The Searchers Video

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starring: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter directed by: John Ford

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Average Rating: Rating: - For what we're about to receive, we thank Thee O Lord. These are the famous words prayed by Hank Worden, as he, John Wayne, Ward Bond, and Jeffery Hunter prepare for an Indian attack. My favorite of all of the John Wayne movies. This is a story of a man who has a fericous hatred of Indians that put General Sherman to shame. General Sherman believes that the only good Indian is a dead Indian. Wayne's character Ethan beleives that a dead niece is better than a live niece turned squaw. His neice, Debbie, is kidnapped by by a Commanche Chief named Scar. Scar isn't the typical sterotype Indian. Like Ethan, he is full of hatred and vengence from his dealings in war. Ethan is a man who dearly loves his neice and gives her a civil war medal. However, he is also a man who dislike Marty (Hunter) because he is quarter Cherokee whom he regrets rescuing as a baby. Ethan also has a mysterious past. He's been missing since the end of the Civil War, shows up with a lot of money freshly minted, and matches quite a few descriptions. To ease the tension, John Ford wisely includes some comedy. Mose Harper (Worden) provides the best as an idoit who's the Texas Ranger's mascot. Cpt Rev Johnson (Bond)is fire and brimstone whom gets the best of by Wayne and Lt. Greenfield (Pat Wayne!). Marty accidently marries a squaw and later fight a Seven brides for Seven brother fight with Charlie (Curtis). If there's any flaws is that the beautiful Vera Miles doesn't use her natural voice. And that fight could have been improved upon. Netherless, these are minor infractiions. The picture quality could be improved, but the beauty of the Monument Valley is timeless. The main theme is the theme of whether love can conquer vengence: to a certain extent yes. The ending says it all. Wayne picks up Debbie and sees her not as a squaw, but as a lost child. Then when everyone goes in the house except Wayne who walks off and the doors shut. Nice features, nothing extra as in a documentary. The reason for buying this DVD is for John Wayne's performance and John Ford's directing. Rating: - John Ford And John Wayne At Their Best John Wayne would be the first person to admit he was not a great actor and did so on many occasions. Even his most harshest critics though will admit that in THE SEARCHERS he turned in a very fine performance. His character Ethan Edwards is not the bad guy but neither is he the good guy. He is a complex mix of emotions that Wayne finely brings out. THE SEARCHERS is a simple tale played out against the spectacular background of the Navajo Nation's Monument Valley. It is the story of two men's 6 year search for 2 of their child relatives who are kidnapped by indians. As the story unfolds it becomes apparent that each has a different motive; one wants to rescue them and the other wants to kill them. Under John Ford's direction it is a gripping , relentless story that unfolds quite naturally. There are scenes where two of three different conversations or things are happening on screen yet Ford manages to have them understandable. The scene of the arrival of the Rangers at the Edward's Ranch at the begining of the film is a masterpiece. A dozen or so characters are flying in and out of the Edward's dining room shouting here, talking there while in the middle of this storm Wayne and the Ranger captain are having a conversation crucial to the story's plot. It should be a disaster but Ford's controlled chaos works beautifully and everthing that is going on is quite clear. He also is a deft hand at subtle humor using it to defuse a scene that may be heading towards over sentimentality. Besides Wayne and Jeffrey Hunter the cast is filled out with a wealth of actors many of whom had worked with the director over the years and formed a sort of unofficial John Ford Repertory Company. The always great Ward Bond as the Texas Ranger leader the Reverand Clayton and Hank Worden as the the slightly out of touch with reality Mose Harper are but two of many standouts. THE SEARCHERS is Ford and Wayne at their peak and is one of the true classics of the American cinema. You have it here on a small screen but if you ever have a chance to see on the big screen do go as it is quite an eyeful. Rating: - The Searchers, Slam-bang Western 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.

The Searchers Video

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