While I am not the biggest fan of the Western genre, I appreciate a great deal of films from the genre. The Searchers is one of them. It is complex, it is rich and it is quite massive. Yet I think it is somewhat misunderstood too. Why do I say that? Well just reading some of the comments on here pretty much says it all. Comments accusing the film of being racist, of the main character being unlikeable, of the film being dated, John Wayne being too old and being slow and confusing.
First of all, I don't think the film is racist at all. I see I am not the first person to write this, but The Searchers is more ABOUT racism if anything. And most of this comes from the protagonist Ethan Edwards, who is completely different to not only to what the audience expects but to any other character John Wayne has ever played. There are several actions that Edwards commits throughout the film that do shock us and something that we don't expect a main character or any character to do.
But that is the thing. There have been complaints of Ethan Edwards being unlikeable, unorthodox and such. My impression was that he was MEANT to be. Ethan Edwards above all else is an anti-hero, a rootless pioneer and forever framed in the doorways of family homesteads of which he can never become part. John Wayne admittedly has been in a few clunkers in his career, as has every actor and actress in existence, but he has also done some good ones, such as Fort Apache, The Shootist and of course this film. While he pulled off great performances in those movies, being delicate in Fort Apache and poignant in The Shootist, he plays his grittiest, most complex and richest character I think in The Searchers. And his performance is absolutely brilliant, arguably his best, and no I don't think he was too old for the role, there have been actors who have pulled off great performances regardless of their age.
I don't think this film is dated either. The cinematography is beautiful and inventive, and the scenery is well and truly spectacular. Monument Valley especially looks simply magnificent, I have read that like the film it is massive and unmissable, and whoever said that are right I think.
Whether it is slow and confusing is open to interpretation and dependent on whether this is your thing, which I imagine is the case with some people. First with the slow complaint, admittedly it isn't the fastest moving movie in the world, yet it maintained my attention. I'll list two or so movies that were more pedestrian than this one- The Green Berets and Torn Curtain, though the latter was decent actually. The plot isn't confusing for me, it is rich and complex like the characters, but it was interesting with themes of revenge and reconciliation. It may ramble a bit in the middle half I agree, but I accepted that was how it was meant to be.
That's not the whole story though. The score is majestic and haunting, giving real weight to the film, and the writing is very strong. John Ford's direction is masterful, immediately taking grasp of the story, its themes and the characters and merging them into one adeptly. The characters are rich, complex and developed well, while the other acting is very good. Jeffrey Hunter gives a solid performance as Edwards's conscience, and Vera Miles is pretty good too. As is Natalie Wood, the same Natalie Wood who played an adorable little girl in Miracle on 34th Street and a beautiful woman in West Side Story and Splendour in the Grass, while Ward Bond is intriguing and Hank Worden brings a more light-hearted touch to the proceedings. And the ending? Brilliant!
Overall, a brilliant film. 10/10 Bethany Cox
