ters, Ford has retained both the gesture and, more important, the specific dramatic meaning Nichols assigned to it" (p. 29).
Baxter also states: "With Nichols' help, Ford brought his work indoors. The uneven adventure stories of the silent period were replaced by a new kind of drama in which Ford combined action with ideas in a totally new way" (p. 30). Ford adapted to Nichols' type of symbolic imagery.
Stagecoach was a return to the Western for Ford after 13 years making other types of film. This film revolutionized the Western and revitalized the form. This film allows Ford to display his ability with a unique grouping of characters, in this case held together by all being passengers on the stage. This aspect of the film is very tightly controlled and keeps the interplay within a small area. The action here is internalized, kept inside the stage or the stage stops. McBride and Wilmington (1975) feel that Nichols' screenplay is excessively literary, so much so t
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