Thursday, January 7, 2016
Stagecoach
In your textbook, Looking at Movies, by Richard Barsam, Barsam goes into a detailed analysis of the construction of Stagecoach's narrative. In your response, pick TWO aspects of narrative that Barsam talks about that you think were particularly effective in the film and discuss cinematically how they worked to make Stagecoach such a successful film. Don't forget to use examples from the film to support your response!!!
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Barsam discussed the employment of repetition not only in recurring character traits but also in the editing style of several scenes involving run ins with the Apache. For instance, the final conflict scene, there is a constant cycle of events that continue on a loop. We see those driving the Stagecoach, we then switch to a shot of those inside the stagecoach, followed by a frontal or side view of the conflict unfolding around. I think this makes the movie successful because just as you are wondering what is about to occur next, you are provided with a shot of what you were wondering about.
ReplyDeleteBranching off of the preceding, an element that Barsam mentions briefly is pacing of the narrative. Using the same scene as an example, that cycle of shots that repeats itself involves a gradually shorter shot duration for each shot as time progresses, i.e. where each shot in the cycle may originally be 15 seconds, the next time around, the time will drop by 2-7 seconds. The quickening pace helps to develop suspense, which Barsam also speaks about briefly. The opening mention of Geronimo creates such a foreboding sense in that the reaction is so fearful. Based on the character profiles, from the beginning, there are already so many trying questions that are up to the narrative to answer. No two characters are really all that similar. In a film review by Ebert, I read that Welles watched Stagecoach 40 times before creating Citizen Kane. In my opinion, a lot of the exquisite framing in Citizen Kane was influenced by Ford’s cinematic mastery.
Continually, an interesting point brought up by Barsam is that Geronimo is a very one dimensional character, yet so influential to the film. His offscreen presence allows for fear to well within the extremely detailed characters. We never see, we just assume. Which is funny to me as well, because this movie depicts Native Americans as excessively apt to unwarranted hostility, yet the absence of the main antagonist sort of alludes to the fact that this irrational fear was promoted by American exaggeration and romanticism of the idea of the almighty cowboys of the West always saving the day.
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ReplyDeleteStagecoach is a film that utilized various cinematic elements to create that unique western feel. The many different aspects of Stagecoach’s narrative not only made this film successful, but also expressed different cultural aspects that John Ford was trying to involve. In Stagecoach, a group of people are traveling to Lordsburg and encounter the threats that the West can offer, including indian attacks. The narrative is unique because it takes a large cast of characters who typically would not associate with one another and forces them together with a unifying reason. Many of the shots used feel claustrophobic because they are designed to make the viewer feel what the characters feel; a sense of entrapment. The film uses a lot of closed framing to further enforce the fact that the audience must pay attention to the various characters and their progression instead of the plot’s individual progression.
ReplyDeleteTwo elements of this film that were particularly effective are the characters and nondiegetic/diegetic elements. The movie almost wholly consists of diegetic elements except for the few nondiegetic parts such as background music, credits and opening/closing title sequences. Barsam mentions one song which is usually only heard in connection with Buck which symbolizes the fear of dying “on the range.” When it comes to the characters of Stagecoach, all are considered major characters because a large focus is placed upon all of their lives on their journey to Lordsburg. The major difference between the characters is that some characters are flat while others are round. The only round characters found are Ringo, Dallas, Lucy and Dr. Boone since their personas have the ability to remain shapeless and unpredictable. As a result, the audience can relate to them on various levels. Most other characters are flat due to the rigidity in their personas, otherwise known as being “one dimensional.”
The constant use of diegetic elements in Stagecoach was very important to the narrative and the viewers understanding of the film. There is little use of non-diegetic sound during the film and this makes the audience more engaged in the actual setting and characters of the film. The lack of non-diegetic music allows the tone to be set by the characters which makes the audience more focused on the personalities of the people. It also makes the film feel more real because of the pure naturalistic fell of the settings. The only uses of non-diegetic music come when there is a massive change in the plot such as at the ending. A great example of the use of diegetic sound is during the chase scene with the Native Americans when the U.S. marshals sound the bugle. The sound triggers a sense of relief in the viewer and finalizes the scene on a positive note.
ReplyDeleteAnother element in the film was the ensemble cast of characters. Its interesting to see the beginnings of the movie archetypes in Stagecoach. There’s the drunk, the outlaw, the gentleman, the family man, the lovable coward, the lady, the whore and plenty of others. These are important roles because these would set up the shape of movies to come. The idea of an ensemble cast of characters was used to depict the groups of people each person represented. It was a way to capture the whole population into only a few characters. This technique of diverse characters would be important to such a scene as the birth scene where each character has different opinions on whether to stay or not. The cast is used itself to set up conflict with just their opinions. I couldn’t find who said it but there’s a quote that says “There should be conflict in every frame” and with a cast of characters like in Stagecoach this is achieved.
John Ford’s Stagecoach presents many aspects of narrative that further advance the film and make it such a success and effective one in showing different cultural aspects that John Ford tried to display. Richard Barsam, author of Looking at Movies, looks at these aspects in his textbook, such as diegetic and nondiegetic elements and the order in which events are presented. Together, these aspects contribute to a classic Western film that has lasted the ages.
ReplyDeleteThe diegetic and nondiegetic elements in the film comprise a significant portion of what progresses the narrative. Almost the entirety of the film is diegetic material, save for the opening and closing titles and credits and background, as Barsam points out.The nondiegetic element of music is very important in that it is all American folk music such as “Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie” and “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair”, honky-tonk in the bar, and more folk music worked into the films score. All of this music relates back to the “Old South” with the Civil War, westward movement, fragmented western territories, and a desire for simpler times.
John Ford presents the order in which events happen in a strict chronological manner to create a better structure. The journey taken by the group provides not only chronological, but geographical markers for dividing sequences. This in turn presents a clear pattern of cause and effect which then proceeds to conflict and then a turning point, followed by a conclusion and resolution. The pre-mentioned conflict is created by both character interaction and the Apache attack. The turning point would be the victory over the Apaches. The conclusion and resolution are Ringo’s revenge on the Plummers (those whose testimony had put him in prison) and riding of free with the woman he loves.
I believe that Stagecoach's utilization of characters aka "ship of fools" concept and setting are the primary reason for the films long term success and influence. The story of Stagecoach is based on a common convention of film called "ship of fools" which depicts a diverse group of people who must confront a common enemy or danger as individuals but also as a group. Ford creates many different characters that push the story forward in an interesting and unexpected way. The clash of all these personalities make a unique narrative that fascinates audiences to this day. Ford's ability to fit these characters into one narrative makes this film's analysis complex and truly infinite. This story set up allows for many different interpretations and characters to relate to as an audience. This connection to the audience I believe owes this movie its great success.
ReplyDeleteAnother element that makes this film a true western classic are the actual on location shots in Monument Valley of northern California. As the stagecoach moves through the desert the landscapes and visuals presented are breathtaking and are truly a huge asset to the film. The setting develops the theme of isolation yet beauty and makes the sense of danger very real in the eyes of the audience. Ford's love of the west is apparent in his depiction of the great, vast scenery. It is also through this setting that we see the complete turn around of some of the characters i.e the setting changes the characters by the end. Gatewood, the banker who is highly respected is apprehended as a bank thief by the end just as Ringo Kid who is an escaped convict in the beginning is the hero by the end. The setting has such a huge impact on the film's success, not only making the scenery and surroundings beautiful and impactful but they create deeper and more complex characters worth exploring and analyzing.
ReplyDeleteStagecoach creatively uses many cinematic elements in order to make it a unique Western movie, a phrase many would scoffingly call an oxymoron. The different aspects of narrative make Stagecoach not only a successful movie, but an effective one, showing the aspects of culture and society that John Ford intended. The movie is about a group of strangers traveling through the Wild West to a town called Lordsburg. On the way, they encounter the different dangers that the West constantly presents, including the stereotypical Indian attacks. In Looking at Movies, the different cinematic elements presented by Ford are explained in depth by Richard Barsam.
Two of the more noteworthy aspects of this film are the a) diegetic and nondiegetic elements and b) the characters. Almost everything in the movie is classified as diegetic, save for the slight nondiegetic elements such as opening and closing titles, credits, and the background music. Barsam talks about one song in particular that is usually heard in connection to Buck (Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie) that symbolizes his fear of dying “on the range”. The characters are also mentioned in Barsam’s analysis as very important aspects of Stagecoach, as are the characters of all films, save perhaps some films of Avant Garde cinema. The characters inside the stagecoach are all considered major characters because the focus is on all of their lives, if unequally, as they try to get to Lordsburg. The difference between some of them is that some are round characters, and some are flat characters. Dallas, Ringo, Dr. Boone, and Lucy are round because their characters are flexible and changing, and possess many traits that the audience can relate to. The others are flat characters because they are more one-dimensional. One thing that is unique about this movie is that the main antagonist described by Barsam is Geronimo, a character with only an offscreen presence, but is very crucial to the plot because all of the characters are fearful of him.