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Picked for the Vatican Film List, this landmark 1939 Western began the legendary relationship between director John Ford and John Wayne, established Wayne as a charismatic screen presence, and became the standard for all subsequent Westerns. Stagecoach still impresses today as the first mature instance of a Western that is both mythic and poetic. The story about a cross-section of troubled passengers unraveling under the strain of Indian attack contains all of Ford's incomparable storytelling trademarks"particularly swift action and social introspection"underscored by the glorious landscape of Monument Valley. The all-star cast also includes Thomas Mitchell (Oscar winner for this film), Claire Trevor, Donald Meek, Andy Devine, and John Carradine.
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