The Searchers (1956) | |
| Director(s) | John Ford |
| Producer(s) | Merian C. Cooper (executive), Patrick Ford (associate) |
| Top Genres | Action, Adventure, Drama, Western |
| Top Topics | Book-Based, Prejudice, Revenge |
Featured Cast:
The Searchers Overview:
The Searchers (1956) was a Action - Adventure Film directed by John Ford and produced by Merian C. Cooper and Patrick Ford.
The film was based on the novel of the same name written by Alan Le May published in 1954.
SYNOPSIS
Arguably the finest western in the Ford and Wayne canon, this appears perennially on every list of the greatest American films of all time. After Comanches kill his brother's family and kidnap their daughters, better Confederate veteran Wayne sets forth on a hate-ridden quest to find his nieces (Scott and Wood) and save them from the "savages." He reluctantly brings along young Hunter, the adopted son of a family also killed by Indians. Their quest leads them hundreds of miles over seven agonizing years of dead ends and double crosses. As it becomes clear that Wood has accepted her life among the Comanches, Wayne resolves not to rescue her but to save her from disgrace by killing her, a resolve that comes to a heart-stopping, emotional climax. Ford's story of moral ambiguity lives in Wayne dense, richly layered characterization of a man whose brutal tendencies, hardened by his experiences of war and the frontier, balance with a tender, forlorn longing for home and family, expressed in his words to the frightened girl as he holds her life in his hands: "Let's go home, Debbie." The character dramatically upends Wayne's heroic archetype; it's rumored that after shooting the film, Ford, who had directed Wayne many times before, exclaimed, "I didn't know he could act!" Highly influential to a generation of filmmakers.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
.The Searchers was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1989.
BlogHub Articles:
Revisiting John Ford's The Searchers
By Rick29 on Dec 19, 2022 From Classic Film & TV CafeJohn Wayne as Ethan.A few months ago, I hosted a Classic Western Films Tournament on Twitter, in which The Searchers (in a series of close contests) was crowned champion. The outpouring of passionate support for John Ford's 1956 classic inspired me to revisit a movie I hadn't seen in several decades... Read full article
DOUBLE BILL #7: Stagecoach (1939) and The Searchers (1956)
By Carol Martinheira on Oct 10, 2017 From The Old Hollywood GardenDOUBLE BILL #7: Stagecoach (1939) and The Searchers (1956) On October 10, 2017October 10, 2017 By CarolIn Uncategorized John Ford and John Wayne. One of cinema?s greatest and most celebrated director-actor partnerships. They made dozens of films together and they were ... Read full article
The Searchers (1956)
By Beatrice on Apr 30, 2016 From Flickers in TimeThe Searchers Directed by John Ford Written by Frank S. Nugent from the novel by Alan Le May 1956/USA Warner Bros./C.V. Whitney Pictures Repeat viewing/Netflix rental #318 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die Ethan: That’ll be the day. My husband said “It’s that sad West... Read full article
"...And Scene!" blogathon: "The Searchers", a silent farewell
By Caftan Woman on Jun 25, 2015 From Caftan WomanJohn Ford Monument Valley Sister Celluloid presents the “…And Scene!” Blogathon running June 25 - 28. Click here for the memorable scenes that continually fascinate these movie bloggers. The scene that deeply touches me with every viewing is from John Ford's 1956 masterpiece,... Read full article
The Searchers (1956, John Ford)
By Andrew Wickliffe on Jan 19, 2015 From The Stop ButtonJohn Ford is never trying to be discreet with The Searchers, he’s just not willing to talk down to the audience. In the first ten minutes of the film, he and screenwriter Frank S. Nugent quickly establish John Wayne’s character and his relationship with his family. Ford, Nugent, Wayne an... Read full article
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Quotes from
Laurie Jorgensen: Why, Martin Pawley, you and me been going steady since we was three years old!
Martin: We have?
Laurie Jorgensen: 'Bout time you found out about it.
[Brad Jorgenson takes a small boulder and attempts to crush the skull of a dead Comanche warrior]
Reverend Clayton: Jorgenson!
Ethan: Why don't you finish the job?
[shoots out the eyes of the Comanche warrior]
Reverend Clayton: What good did that do ya?
Ethan: By what you preach, none. But what that Comanche believes, ain't got no eyes, he can't enter the spirit-land. Has to wander forever between the winds.You get it, Reverend.
Ethan: [to Martin] Come on, blanket-head!
Martin: [speaking to Debbie for the first time in five years] Debbie, Debbie, Debbie, don't you remember? I'm Martin, I'm Martin, your brother, remember? Debbie, remember back.
Martin: [pause] Do you remember how I used to let you ride my horse? And tell you stories? Oh, don't you remember me, Debbie?
Debbie Edwards: I remember, from always. At first I prayed to you: "Come and get me, take me home." You didn't come.
Martin: But I've come now, Debbie.
Debbie Edwards: These are my people. Go. Go, Martin, please!
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Facts about
The song playing as John Wayne approaches at the beginning of the film is a slow version of "The Bonnie Blue Flag", which along with "Dixie" were the two "anthems" of the Confederacy.
A significant portion of the film's labyrinthine plot is revealed on a throwaway prop that most casual viewers rarely notice. Just before the Indian raid on the Edwards homestead, the tombstone that Debbie hides next to reveals the source of Ethan's glaring hatred for Native Americans. The marker reads: "Here lies Mary Jane Edwards killed by Commanches May 12, 1852. A good wife and mother in her 41st year." Sixteen years earlier, Ethan's own mother was massacred by Comanches.
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