The Searchers

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Summary: I gave up when..
Review: the indians show up and the one who is apparently to grab the little girl is obviously a white guy with utterly lame 'indian' makeup on. I just can't stand this kind of crap. It's what makes so many of these old westerns unwatchable. Plus the comic relief 'old guy' is pitiful.

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Summary: Similarities to Captain Ahab and his pursuit of Moby Dick
Review: John Wayne plays the anti-hero Ethan Edwards who returns undefeated and unrepentant three years after the defeat of the Confederacy to the family ranch in Texas. Soon after his arrival the ranch is raided by Commanches, the family murdered and Ethans young niece is kidnapped. The rest of the movie portrays Ethans five-year quest for his niece.

In a real sense, Ethans search for his niece is reminisence of Melvilles Moby Dick. The relentless pursuit of the white whale represents not only Ahabs vengeance against the animal for taking his leg, but also an attempt to pursue and defeat the God who allowed this misfortune to happen. Thus, Ahab abandons all reason in his monomaniacal thirst for revenge. The chase becomes more than a whaling story for in killing Moby Dick Ahab is avenging himself against God; but in the end Ahab and his crew perishes before the White God. Compare this to Ethans monomaniacal pursuit to kill Scarface, the chief who lead the raiding party that killed Ethans family and to rescue his niece. Ethan abandons reason and gives into blind hatred- shooting the eyes out of a dead Indian, taking parting shots at retreating Indians when everyone else has stopped firing, killing the buffalo so Indian families will starve and threatening to kill his own niece who has been defiled by the Indians. This is more than a search and rescue mission- it is Ethans attempt to come to grips with the defeat of the Confederacy, to gain victory where he has only known defeat. It is more than a story of vengeance. It is a story of a man facing his prejudice and blind hatred of the Indians. Ethan does not directly battle God, but he battles the inner demons that plague him. In the end, unlike Ahab, he finds redemption. He rescues his niece and as the family enters the home to celebrate the reunion, Ethan turns and leaves. He is alone, but he is at peace with himself.

Rating:
Summary: A visual masterpiece
Review: The Searchers is as much a visual masterpiece as it is a work of story-telling art. A classic John Wayne, John Huston team up that's as interesting just to look at as it is to follow.

If you're looking for a lot of extras on this DVD, you won't find them here. Picture and sound are high-quality, though, and do justice to this artsy-looking masterpiece. A good solid addition to any DVD collection.

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Summary: A Western for Everyone
Review: Let me be the first to say that I am by no means a fan of the western. I find them to be generally cliched and conventional, and rarely original. However, The Searchers is one of the greatest movies of all time and it avoids all the western cliches, telling an emotionally resonant story amid the backdrop of the uncivilized west without a single duel on an abandoned road. As a result, it has been proclaimed the King of the Westerns for years, a judgment with which I must agree.

The plot is legendary. John Wayne gives a great performance as Ethan Edwards, ex-Johnnie Reb and newly returned to live quietly with his brother's family when Commanche warriors kill them all and take off his niece to be raised among them. Edwards then begins his obsessive search along with sidekick Martin (Jeffrey Hunter) to kill his niece, figuring her to be better off. The frank examination of racism in this film was unusual for the genre and time period, and the depth of the characters and their respective arcs make this film one of the greatest ever made.

Unfortunately, the film is flawed. When watching it it is impossible to forget that this is a fifties-era western because of the presence of cowboy music and the cartoon-like introduction. Not that I favor changing it, but it sort of takes one out of the movie. I guess my beef is that it is a film of its times, rather than transcending it completely. Aside from this there is very little wrong with the film and it has aged well.

In short, this is a movie that belongs in the collection of anyone who loves a great film, even if you, like me, don't like the western in general. Its complexity and excitement make it still interesting and exhilarating today.

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Summary: A GREAT Western Classic For The Whole Family!
Review: This is one of John Wayne's classic classic movies for the whole family! Everyone is sure to enjoy this wonderful wester! He is great in this movie and I wish I could give it more then 5 stars!

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Summary: Add this to your COLLECTION!
Review: Noticing 106 reviews on this film, it has been well covered-and I agree with the 5 star raves and the eloquent commentaries.
A few additonal comments:Co-star Jeffery Hunter would later go on to star in the original pilot of Star Trek-only to pull out at his wife's advice-and we all know what William Shatner did with the part. Monument Valley is stunning and director John Ford photographs it so nicely that the scenery almost takes over the story! Filmakers would leave those scenics to Ford alone, out of respect as if he made the area HIS private portrait studio.
Martin Scorcesse commented that in the last shot of the last scene -John Wayne is standing on the porch (the same set as the opening shot) but this time he crosses his arm a perculiar way-which was a spontaneous gesture of respect for the Western actor Harry Cary who made that "pose" his trademark. The older woman in the scene that the camera dollys past as Wayne does this; bursts into tears, off camera. (as she saw Wayne do this.) She was Harry Cary's widow. Having heard that from Scorsese-I get chills of emotion every time I see that ending shot and Wayne's gesture of respect to one of his peers. Wayne is a class act-and he delivers his best performance in this incredibly visual film.

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Summary: An Odyssey-like western classic
Review: I can't agree with calling "The Searchers" an iliadic western. If anything, it is the Odyssey of the West, as it tells the story of Ethan Edwards's five-year search for his kidnapped niece. John Wayne gives a great performance (many people argue its his best) as Ethan Edwards, a tough, proud Civil War veteran who refused to give up and who is forced to spend years of his life searching for his niece, Debbie. The journey, mostly set in the beautiful Monument Valley of Southern Utah, is truly a quest of epic proportions.

The story is intriguing, the plot fast-moving and unpredictable, and the action exciting. Wayne's performance as Edwards shows him in a darker, more unpredictable role than many of his other films, and that sun-baked, battle-hardened face covered with stubble is a visage that, in many ways, epitomizes the rough character of the American West.

The movie contains a number of stereotypes, from European settlers to Comanche Indians, that would not be considered politically correct today. Despite this, however, this is a fine film by director John Ford, one that captivates from beginning to end. Every list of the greatest Westerns of all time should include "The Searchers."

Rating:
Summary: A Great Western!
Review: This was John Wayne's finest performance of his career and John Ford's most breathtaking with it's beautiful cinematography. Wayne's role as Ethan Edwards was the finest work of his career. Ford's visual beauty and social theme (racism and prejudice) in the movie was revolutionary for it's time. This is a masterpiece in filmmaking!

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Summary: This is The Iliad of the western genre
Review: There are two kinds of westerns: Those starring John Wayne ... and everything else.

And, there are two kinds of John Wayne westerns: Those directed by John Ford ... and everything else.

And finally, there are two kinds of John Wayne westerns directed by John Ford: The Searchers ... and everything else.

Rating:
Summary: Slow and Overrated
Review: After hearing so much about The Searchers, I had to watch this movie to see what I was missing. As it turns out, not much. If you are a true fan of the old western film style (especially John Wayne films) you may really like this movie. However, I found the opening scenes of Monument Valley to be the most exciting part of The Searchers, after that it really winds down into an old, stereotypical western - FAST ! The apparent use of Italian actors as native Americans, and Jeffrey Hunter's overacting, created some cornball moments that were hard to take. I really wanted to like this film, and I have tried watching The Searchers several times, but each time it peters out about 1/4 of the way into the movie and I just can't finish viewing it in one continuous sitting. The cinematography is excellent, the opening scenes are great, but after that you can place Shane in the DVD player and watch a true, well made, classic western.