The characteristics, characteristics, and conventions of Stagecoach (John Ford, 1939) allow this film to fall squarely under the title of classic Hollywood cinema. The film uses a few main characters that audience members get to know well and create their own feelings for. In Stagecoach, there are nine main characters that the audience is familiar with, Dallas, Ringo Kid, Buck, Hatfield, Doc Boone, Lucy Mallory, Curley, Gatewood and the lieutenant. These characters are consistent throughout the story and audience members begin to understand them as the story develops. The development of the story consists of a single goal, the goal of the characters to arrive in Lawrenceburg. The characters face antagonists who allow each character to further develop throughout the film as they reveal their true identities to audience members. The main characters must endure the uncomfortable ride to Lawrenceburg, the Apache attack on the plains, the birth of Mallory's child, and the "final battle" between Ringo and the Plummers. During the uncomfortable ride to Lawrenceburg, Dallas and Ringo become the film's outcasts, who live on the fringes of society and are looked down upon by the upper class like Hatfield, Mallory, and Gatewood. The Apache attack on the plains allows Ringo to develop a hero-like character whose precise shooting helps save the stagecoach riders from imminent death. The birth of Mallory's child allows Gatewood to become an evil character willing to risk a child's life in order to ensure it gets to Lawrenceburg on time. The film creates closure by using a happy ending that creates emotion. release for the public. The audience is happy that Ringo and Dallas are revealed... middle of paper ... because they are used to the socially constructed world they live in. The scene helps further develop the social commentary. of this film. While at first the upper class looked down on Hatfield, now even Hatfield looks down on Dallas and Ringo, showing that Dallas and Ringo are on the fringes of society. This shows that even in the Midwest, “the land of opportunity,” class still rules everything and that “opportunity” is not opportunity for all. Works Cited Bernstein, Matthew. “The classic Hollywood western par excellence.” Movie analysis: a Norton player. Ed. Jeffrey Geiger and RL Rutsky. New York: WW Norton & Company, 2nd edition, 2013. 298-318. Kerner, Aaron M.. “Irreconcilable Realities.” Movie analysis: a Norton player. Ed. Jeffrey Geiger and RL Rutsky. New York: WW Norton & Company, 2nd edition, 2013. 462-83.