The Searchers, 1956.
Directed by John Ford.
Starring John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond and Natalie Wood.
SYNOPSIS:
Returning to his brother’s family three years after the end of the civil war, Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) is a bitter and resentful war veteran. Soon after his return, a Comanche attack his leaves his nieces missing. Ethan heads out on a long hunt looking for the two girls, as well as for revenge against their captors.
How do you write about one of the best films of all time? Well, it’s usually best to start by saying it’s one of the best films of all time.
Despite being one of John Wayne and John Ford’s best known films, The Searchers isn’t a typical western. It’s cold, dark, deep and twisted, and Wayne’s character here is a far cry from the tough but lovable character found in the likes of Rio Bravo. Wayne was never really lauded for his acting (winning an Oscar for 1969’s True Grit more out of respect to his career rather than the solid job he did in that film) but in The Searchers he gives, in my opinion, one of the best performances ever filmed. There is so much depth to his character, so much that is unsaid, and so much that is conveyed in a simple nuanced glance. It’s the mark of a master of his craft.
We gather there is a back story between Ethan (Wayne) and his brother’s wife (Dorothy Jordan). Perhaps they were in love before the circumstances of war separated them? But it’s never spoken of. Instead it’s conveyed by body language, a glace, a conflicted expression. Likewise his hatred of the native people is never explained, but it somehow defines him. What happened to Ethan during those three years between the end of the war and returning home? We assume that something has deeply has affected him, maybe some unspeakable horror?
This lack of clarity could prove frustrating in lesser hands but here it adds an air of mystery to a narrative that could have easily been a straight forward revenge story. It’s the little touches that add depth and artistic flair. This is essentially what separates The Searchers from lesser westerns.
But it’s not just the story and characters of The Searchers that impress; the cinematography is fantastic, and on blu-ray the film looks truly stunning. The vivid colours of the Vistavision process look sharp and pristine, that opening shot (of the farmhouse doors opening onto the plains) has never looked better. The wide-angle photography (made in a period where widescreen was still relatively rare) lends itself well to high definition, imbuing the external shots of Monument Valley with a real sense of awe – the baron wasteland at once both beautiful and dangerous.
By this time the honeymoon period of the classic western was already reaching its end. A decade later it would be replaced by the ultraviolence of The Wild Bunch and a style of European homage defined by Sergio Leone. It seems that with The Searchers, Ford himself was starting to question the genre – the simple character motivations of the past, and the way the industry had portrayed native Americans negatively. Here it’s Wayne’s character, not the natives, who is a ‘savage’ blindly pursuing a violent cause for reasons that aren’t entirely known. It’s still obviously not Dances With Wolves in these respects, but it’s a start.
So what makes The Searchers so great? It’s simply the combination of everything. One of the greatest directors of all time, working in the genre that made his name. His star, John Wayne, giving the performance of his career. The cinematography. The story. The little moments and unspoken themes. The mystery behind Ethan’s motivation. The space it allows the viewer to think and reflect – the ability to project onto the film your own interpretations.
The Searchers is a complex film, and that is why it still holds up so well today. But we shouldn’t forget that it’s also thrilling watch. Like many westerns, The Searchers gives us an absorbing narrative led by an intriguing anti-hero on an exciting mission. It’s just that The Searchers gives this and so much more too.
Arnold Stone blogs at spaceshipbroken.com and can also be found on Twitter.
Originally published November 26, 2011. Updated April 10, 2018.
