The Searchers-1956

Director John Ford

Starring John Wayne, Natalie Wood

Scott’s Review #148

Reviewed August 5, 2014

Grade: B+

The Searchers (1956) is an example of a classic film, considered one of the greatest movies ever made, that took me a few viewings to appreciate and that I now admire more and more with each subsequent viewing.

I understand why it is on many Best Films of All Time lists.

I do not think it’s quite that great but I understand its outstanding qualities. And while admittedly, I am neither a fan of the Western genre nor of John Wayne, both are top-notch in The Searchers.

It tells the story of a Civil War veteran (Wayne) named Ethan Edwards, whose brother and his sister-in-law, whom Ethan is in love with, are brutally murdered by a Comanche Indian tribe.

Ethan’s two nieces are kidnapped and for the remainder of the film, Ethan, along with his best friend, searches for the missing girls.

Two aspects that initially bothered me about the film were the overt racism involved in this film towards any Indians- the treatment of one Indian woman is cruel, and my disdain for the character of Ethan.

The fact that I am not a fan of John Wayne- way overrated in the acting department, in my opinion, may have something to do with this. But the character of Ethan is racist and it is tough to root for a character like that.

One could make the argument that he is also self-loathing due to lusting after his sister-in-law.

Over time, though, I have come to appreciate this Western drama more and more, mainly due to the direction of John Ford the sweeping cinematography of the old West, and the, now-understood, complexity of the character of Ethan.

He is confident, masculine, and even mean, but wounded and, in some way, sympathetic to viewers.

The Searchers (1956) also captures what the real West was probably once like.

An epic western that I have grown to admire.