Everybody knows this is supposedly the "best" western ever made, and one of the "best" films ever made, but I'm going to have to say absolutely not on both accounts. Sure, I guess it's deep because John Wayne's character is so racist and psychotic, but on the other hand the film is pretty racist against Indians, like how they kill women and children mercilessly, and how it's "funny" when Jeffrey Hunter kicks that Indian woman down the hill. Also, there's a big happy ending (spoilers) when they finally "rescue" John Wayne's niece. I think it could have been deep if it was made a decade later, although I will give it points for being charming and beautifully directed.RATING: 62%
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Don't forget how completely sexist it is. See, when they think the woman has had sex they have to kill her. But then when they realize she hasn't she gets to live. Good to know that women can live as long as we haven't been corrupted by heathen Indian sex.
What! I completely missed that little undercurrent. But even so, I don't get how a movie having a racist character makes a movie "deep." With no Big Lesson, I think it just makes the movie "racist."
I love Westerns! Two of my faves are "Once Upon a Time in the West" where everyone loves the hot female lead and the three male leads are all badasses and "Red River" where John Wayne first becomes unhinged; however, Monty Cliff was a bit hard to believe as he stood up to Papa Wayne--pistol to pistol.
John, no longer in Daejeon (for the time being)
"The Searchers" is a disturbing and complex film worthy of a good discussion, but a couple of the comments here seem misguided. The Comanches are indeed depicted as bloodthirsty and brutal---but so are the Texans. Remember, this is a film where the purported hero shoots out the eyes of an Indian corpse, scalps his victims and plans to kill his own niece because she's become an Indian bride. And Laurie has totally missed the meaning of the ending: Ethan doesn't spare his niece because she hasn't had sex with an Indian---she clearly has. He spares her because he comes up against an emotion stronger than his hatred and blood lust. It's those who stand for love of family and forgiveness---Debbie, Martha, Mrs. Jorgensen and Martin, who is himself part Indian---who triumph in "The Searchers." Which is why it is ultimately a great film.
I don't buy it. Even if she did have sex with the Indian, the only reason he spares her is because he thinks she can be reformed back into a nice, white, domestic servant. Also, the movie is pretty boring in general. Glenn, do you remember how we couldn't even watch it all the way through the first time and so we did a crossword puzzle instead? So I guess the Searchers is less entertaining than a crossword puzzle.
Good to see another Glenn with two n's. You do raise some good points, but part of me can't separate the film as it stands alone from the audience it was made for in the 50s. Would they have seen Ethan's actions as reprehensible as we do? If not, then what was Ford going for? Maybe looking at Westerns through a New Historicist lens is a misguided tactic. My next western review will probably contradict a lot of my problems with this one, but maybe it comes down to personal taste.
John, I love Once Upon A Time In The West. It flip flops for me between that and The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly for being my favorite western, although GBU usually wins out.
I kind of believed he decides to save her the second time because she's the last part of the family left.
Either way, if you've read interviews with John Ford it appears he was bothered by what he considered the destruction of the Native American culture by whites. Particularly I think he was inspecting the transformation of racism into something more horrific in this film.
And Ford's point in this film managed to pass over most of the audience then since they probably bought into the same ideal. I can imagine that's why the movie never managed to gain much popularity until much later.
Ethan is Travis Bickle in primitive form. The Searchers is boss.
I love how obvious it is from my first comment that I couldn't really remember the plot that well...
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