Stage Coach

1939.

Hollywood’s best year, ever, some people say.

Funny, exciting, beautifully photographed.

The focus, of course, is on settler life.

The Indians are of no account except when they are a threat.

America’s vision of itself and its past, the year Europe would start to tear itself apart with its greatest war.

The Banker, an embezzler and living satire of political conservatism, is a constant source of amusement.

Oh, how many people could you fit in one of those coaches?

Seven, apparently.

And one of them John Wayne and another John Carradine.