Diagonaldi Very well executed

NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Holstra Boring, long, and too preachy.

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

beckr1 Monument Valley never looked better in VistaVision's filming process. Roger Ebert stated, "John Ford's ''The Searchers'' contains scenes of magnificence, and one of John Wayne's best performances. There are shots that are astonishingly beautiful." The only Western in history to be placed in the top 10 Sight & Sound Poll as among the greatest films of all time. AFI ranked The Searchers #12 in their all-time list and in 1989 the United States National Film Registry's first year of selecting films for preservation, chose The Searchers as one of the first 25 films to be deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant." The Searchers has influenced films as diverse as Star Wars, Taxi Driver, Hardcore, Dances with Wolves, Saving Private Ryan, The Wind and the Lion and Apocalypse Now. David Lean studied The Searchers in preparation for Lawrence of Arabia and as a result movie history was made with that famous shot of the across-the-desert entrance of Sheriff Ali. Sergio Leone listed The Searchers as one of his favorite films. Much has been made of the film's racist overtones, but both sides were equally represented and based on historical fact. The basis of Ethan Edward's obsession is clearly stated when Debbie hides next to a tombstone that states the massacre of Ethan's mother at the beginning of the film. Not so obvious is John Ford's hidden subtext about Ethan's affair with his brother's wife and that Lucy or Debbie could possibly be Ethan's children. The thirst for vengeance makes total sense especially with the prospect that Debbie's been "living with a Buck." So many great scenes (the wedding scene, the letter reading scene) and lots of comic relief ("That'll be the day!"), keep the viewer's interest throughout. As far as I'm concerned, this is John Wayne's greatest acting triumph. When Ethan has to explain to Brad that Lucy was dead and he says, "What do you want me to do? Draw you a picture? Spell it out? Don't ever ask me! Long as you live, don't ever ask me more," is delivered with such harrowing conviction by Wayne, it gives me goose bumps. Then there is the scene when Ethan sees two white women who were raped by Indians and regressed to their childhood, Ethan says, "They aren't white. Not anymore." As Ethan exits we are given one of the greatest close-ups in movie history (seen over and over again in motion picture retrospectives). John Ford was sparse with camera movements and so when he employs camera movements, there is a heightened sense of drama. Ford's camera rapidly tracks in on Wayne's face to that close-up and reveals Ethan's total contempt—a chilling moment. Every shot is framed. I've never seen a movie that did this so effectively and with such beauty. It's like Frederic Remington painted each shot. Keep in mind, this is all before CGI. The cinematography is stunning. Then there is that incredible final shot, perfectly framed again with awesome cinematography and John Wayne's personal tribute to Harry Carey. I am in awe every time I watch this movie.

Tweekums Ethan Edwards returns to his brother's home in Texas some years after leaving to fight for the Confederacy. Shortly afterwards there is a report that Comanches have stolen the cattle from a neighbouring farm. Ethan, along with his step nephew Martin Pawley, join the posse leaving Ethan's brother, his wife, son and two daughters behind. It becomes apparent that the theft was a distraction. By the time they get back it is too late; Ethan's nieces. Lucy and Debbie, have been kidnapped and the rest of the family massacred. Ethan, Martin, Lucy's fiancé Brad, and a posse of rangers set off after them but opinions on what how to proceed soon differ. Eventually the posse turns back leaving Ethan, Martin and Brad following on their own. After Lucy's body is found Brad charges headlong into the Comanche camp and is killed. Years pass but Ethan and Martin refuse to give up and Martin starts to worry about what Ethan plans to do when he finds Debbie.This is rightly considered one of the greatest examples of the Western genre. The story is relatively simple but that is not a problem. It is very much about the characters, particularly that of Ethan Edwards. As the film progresses his resolve to find Debbie never diminishes but as time passes it becomes apparent that he would rather see her dead than living with the Comanche and ultimately believes that she will have become a Comanche herself. The story is presented in a very effective way; the two most disturbing moments occur off screen, these are the aftermath of the massacre at the family home and the details of Lucy's death. The latter is particularly effective; as at first we just know that Ethan has seen something that shocked him to the core as he travelled alone through a canyon; it is only later that we learn that he discovered Lucy's body and then it is strongly implied that she was also raped. While there are quite a few dark moments there are also plenty of moments of good unforced humour. John Wayne is on top form as Ethan Edwards; the character is in many ways unsympathetic, he certainly has racist attitudes towards the native population even before the events at the start of the film, but Wayne's performance stops him being unlikable. Jeffrey Hunter also impresses as Martin Pawley, a far less cynical character. Director John Ford does a brilliant job capturing the vast almost uninhabited American West with much of the action shot in the spectacular Monument Valley. Overall I'd certainly recommend this; if you are a fan of westerns or classic cinema then it is a must see.

Harry T. Yung Watching, for the first time, the 1956 Ford/Wayne classic that many hailed as the best western ever , I missed out on the most-praised aspect. On DVD, even with a modest flat TV screen, the splendour of the panoramic Texan landscape was lost.Before and after watching this movie, I gleaned two scores of "prolific author" reviews. Almost all, in addition to the cinematography, talk about the simple plot: the odyssey of a retired Texas ranger (Wayne), together with his 1/8 Apache nephew (Jeffrey Hunter), searching for two nieces kidnapped by Comanches that massacred his brother's family. Almost all talk about the racist aspect (real or perceived) and the good performances. One points out that the nieces are actually daughters from licentious activities with sister-in-law, and Wayne's real motivation is not to rescue them but rather to kill them, to be rid of the haunting memory. Be that as it may.I have only two specific observations and one general comment.The scene depicting the lull before the storm, the approach of the Comanches to the almost defenceless household (just one man with a rifle), is absolutely masterful. The suffocating suspense is almost good enough to give "High Noon" a run for its money. The violence is never shown, just implied.The other scene, or sequence rather, is the depiction of a good part of the odyssey via a letter from Hunter to his childhood sweetheart played by Vera Miles. Various scenes unfold as she reads the letter to her family. Without this technique in the midpoint, the two plus hours of narrative would feel too long.In general, I find this movie enjoyable but not exactly the best western ever. One setback is the rather inconsistent mix of pathos and comedy. Hitchcock and Kurosawa are masters of injecting a pinch of sense of humour when needed. Ford, unfortunately, has not accomplished the desired result in this movie.

Wuchak Released in 1956 and directed by John Ford, "The Searchers" chronicles the story of Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) who returns from the Civil War to his brother's ranch in the Southwest; and to his brother's wife, whom he secretly loves. After the ranch is raided by Comanches, Ethan and his 1/8 Indian nephew (Jeffrey Hunter) search for the band of Indians to get his captive niece back (Natalie Wood). As time passes and the niece assimilates with the Natives it's not certain if Ethan intends on rescuing the girl or killing her.Touted as a masterpiece and one of the greatest Westerns, I've seen "The Searchers" twice now and was disappointed each time. Sure, the Monument Valley locations are breathtaking and the cast is great, but the story leaves a lot to be desired. The plot's excellent, but the way the story is told isn't interesting and so there's very little momentum. On top of this we get sequences, characters and dialogue that seem to be stabs at amusement, which (1.) aren't funny, (2.) are awkward because the main story is a serious drama/adventure in a Western context, and (3.) make some of the characters out to be dimwits (note to the writers: just because someone lives in the wilderness it doesn't automatically make them doofuses).Give me "Stagecoach" (1939), "The Horse Soldiers" (1959), "The Alamo" (1960), "North to Alaska" (1960), "True Grit" (1969), "Chisum" (1970), "The Cowboys" (1972) and "Rooster Cogburn" (1975) any day over this mediocre Western. Heck, I'll even take "The Comancheros" (1961), "El Dorado" (1966), "The War Wagon" (1967), "Rio Lobo" (1970), "The Train Robbers" (1973) and "The Shootist" (1976).The movie runs 119 minutes and was shot in Arizona, Utah and Colorado.GRADE: C-