Believe it or not, there are many similarities between "Stagecoach" and "Snakes on a Plane". For those of you who are not familiar, "Snakes on a Plane" is a pretty self-explanatory movie about a plane full of people getting attacked by snakes. The snakes were put there to kill Sean Jones, a kid who witnessed a murder committed by Eddie Kim, a notorious gang leader. "Snakes" and "Stagecoach" are similar in how they confine people from multiple social standings in a small place endangered by a common threat. In "Stagecoach", the characters are trapped in a stagecoach as they try to outrun the Native Americans to Lordsburg. "Snakes on a Plane" is a modernized version of this, where the characters are trapped on an airplane as they try to avoid the snakes.
Comparisons can also be made between the characters. Samuel L. Jackson's character, Neville Flynn, is the John Wayne of "Snakes on a Plane". Both Flynn and Ringo are ruthless and powerful characters who are forced into the position of protecting everybody else on the plane/stagecoach. It is not their mission to save everybody, but they take on that duty because they are heroes. Jones and Ms. Mallory hold the highest social standing in their respected means of transportation. Both are tried to be kept separate from the "lesser" characters. Jones, who is important because he is set to testify as a witness to put away a gangster, is isolated in first class away from everybody else on the plane. Ms. Mallory cannot be separated from everybody in the stagecoach, but she is left alone whenever the stagecoach stops and before and after she delivers her baby.
Both "Snakes on a Plane" and "Stagecoach" combine people from all realms of the social hierarchy into a closed-off "mini-society". "Stagecoach" includes every character from the Western world: escaped convict, banker, prostitute, army wife, drunken doctor, and your regular cowboys. Once confronted with danger, social rank becomes less important in the stagecoach. Gatewood selfishly suggests that the passengers prematurely leave for Lordsburg without letting Ms. Mallory and her newly born child rest. Gatewood's character is also found in "Snakes on a Plane" as Paul, a grumpy British businessman. Paul sacrifices another passenger's dog to a boa constrictor for his own safety. The passengers on the plane eventually storm first class, where Jones is located, to escape the snakes but also endanger Jones. Every member of each class was forced to work together in order to survive.
Comparisons can also be made between the characters. Samuel L. Jackson's character, Neville Flynn, is the John Wayne of "Snakes on a Plane". Both Flynn and Ringo are ruthless and powerful characters who are forced into the position of protecting everybody else on the plane/stagecoach. It is not their mission to save everybody, but they take on that duty because they are heroes. Jones and Ms. Mallory hold the highest social standing in their respected means of transportation. Both are tried to be kept separate from the "lesser" characters. Jones, who is important because he is set to testify as a witness to put away a gangster, is isolated in first class away from everybody else on the plane. Ms. Mallory cannot be separated from everybody in the stagecoach, but she is left alone whenever the stagecoach stops and before and after she delivers her baby.
Both "Snakes on a Plane" and "Stagecoach" combine people from all realms of the social hierarchy into a closed-off "mini-society". "Stagecoach" includes every character from the Western world: escaped convict, banker, prostitute, army wife, drunken doctor, and your regular cowboys. Once confronted with danger, social rank becomes less important in the stagecoach. Gatewood selfishly suggests that the passengers prematurely leave for Lordsburg without letting Ms. Mallory and her newly born child rest. Gatewood's character is also found in "Snakes on a Plane" as Paul, a grumpy British businessman. Paul sacrifices another passenger's dog to a boa constrictor for his own safety. The passengers on the plane eventually storm first class, where Jones is located, to escape the snakes but also endanger Jones. Every member of each class was forced to work together in order to survive.
3 comments:
What up bade - you would compare Stagecoach with "Snakes on a Plane". Anyway, good anaylsis on all the characters.
Hahah I love this!
I was trying to find a movie that would mesh well with Stagecoach and I believe you have found a winner, or at least an applicable scene (snakes:native americans::plane:stagecoach).
I'm digging your comparaison of Samuel L. Jackson to John Wayne.
I don't really remember a really pressing social hierarchy in the conflict of Snakes on a Plane, except maybe like First Class and Coach.
This was fun to read. Bravo.
Nice... I didn't actually see stagecoach but you summed it up well enough that I could see what you were going for, I've gotta say, this is really out there, but at the same time it's totally valid, keep it up.
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