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The Searchers [1956]


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A ride on the the dark side
Review date: 2008-09-26 Rating: 10 out of 10

It is hard to review a film that has been examined by critics in such detail over the years. Film is a very personal thing and it is for this reason I feel I should record my thoughts. My very first memories of film were of watching "The Searchers" as a small child many years ago. In particular I recall seeing John Wayne lifting a very young Natalie Wood up in that great purging of the dark side scene at the end of the film. I was mesmerised by the scenery and the great screen prescence of John Wayne, who strode the film like a colossus. A very dark colossus it has to be said. Does it still stand up under scrutiny after all these years. The answer is a resounding yes although I can see the small flaws now which through rose tinted spectacles I missed in the past.
My small criticisms are that I find John Fords homespun humour has dated quite badly and secondly Ethan Edwards change of heart at the end of the film. In Alan LeMays book he remained true to his dark character and there was no Damascus road experience. Having said this it would have made a very bleak and desolate picture indeed if the book was faithfully followed. This may have been box office suicide and too depressing for the public.
But these small flaws should not detract from what is a magnificent film. The good points are legion. Wayne has never been better and Ethan Edwards is up there with Thomas Dunson from Red River. His acting is far better than in "True Grit" where he earned his long service oscar. Winton Hochs superb cinematography has never used that magnificent canvas of Monument Valley to better effect. Lets not forget a very good musical score by Max Steiner. The character of Ethan Edwards dominates the film as Captain Ahab dominated the Pequod in Moby Dick. His character is carefully painted. Where did all that gold come from? Why has he come back? The understated affection for his brothers wife quite beautifully played in the wonderful scene with Ward Bond. One of my favourites in movie history. Yes he is a racist and a man of dubious beliefs and morals. But he arrests our attention. He commands the screen and we know he is capable of anything. Definitely Fords and Waynes greatest screen creation.
The story spans years and the passage of time is well conveyed. Never has landscape been used in film to such powerful effect. Man is seen to be dwarfed by the vastness of the scenery, his allotted time on earth insignificant against geological tides, and the inexorable turning of the earth. Wayne ages through the film as he does in that other great epic Red River. Yes make no mistake The Searchers is an epic in every sense. The story is conveyed over a vast canvas. The story itself is simple enough as a vengeful uncle searches the American wilderness in search of his niece kidnapped by comanche Indians. An occurrence incidentally which was not unusual in early pioneering days. The women often becoming totally immersed in their new cultures. Not the case with Natalie Wood I noticed.
After all these years I still see a film of rare beauty and power. Deserving of a place in any top 100 film list. Yes this is a very personal film to me. It was the catalyst that awoke a love of film for a small boy that endures to this day.
Oh and that ending with Wayne the eternal outsider framed in the doorway, doomed to wander the winds forever in that mythical status he had attained. Immortalised like a hero of Homeric legend and with the same dark heart as Achilles. Who could fail to be entranced. Anyone who is serious about cinema should have this one in their collection.



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Reviews


Am I the only one who doesn't get it?
Review date: 2008-09-17 Rating: 6 out of 10

I've been waiting years to get round to watching this film: it's been acclaimed by practically everybody from Spielberg to my next door neighbour as utterly brilliant. The Western that is more than a Western etc.etc.
Finally, I sat down to watch it last week.
Yes, it's visually beautiful, and it's kind of interesting, but to me it was very dated and fundamentally unconvincing in terms of character.
People bang on about how amazing Wayne's character is, and when he comes back with his catchphrase "That'll be the day", I think that's part of film legend, but I just didn't get it: I didn't laugh nor did I find the hidden depths behind it that other people do. The final twist to his character at the end came so abruptly, it didn't feel natural at all.
For the last 20 minutes, I just wished it would end, which can't be a good sign.
I'm not saying it's not an amazing piece of film-making: for its time, no doubt, the scene as they charge into the Indian camp was remarkable cinematography, but dare I say it, it doesn't stand up to, say, "Dances With Wolves".
It wasn't terrible. I'm glad I watched it (just about), and maybe you'll have the Five Star experience that absolutely every other review has given it, but be warned, you may be in for a bit of a disappointment.

I really wanted to like this film and find something of what everyone else finds in it. But, if I'm honest, I just couldn't see it.

just abrilliant film
Review date: 2008-08-18 Rating: 10 out of 10

when ifirst remember seening the searchers iwas v scared by the raid on marthas farm and scar was probably the most terrifying man i had ever seen but when iseen it a few years later ethan became the most terrifying.now when i watch it it just becomes amagnificent film about not only america but the whole civilised world . But apart from any racism or political views it is just a brilliant film.john wayne was at his best here and should have got at least a nomination andwhy john ford was over looked will always be a mystery.Imust admit the commentary by peter bogdanovich added immenslyto my knowledge of the film and even to the performance of wayne so it is a must for all movie fans.unmissible

A masterpiece on many levels
Review date: 2008-08-03 Rating: 10 out of 10

Today there is little question of 'The Searchers' being John Fords' best known film. It has had critical acclaim poured over it by masters of the art the likes of Martin Scorsese, George Lucas and Steven Speilberg. James Stewart is quoted in Joseph McBrides' Ford biography citing John Waynes' performance here as one of the greatest of all time. It is regularly studied in film classes and in 1992 it was voted the fifth greatest movie of all time in Sight and Sound magazines' decennial critics' poll. It should be stressed however that the film takes a few viewings before its' brilliance truly sets in, such is its' depth. Alfred Hitchcock once commented that it is wrong to judge a movie after only one viewing and this picture is evidence of that.

So why does 'The Searchers' get so much acclaim? There are several reasons. First of all we have to start with the films' central character, Ethan Edwards (John Wayne). It is the role which many people (including Wayne himself) consider to be his career best. Edwards is what we call a multi-faceted character. On one side he is a villain; his desire to rescue the two nieces who have been stolen from his brothers' ranch and to get revenge upon their killers may seem acceptable within the world we enter when we watch a classic western but the further the film progresses the more we realise that his mission is driven in no small part by racial hatred. Early on for example we see Ethan shoot an already dead Indian in the eyes simply because of their belief that they need them to get to the next world. It has also been suggested that he desires brothers' wife judging by the looks he gives her. On the other hand we feel sorry for Ethan because he is cast off from his family and we admire him for battling heat, thirst, snow and the desolate landscape of Monument Valley (Fords' favourite western location) over a lengthy period of time. Wayne went as far as to name one of his sons after the character such was the fulfillment he got from this legendary role.

The picture belongs to Wayne who waited years to play this challenging a part; he started out as a prop boy on John Fords' sets during the mid 1920s' and yet it was not until Howard Hawks showed faith by casting him as Tom Dunson in the excellent 1948 cattle western 'Red River' that his true acting ability became apparent. The rest of the cast is superb as well. The dashing Jeffrey Hunter plays part-Indian Martin Pawley with great charisma; witness the scene where he accidently buys himself a wife and is lumbered with her. This leads to comedy the nature of which we see in Fords' 1952 picture 'The Quiet Man'. Yet like so many aspects of this film it has a tragic consequence, the sort that runs through much of Fords' work. The fact that Pawley joins Edwards for the epic quest makes the picture all the more fascinating given his ethnic origins. Pawleys' long-suffering female interest is played by fifties beauty Vera Miles who had the acting skills to match her stunning appearance. She would also work with Ford on 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' (1962) and appeared for Hitchcock as well. John Fords' stock company (actors he used on several occasions) is out in force here; watch out for Ward Bond (as Rev. Capt. Clayton), Harry Carey Jnr. (as Brad Jorgenson) and Olive Carey- the wife of Harry Carey Snr. who was the star of most of Fords' earliest features- as Mrs Jorgenson. The young Natalie Wood plays captured niece Debbie and German-born actor Henry Brandon makes the villainous Indian Chief Scar into a fearsome nemesis.

The film demands to be seen on the big screen; the technicolor is stunning and the beauty of the location is fully emphasised by the photography. Ford told Peter Bogdanovich that he preferred shooting in black and white ("real photography") but he makes remarkable use of the colour here. This film is so rich, new things spring up every time one watches it. I have seen it at least half a dozen times and there are key details I simply could not pick up until I researched it on the imdb, try as I might to grasp everything.

Now it is available as a two disc set at a good price I would strongly recommend that any serious fan of cinema purchase this outstanding movie. It is moving, powerful, deep, uplifting, tragic, inspiring, dark, beautiful, ugly, nostalgic and so many more things- in fact I could go on for the length of a book in describing it. A remarkable achievement by this legendary actor-director team (see also 'Stagecoach' (1939), 'She Wore a Yellow Ribbon' (1949), Rio Grande (1950) etc).

THANK YOU
Review date: 2008-03-26 Rating: 10 out of 10

this film is one of the greatest westerns ever made,i have seen it at least 12 times and still marvel at it.if anybody knows of a film on par with it please let me know "it will be added to my collection".if any of you have not seen this film then just go and buy it you will not be dissapointed.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Jeffrey Hunter
Ward Bond
Vera Miles
Natalie Wood
John Wayne

Creators:
John Wayne (Primary Contributor)
Jeffrey Hunter (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321900289184
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 2
Format: Box set, PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2006-06-19
Audience rating: Universal, suitable for all
Region code: 2
Running time: 114 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1956
Language: English (Original Language)

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