Movie Stagecoach Research Paper

“The Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, and the Rush to Colorado” Written by Elliott West. I chose to write about this book because of the large range of events and transitions that occurred throughout the American West that the author includes in the text. Elliot West highlights the struggles that many endured while trying to create better circumstances for not only themselves but also their families by moving to the west. He chronicles the adaptations that many white settlers arriving in the west faced in order to be able to make a living for themselves. But another reason why I found the book interesting was because of the way Elliot West provided perspective for each side of the struggle over the American West. He gives us the

“Indians are like the weather.” With his opening words Vine Deloria Jr. sets up the basis for the rest of his witty yet substantial manifesto, Custer Died for Your Sins. The book, which describes the struggles and misrepresentation of the American Indian people in 1960s American culture, is written in a style that changes from ironic and humorous satire to serious notions, then back again. Through energetic dialogue that engages the reader in a clever and articulate presentation, Deloria advocates the dismissal of old stereotypes and shows a viewpoint that allows the general public to gain a deeper understanding of what it is to be an American Indian.

John Ford built a standard that many future directors would follow with his classic 1939 film “Stagecoach”. Although there were a plethora of western films made before 1939, the film “Stagecoach” revolutionized the western genre by elevating the genre from a “B” film into a more serious genre. The film challenged not only western stereotypes but also class divisions in society. Utilizing specific aspects of mise-en-scène and cinematography, John Ford displays his views of society.

One extreme change for the Indians was the arrival of Anglo-Europeans. Native peoples’ lives were changed at the blink of an eye while new ideas, practices and beliefs were shown to them. The arrival of the Europeans changed the way the Indians viewed their world and manipulated their resources. This new change could be viewed as positive as well as negative, for while some tribes entered into trade relations with the Anglos, others were used as slave labor and all were subject to disease brought on by the European newcomers. However, despite all the advantages and disadvantages, no other introduction changed the lives of the Indians more than firearms and horses. West outlines one of the most important evolutions for Native life and how it represented a new way to harness resources and gain power. In just a few chapters, we are able to see the great advancements the Indians made in hunting and trade due to these new technologies and how they allowed the Cheyennes to rise to a new purpose as the Called Out People.

“White men who rise to protect their property are called patriots—Indians who do the same are called murderers. White men call Indians treacherous. White men called Indians thieves. White men called Indians savages. What is civilization? Its marks are a noble religion and philosophy, original arts, stirring music, rich story and legend. We had these. Then we are not savages, but a civilized race.” The Indians were not treated fairly and wanted freedom to go and stay wherever and the liberty to do their own thing. They wanted kids in schools to be taught what really happened not just for Americans to make them the bad guys. This story relates to the other two because it deals with the American Indian side of things, not just for the Americans like the first story however it does deal with how the American Indians were portrayed and viewed

Brown mainly relies on historical research while writing the manuscript for “Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee”. He studied personal descriptions, historical documents, and town council records to create a historically accurate account on how Americans conquered the West. While writing this book, Brown mainly writes about the events of the “Indian Wars”, which occurred during 1860’s through the 1890’s.

The story formula for Stagecoach structures around characters in the Tonto and introducing the characters, traveling to Lordsburg, stopping at Dry Fork way station for food and unforgettable dinner table scene, traveling towards Apache Wells in the snow, Mrs. Mallory’s baby born in Apache Wells, finally getting to Lordsburg but got attacked by the Indians, and ended with Ringo Kid in a shooting conflict. Stagecoach did a great job in the characters types. There are the protagonists, prostitute, gambler, schoolmarm. These are the specific character types in Western movies. The setting of the movie is on point. It’s in the American West and takes place in the 1880s. The location of Monument Valley is a favorite location for John Ford. The presentation of Stagecoach has many great exterior shots that collocate the characters with the environment they occupy. The stars in Stagecoach does fit in a Western movie. Like John Wayne, he stars in many Western movies. What makes Stagecoach a western is the traditional western theme. Like the fight between whites and Native Americans. There is a good use of the American West’s open plains and mountains.

The attacks on Indians by the whites could now be excused because the Indians had murdered family members. They could kill, scalp, and rob Indians without much fear of being caught or punished. A play based on real life, written by Indian fighter, Robert Rogers, showed how two hunters happened upon two Indians. As they talked, both told of how Indians had murdered some family members, so it was logical to them to kill the Indians, scalp them and robbed them of the guns, hatchets and furs. The “victims’ furs were a fantastic windfall”. (129)

Christine Bold’s article, “The Rough Riders at Home and Abroad: Cody, Roosevelt, Remington, and the Imperialist Hero,” tracks the contributions of three important historical figures: William Cody, Theodore Roosevelt, and Frederic Remington, to the image of the Rough Riders and the “packaged version of the American West” and its influence during the Spanish-American War (Bold, 324). After offering background on the conflict, she first considers the contributions of William Cody and his Wild West Show to the Rough Riders. She details how Cody constructed a narrative

Brian Levack, Edward Muir, Micheal Maas, Meredith Veldman. The West: Encounters and Transformations, Consise Edition. Pearson: Upper Saddle River, 2009. Print

The American frontier hero is very present in our culture, and those heroes have come from different traditions of males in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The start of the American frontier hero goes back into the early decades of American colonization. There have been investigations of the heroic stereotype that suggests that American frontier heroes played a very important role in the shaping of American literature and culture than had previously been known by Denise MacNeil and Mary Rowlandson. Following up after reading “The Account of Mary Rowlandson and Other Indian Captivity Narratives,” it was an eye opener for myself. Furthermore, it was an eye opener, because many of us take life for granted and do not realize someone

The question is whether No Country for Old Men and Stagecoach provide adequate examples of the decline in American moral values. From my perspective of today’s world and my interpretation of No Country for Old Men and Stagecoach, I can see how the argument could be made that they have declined or haven’t changed at all. I see a difference between the relationship of Ringo and Dallas vs other members of their traveling group compared to Sheriff Bell vs Chigurh. These relationships, in my opinion, explains a lot about the development of moral values, or lack of, in the western United States. In this paper, I will describe the moral values that are represented in each movie and I will also try to describe my understanding of why American moral values may have declined between No Country for Old Men and Stagecoach.

The mythic West differs from the historic West due to how there were no such things as gunfights in the streets between two people such as a hero and an out law/criminal . These gunfights were usually with community members or even soldiers who would partake in horrifying acts of violence towards Indians. These acts of violence were more commonly organized than gunfights between two people in the street ready to duel were.Another difference is how cowboys were actually laborers, who would earn low wages even after spending their long days with dangerous animals and working conditions that could end up killing them. It does also mirror some aspects of how truly cruel the Western times were such as how Indians were treated horribly and even killed.

Gunfights, cowboys, gold mines and ranches are probably the first thing that pops into your head when you hear The Old West, however was that really what happened? The movies portray the west as an action back, good vs evil utopia of sorts. There’s always a bad guy, a good guy, some love interest, and a gun fight of course. This just leaves me with a few questions: what really happened in the west?, was it all just a myth?, if it was, why is that important?, how has this myth affected our society?, and why was the west so

Talk about starting off with a bang! Most Americans have grown up with the illusion of the old west from movies. Indeed, even before the invention of the television, the Lone Ranger and Tonto were popular on the radio which was later transitioned to the black and white TV screen. Furthermore, the worldwide western hero actor John Wayne brought the images of how the west was won from the savage Indians in several movie productions like “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” and “The Searchers.” Further, ingrained into our minds are the stories of real American heroes such as the one in the poem “Evolution” where the western soldier was famous for his prowess of killing savage Indians during battles with the United States cavalry. This person was William Cody who was better known as “Buffalo Bill Cody.”