope aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and is anamorphically enhanced for widescreen televisions. Sharpness is usually very good throughout the presentation with only a few individual shots that seem to have been mis-focused by the cinematographer. Color saturation levels are controlled nicely, and all those greens in the mountains and countryside never go electric. Flesh tones are quite natural and appealing. Black levels aren’t very strong, however, and are the transfer's least impressive aspect. There are no age-related artifacts like scratches or dirt to spoil the image quality, and only a little aliasing crops up in one or two shots. The film has been divided into 13 chapters.



Audio Quality

4/5


The Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack is decoded by Dolby Prologic into the center channel. Dialogue is always very easy to discern and is never drowned out by the sound effects or by Jerry Goldsmith’s plucky score which share occupancy of the mono track. There are also no examples of age-related audio problems like hiss, crackle, or flutter to mar the listening experience. The track is very much a product of its era.



Special Features

2/5


The DVD offers an isolated score track featuring Jerry Goldsmith’s entertaining music for the film in a Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo recording.


The enclosed 7-page booklet contains the Norman Rockwell paintings of the cast, some beautiful color stills, the theatrical poster art, and film historian Julie Kirgo’s essay on the movie.



In Conclusion

3.5/5 (not an average)


1966’s Stagecoach may not match John Ford’s 1939 classic, but on its own terms it’s an entertaining western adventure featuring a handful of well-known stars in fine character portrayals. As part of Twilight Time’s limited availability program, only 3,000 copies of Stagecoach are available. Those interested in experiencing this all-star western adventure should hop to www.screenarchives.com to see if copies are still available. They're also available via Facebook at www.facebook.com/twilighttimemovies .



Matt Hough

Charlotte, NC

 

mdnitoil

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Sep 20, 2006
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Scott
Thanks for the review. I'm actually looking forward to this one. Expecting it to compare to the John Ford classic is simply unrealistic, but it's still a pretty entertaining production. I think your review hit it right on the head.
 

Virgoan

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The Jerry Goldsmith score is unique and infectiously entertaining. Among the instruments he uses is the jewsharp, which was "my" first introduction to the instrument at the time of the film's release. Not many composers use the jewsharp, but it adds something special to the mix.
 

ahollis

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Looking forward to this one, I mean how can you pass a film that was "Filmed In Colorful Colorado!"



 

Ronald Epstein

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Just finished watching this wonderful film. First time seeing it.


Fairly good film. A bit slow as far as westerns go. Still, the
highlight for me was the beautiful scenery that isn't the least

bit marred by this terrific transfer.
 

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