|
"Still Searching
After 50 Years" |
 |
Directed by John Ford -
Written by Frank Nugent
Starring John Wayne,
Vera Miles, Natalie Wood
Distributed by Warner
Brothers - 1956 -
119mins - Rated G |
| |
|
One of the greatest Westerns! |
| |
"The
Searchers," considered by many to be the best western of all time, is
undoubtedly one of the best in the genre, and possibly one of the best
films of all time. What keeps it from perfection is the stupidity of
the studio that produced it.
I have observed three kinds of westerns. The "Classic Western," where
there is an established line between good and evil, where the hero
always gets the girl, and where everyone is dressed rather colorfully.
Examples include "High Noon" and the like. There's the "Dark Western,"
where the heroes are often outlaws and will kill anyone to reach their
goal, which is often personal glory. Examples include "Unforgiven" and
"The Good the Bad and the Ugly." Then there's the "Ending Western,"
which takes place in the age where the old west was finally tamed, and
gentlemen were the ones who best combated the outlaws. Examples
include "Tombstone" and "The Wild Bunch."
The reason I bring this up, is because "The Searchers" is the first
western, to my knowledge, to incorporate the themes of the Dark
Western into a Classic western. "The Searchers" is about a cowboy
played by John Wayne who returns home from the Civil War, only to have
his brother and most of his family killed by Indians (we never see the
attack, but the leading up to it is terrifying). So Wayne and a family
friend go on a five year trek to locate his two nieces, held captive
after the Indians killed everyone else.
What separates "The Searchers" from the corny and stupid westerns of
the 1950s is the overall feeling. It's dark, moody, and gritty.
Wayne's character may be the hero, but he's a racist, vengeful
murderer as well (Note how Wayne wears a black hat, the sign of a
villain in those days, instead of the heroic white hat). The master of
the western, John Ford, directs with his always brilliant style. He
captures the desolate landscape of the desert, and his action scenes
are exciting as the modern f/x clogged gunfights.
Where "The Searchers" suffers, is in a romantic subplot that the
studio forced Ford to put in because the rest of the film was too
dark. It's between Wayne's partner and a young woman, and it's just
embarrassing.
Faults aside, "The Searchers" is a brilliant western and an example of
true quality in the genre. If you like westerns, this is required
viewing. |
| |
|
© Written by Jacob Hall -
Email
Me! |
TC Candler's Comment
n/a
Richard Propes' Comment
n/a
|
