Special Features:
Theatrical Trailers for Seven John Ford Films

Stagecoach, released in 1939, is the first film in one of the greatest strings in the history of film making. From 1939-1941 John Ford created three masterpieces (Stagecoach, Grapes of Wrath, and the previously reviewed How Green Was My Valley) and three flawed masterpieces (Drums Along the Mohawk, Young Mr. Lincoln and A Long Voyage Home). Never before or since has one director made so many great films in such a short time. Stagecoach is a near flawless western. The setup is simple enough. Seven people trapped on a stagecoach ride. Each comes from a different walk of life and each handles the threats and situations the trip throws at them in unique ways. At the center of the film are a recently escaped outlaw named The Ringo Kid (John Wayne in his star making performance) and a prostitute (Claire Trevor) who has just been driven out of town by the Moral League of Woman. It is love story that develops between these two which is the main driver of the film. In this film we get battles with Indians, battles between the stagecoach riders and a classic shootout finale. In the hands of a lesser director we would have a standard B Western but with John Ford at the helm we have arguably one of the greatest westerns of all time.

Video quality is fairly good. It gets a little grainy at times, but nothing that is too distracting. The audio on this disc is slightly sub par. At times you have to crank the volume just to hear what is being said and then immediately turn it down as a new scene brings the volume levels to a more normal level. It is an annoyance but can be put up with for a film this great. Trailers for seven other John Ford films are the sole set of extras.