zardoz-13 There is no shortage of action in "Rio Conchos" director Gordon Douglas' remake of John Ford's venerable western classic "Stagecoach." Comparatively, the original ran 96 minutes, while the Douglas remake clocks in at 115 minutes. The impressive cast won't make you forget John Wayne, Claire Trevor, and Thomas Mitchell, but they make you believe them. This revenge-driven Twentieth Century Fox release qualifies as an above-average remake. Douglas and "Rio Conchos" scenarist Joseph Landon shun a scene-by-scene remake, but they preserve a lot of Dudley Nichols's dialogue from the 1939 masterpiece. Like the Oscar winning original, this "Stagecoach" remake assembles a number of diverse characters and cramps them within the claustrophobic confines of a stagecoach. The passenger list constitutes a microcosm of nineteenth century society. A pregnant cavalry officer's wife, an amoral Southern gambler, a whiskey drummer, a soused doctor, an ostracized saloon girl, a crooked banker, and a lawman make up this gallery of oddballs. Veteran lenser William Clothier, who shot his share of John Wayne westerns, makes producer Martin Rackin's sumptuous production look larger-than-life. Although it doesn't unfold in scenic Monument Valley like the Ford original, the Twentieth Century Fox remake features its own stunning scenery in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Mind you, Douglas isn't the cinematic poet that Ford was. Nevertheless, he is no slouch, and this version of "Stagecoach," the second of three, . Alex Cord appropriates the role that made John Wayne a star. Sexy Ann-Margaret steps into Claire Trevor's role. Bing Cosby steps into Best Supporting Oscar winner Thomas Mitchell's shoes as a drunken doctor. Red Buttons is splendidly cast as the whiskey drummer that Cosby takes advantage of during the trip. Some scenes, particularly the battle with the Native Americans, stand out. "Stagecoach" shows Douglas in fine form.

Bill-16 Many people question why this and other films that we think are great are remade. I don't know about many others, but I did hear about why this one may have been remade.Before there was Cable TV and Movie Classic Channels people like me were at the mercy of TV programmers. We could look through TV Guides or newspapers and hope to find a certain movie would be on and then maybe it was showing at a time we would actually be around to watch it. Didn't have VCR's back then either.Then there were movies that weren't available for TV. Sometimes the powers that be wouldn't allow the movie to be shown on TV because they didn't approve commercials interrupting the director's vision. Sometimes there was other reasons that they weren't available for TV.I heard that the 1939 version of Stagecoach was one these movies. I can't find anything about this online, but I seem to remember hearing it. I do know that I didn't see the 1939 version till sometime in the 1990's. I see it was re-released in 1996.So, if people were deprived of seeing the original, then I can see why a remake was done and they didn't do a bad job either. I had put off seeing the 1966 version simply because the original is readily available and played frequently on TV here. I got to see it today and it in no way comes close to the original, but it isn't anything that anyone connected to it need be embarrassed about.As for other classics being remade in this day and age when the originals are easily available, well, Don't even get me started on that tangent, makes me want to pick up my Winchester and ride the Stagecoach into Indian Territory!

rose61348 I would have to say that this version of "Stagecoach"is by far the very best.Excellent acting by Ann Margaret and the all star cast.Ann Margeret's portrayal of "Dallas" was superb. I also think that there was more"Meat"to this version.I recommend that everyone see it,buy the video or CD version.It held me captive throughout the entire movie. Everyone's role was more fully expanded and scenes were portrayed better.I've loved Ann Margaret's performances in all the movies she has starred in.I think that she is an top of the line actress.I compare her acting with Elizabeth Taylor and Katherine Hepburn.She is vivacious,beautiful,and would look good even in a gunnysack.Sincerely,rose61348@gwtc.net

moonspinner55 Poorly-written remake of the 1939 John Wayne chestnut has stagecoach full of disparate people encountering personal strife and drama on the treacherous route to Cheyenne. Since the characters are such an obvious lot (what with a prostitute, a pregnant woman, a bank robber, a wily alcoholic, an outlaw, etc.) and are written and portrayed as caricatures, there's nobody here to care about. Newcomer Alex Cord broods mightily as the outlaw, but this actorly process of cool non-projection is a snooze by now; Ann-Margret, as the saloon girl with the shady life, is only comfortable in her carefully-posed close-ups, her line readings rendered false by a peculiarly twangy accent and no conviction in her behavior (she reverts too easily on being 'lewd' without giving the character any other dimensions). The direction is sloppy, the pacing leaden, and even the Colorado scenery fails to enliven the proceedings. *1/2 from ****