Rating: 
Summary: The Searchers, Slam-bang Western
Review: In 1955, John Ford went to Monument Valley to film what has since become his western masterpiece, "The Searchers". This scenic American backdrop was the perfect setting for this atmospheric story. In this film, John Wayne turns in his greatest performance as Ethan Edwards, an ex rebel soldier returning home from the Civil War under mysterious circumstances. However, his homecoming is short lived, as Reverend Samuel Clayton and his band of Texas Rangers recruit him and his adopted nephew, Martin Pawley to repel a party of Comanche Indians (Or Native Americans for the politically correct) from the neighboring ranches. Unfortunately, the raiders kill Ethan's brother and beloved sister-in-law, in addition to capturing his nieces Lucy and little Debbie. After setting out after the marauders, Ethan quickly clashes with Reverend Clayton, who questions him on his harsh tactics in fighting Comanches. In a desire to employ aggressive measures, Edwards leaves the larger group with Martin Pawley and Lucy's betrothed, Brad Jorgensen, growling, that "he is giving the orders." While hot on the path of the raiding party, Ethan notices that several Comanche's have split off from the trail. Urging Marty and Brad to wait, the older man goes to investigate the broken tracks of four riders. In a brilliantly acted scene, Wayne's character Ethan comes down the canyon and digs his hunting knife into the sand. Shaken to his core, the Confederate veteran has just discovered the mutilated corpse of his beautiful niece Lucy. Edwards initially keeps this grisly discovery to himself. When Marty asks the older man about his missing rebel coat, a dazed Ethan tells him that he "has lost it." Later that evening, the three men locate the Indian camp and Brad mistakenly believes that he sees Lucy wearing her favorite blue dress. Ethan then tells the excited young man that it is in fact a Comanche buck wearing Lucy's dress. When Brad insists he has seen Lucy, Edwards informs him that he buried her body back at the canyon, wrapped inside of his missing coat. In an act of suicidal rage, Jorgensen runs into an Indian camp to share Lucy's fate. For the next five years, Ethan and Marty myopically hunt for young Debbie, who is the captive of a Comanche chief named Scar. Along the way, Ethan manages to dispatch bushwhackers and Marty breaks up the wedding of his childhood sweetheart, in a scene brimming with comic relief. Finally, the two men rejoin Captain Clayton and his Texas Rangers to take on the Comanche's in a climatic battle, where the long-suffering Debbie is eventually rescued. For this film, the seasoned director assembled a cast of his regulars, including Ken Curtis, John Qualen, Hank Worden and Harry Carey Jr. This bunch turns in the kind of solid character acting that moviegoers came to expect from a John Ford vehicle. Ward Bond is superb as Captain Clayton and delivers some of the film's most amusing dialogue. Additionally, a lovely, teenage Natalie Wood has about five minutes of screen time playing the older Debbie. However, at the center of this great movie, is the relationship between the two searchers, played by Wayne and ably supported by Jeffery Hunter, who must ride together day after endless day in their search for the elusive Chief Scar. The chemistry between these two actors makes this film a classic of the western genre.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: For anyone who is a fan of John Wayne (big or little) this is a must. This movie puts him in his classic role, a big, tough American cowboy and is he good at it. This is the most complex character Wayne had ever played. The scenery is the best. Filmed in Monument Valley, it has great Indian scenes, beautiful backgrounds, and a realistic plot. But it isn't just Wayne, the supporting cast from the Jorgensens to the Edwards, they're all great. Ward Bond is great as a Rev. and as a Capt. of the Texas Rangers and just as Sam Clayton. Look for John Wayne's son! Patrick (Pat) Wayne is a young Lt. who is always getting in the way. His character adds comedy to a great dramatic film, which usually means disaster, but here it is almost impossible to look at it without it. John Ford directed it. The movie is a classic Wayne-Ford film. Those are always great. The last scene in which John Wayne is walking away from the door is a tribute to Harry Carey. His son, Harry Carey, Jr., is also in the movie as Brad Jorgensen. After seeing this movie, you will wish they would put it back on the big screen like it was in 1956. Overall, it is one of the best John Wayne movies and that means one of the best all time.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT widescreen!!!!
Review: Beware!!! If you stick this DVD in your machine on the side marked "widescreen -- aspect ratio 1.85:1" you will see even LESS of it than by watching the 1.33:1 side!!!! This is NOT the true widescreen version of The Searchers. Instead, Warner Bros have -- disgustingly and insultingly -- simply taken the 1.33:1 print, cropped the bottom and top, and magnified what's left to make it fill the screen!!!! What this means is, you actually see MORE if you watch the 1.33:1 side of the disc!!!!!! On the 1.85:1 side, you lose bits not only from the left and right of the original print, but from the top and bottom as well!!!!!The film itself, of course, is brilliant, one of my 10 faves, and stunning even when seen in its old 1.33:1 ratio. Just don't watch the fake widescreen version -- and write to WB immediately to demand they release a proper edition of this classic!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: A classic western
Review: The Searchers is considered by many to be one of the best westerns ever made, and I cannot disagree with them. The story follows the efforts of two men trying to track down a kidnapped girl from Comanches over the course of five years. The men tracking the tribe are a Confederate veteran and the girl's uncle and the other a family friend and also part Cherokee. The film is beautifully shot as all John Ford westerns are, which adds to the overall mood of the movie. There is a vastness to some scenes which show the futility of tracking down this girl after so many years. The Searchers is a classic that provided John Wayne with a role that was different from any other he had previously played. John Wayne stars as Ethan Edwards, the Confederate veteran trying to track down his niece after his brother's family is slaughtered by a Comanche raiding party. He plays the role of the racist veteran to perfection. At times it is startling to see him in a role that differs so greatly from most other movies he had done. Jeffrey Hunter plays Martin Pawley, the Duke's partner in his search for the kidnapped girl. He plays a good sidekick to Wayne throughout since they have such differing personalities in the movie. Also starring are Natalie Wood, Ward Bond, Harry Carey JR, Patrick Wayne, Hank Worden, Ken Curtis and plenty of other Wayne stock actors. The DVD is good but could have been much better. You can view the movie in fullscreen or widescreen, with trailers included alongside four documentary shorts. A must have for western fans that is up there with Shane and The Wild Bunch as some of the greatest westerns of all time!
Rating:
Summary: John Wayne at his Western Best now on WideScreen DVD!
Review: "The Searchers" (1956) Anamorphic Widescreen DVD version is one of the best classic westerns ever made! Ranked in the American Film Institute's (AFI) top 100 movies of the last 100 years (1998). Having the best Western Director, John Ford partnering up with his favorite cowboy star, John Wayne can only be the beginning of a grand movie. Adding Widescreen Technicolor, the colorful Panoramic Monument Valley - Utah (Ford's favorite western area to film), a fantastic musical score and top supporting cast leads us on one of the best filmed westerns ever! Summary - Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) is returning home to his only Brother & his family. After he and a posse of Texas Rangers (Lead by Ward Bond) were decoyed away by distant marauding Indians. The actual Indian raid was on remaining defenseless families left behind. Ethan's returned to find his Brothers family massacured all but his youngest niece, Debbie (played by Lana (younger)& Natalie Wood (older). His vengence takes him on a 5 year journey to recover her. Wayne is brilliant and proves he is a great actor. "The Searchers" is a powerful 2 hour emotional rollercoaster ride. This movie will leave you with more respect of John Wayne's ability to act, Director John Ford's genius to tell a very complex story. Leaving us forever with a Great Western Classic! Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: The second best western ever made
Review: Ethan Edwards, an ex confederate is to his own way, an outlaw. But I'd really like to make a crossroad in the analysis. Doesn't Ethan belong to the dinasty of the mytical hero? In the purest sense of the term. His origin is not very clear. And suddenly he appears, so he leaves at the end. In this sense his efforts for searching his kidnapped niece are an epic fight against all the obstacles.
And the turning point that makes that film so extraordinary, is the decission which prevails when he finally finds Debby and almost kills her. In this sense it's a personal choice. Through all his trip he has established his own code. He kills Putterman because it has to be done, and forget all the ethical reasons.
But when he goes to rescue her with the group, and finally saves her, you notice he isn't very satissfied with the result.
At last, all the people experiences a happy ending, but he doesn't seem to be very convinced with himself. And that's why he made a decision politically right.
John Ford was the western's director per excellence. The film has unforgettable moments, the use of the objective, the travellings and the fantastic landscape in Texas support this jewel. If not for The wild bunch this film would be the greatest western movie, but a second place is not a trageddy.
In addition you can find in Ethan a close affinity with the beliefs of Pike in the wild bunch. Doesn't it tell you anything?
You must have this DVD in your collection. It's a must. Believe me.
Rating: 
Summary: The Searchers-A review for the value nuetral
Review: What a hard film to be honest with. John Wayne fans love it and new age liberal western fans can't stand its portrayal of evil indians. John Wayne fans need to be honest that John Waynes perfomance is perfect, but the film is not. Liberal viewers need to quit complaining about the evil indians being played by white actors. Seriously, we know what we are going to see with any of these old westerns; don't act surprised, shocked or dissapointed about the obvious. In my opinion, the ending is the most important part of any movie. For example, M. Night Shyamalans signs was an amazing film, until the end when viewers see a mix of bad special effects and an amateur action climax in what was a dramatic sci-fi movie. The searchers is a great film that shared a simular bad ending fate. The whole plot of the film is John Wayne finding his niece who was kidnapped by the indians. Aboout 3/4 through the film, Wayne finds his niece, but she doesn't want to come home because the indians have become her new family. So it should be time to pack up and go home right? Nope, They leave her with the indians, then come back again at the end of the film. Suddenly the niece doesn't want to stay with the indians anymore, but Why? Was she on some indian drugs the first time they found her? Maybe she under some indian trance the first time? Maybe she forgot that the indians killed her family, but then suddenly remembered... Why do we need to come up with our own rational for the ending? Saddly, it's acceptable for a bad ending in silly films like Godzilla or Halloween, but it's not acceptable in any film that people take seriously. casting=4.5 stars
acting=4.5 stars
ending=1 stars
Directing and Editing=4 stars
storyline=4 stars
replay value=4 stars OVERALL= 3.6 stars out of 5 A must have film for John Wayne fans and old western fans. Clint Eastwood and new western fans shouldn't go into this film with high expectations....
Rating:
Summary: A Microcosm of the American Fabric Dissected by Huston
Review: John Huston's Searchers is a visually stunning cinematic experience that draws the audience into a five year long obsessive search for the little girl Debbie. The story begins with war veteran Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) returning home to his brother after having been on the road for years after the Civil War. However, Ethan does not get to spend much time with his family as they are soon massacred by Comanche's lead by chief Scar. The only person that seems to have survived is his niece Debbie, and Ethan is determined to find her as he sets out with Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter). Martin, a half-Indian, is a peaceful and reasonable man who was adopted by the family. Ethan is the opposite with strong racist beliefs, which trickle out around Ethan's persona. The story surrounds the violent veteran, Ethan, and the naive innocence of Martin, which sets up strong contrasts between the two characters in the long journey. This contrast sets up a microcosm of the wild west, which is socially dissected to illustrate how the wild west was tamed. As the story unfolds the audience experiences a terrific cinematic event that will shake the foundation of America's fabric and leave much for the audience to ponder.
Rating:
Summary: Wayne's Finest Performance, in Ford Masterpiece...
Review: Even if you've never seen John Ford's THE SEARCHERS, you will have, undoubtedly, seen a film that owes it's 'style' to the film. DANCES WITH WOLVES, THE OUTLAW JOSIE WALES, UNFORGIVEN, JEREMIAH JOHNSON, and OPEN RANGE are just a few westerns that have 'borrowed' from it, but THE SEARCHERS' impact transcends the genre, itself; STAR WARS, THE ENGLISH PATIENT, THE LAST SAMURAI, even THE LORD OF THE RINGS have elements that can be traced back to Ford's 1956 'intimate' epic. When you add the fact that THE SEARCHERS also contains John Wayne's greatest performance to the film's merits, it becomes easy to see why it is on the short list of the greatest motion pictures ever made. The plot is deceptively simple; after a Comanche raiding party massacres a family, taking the youngest daughter prisoner, her uncle, Ethan Edwards (Wayne), and adopted brother, Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter), begin a long quest to try and rescue her. Over the course of years, a rich tapestry of characters and events unfold, as the nature of the pair's motives are revealed, and bigoted, bitter Edwards emerges as a twisted man bent on killing the 'tainted' white girl. Only Pawley's love of his 'sister' and determination to protect her stands in his way, making the film's climax, and Wayne's portrayal of Edwards, an unforgettable experience. With all of Ford's unique 'touches' clearly in evidence (the doorways 'framing' the film's opening and conclusion, with a cave opening serving the same function at the film's climax; the extensive use of Monument Valley; and the nearly lurid palette of color highlighting key moments) and his reliance on his 'stock' company of players (Wayne, Ward Bond, John Qualen, Olive Carey, Harry Carey, Jr, Hank Worden, and Ken Curtis), the film marks the emergence of the 'mature' Ford, no longer deifying the innocence of the era, but dealing with it in human terms, where 'white men' were as capable of savagery as Indians, frequently with less justification. Featuring 18-year old Natalie Wood in one of her first 'adult' roles, the sparkling Vera Miles as Pawley's love interest, Wayne's son Patrick in comic relief, and the harmonies of the Sons of the Pioneers accenting Max Steiner's rich score, THE SEARCHERS is a timeless movie experience that becomes richer with each viewing. It is truly a masterpiece!
Rating:
Summary: NOT widescreen!!!!
Review: Beware!!! If you stick this DVD in your machine on the side marked "widescreen -- aspect ratio 1.85:1" you will see even LESS of it than by watching the 1.33:1 side!!!! This is NOT the true widescreen version of The Searchers. Instead, Warner Bros have -- disgustingly and insultingly -- simply taken the 1.33:1 print, cropped the bottom and top, and magnified what's left to make it fill the screen!!!! What this means is, you actually see MORE if you watch the 1.33:1 side of the disc!!!!!! On the 1.85:1 side, you lose bits not only from the left and right of the original print, but from the top and bottom as well!!!!! The film itself, of course, is brilliant, one of my 10 faves, and stunning even when seen in its old 1.33:1 ratio. Just don't watch the fake widescreen version -- and write to WB immediately to demand they release a proper edition of this classic!!!!!!
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