Matt Shea
RubySoho
Morgan Bell
Cibbuano
David O'Connell
Mountain Fog
The Searchers
August 6th 2007 22:29
John Wayne is one baaaad cowboy... the original man's man, he epitomized the idea of masculinity - no fear, no doubt, rough hands and a quick shot.
Even now, it's hard to watch John Wayne in The Searchers and not feel that little-boy-shine for an iconic American actor.
Wayne starred in many of John Ford's movies, but The Searchers is, arguably, the most recognized. Wayne plays Ethan Edwards, a rough loner who returns after fighting in the Civil War, to come and rescue his niece. He delivers his most famous John Wayne line:
"That'll be the day"
As a little kid, I didn't really grow up watching westerns... my father liked them, but the seemed so old and slow to me. After all, I was raised on the milk and sweat of lasers and spaceships, with Star Wars being the Holy Grail.
It's fascinating, though... I loved Star Wars, but The Searchers was a direct influence on George Lucas... the scene where Luke returns to find his uncle's house in flames is eerily similar to the same scene in The Searchers. Wayne plays a different type of Han Solo than Harrison Ford, but all the important points are there: ambiguous morality, blunt tongue, good at killing.
Ah, what a wonderful world. Ford's old westerns bring nostalgic collective memories of the Old West flying back... the savageness of the land, the cruelty of the weather, the unfair portrayal of natives. It may have been fanciful, but Ford's vision of the Wild West is probably dearer to the American public than the real thing.
Even now, Ford's location shots are stunning to watch, with beautiful backdrops of Utah accompanying Wayne on his voyage. It's easy to feel nostalgic when the West looks so damn good.
The Searchers is actually a riveting story, keeping the pace with silence and plot twists. Wayne walks through the film with his famous strut, which seems to indicate that he's got big steel balls, unafraid to face down angry Comanches or even the local Sheriff. Surprisingly, it doesn't feel dated much, with only the acting holding it down (though the fight scene between Marty and Charlie is uproarious). In fact, I'd say The Searchers is still an incredible, vibrant film, and it'll inspire directors to come for many years.
I say: Watch it and love it. See what Kurosawa, Lucas and Leone were all excited about.
See it for: The Comanche Indians are awesome. They're probably meant to be terrifying, but they come off as so damn cool.
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Comment by Damo
Most modern scifi is just rehashed westerns.
I have seen this movie dozens of times and it is still a good western.
Forget the racist overtones and the showing of the Injuns as being a form of insanity. Many people like Wagna's Operas despite its radical anti-semitism. It is still a good movie in itself.
Ethan is a character with as many faults as he has strengths. Tough, experienced and a natural leader but also bitter angry and a cold blooded killer.
Shooting the eyes out of a dead indian to prevent him from going to heaven. Trying to shoot his his niece for becoming too Indian is a disturbing look at he personal hates.
The boss indian was definitely cool even when he throws a stone at a barking dog.
Yet overall this is a very entertaining western.
Comment by Cibbuano
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Ethan is an incredibly complex character... Wayne does it best.
Comment by Mr Nice Guy
Pop Culturist
Pop Rock Factory
Wayne is tremendous in this. He's a bigot and a racist - a tragic, lonely, morally-ambiguous figure - that brings the whole anti-hero thang to life.
As for the Comanche Indians - yep they're dammnn cool.
Cheers
MNG
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Comment by KylieW
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I was never a big fan of westerns either, but I ended up watching quite a lot of them thanks to there being nothing else on tv on a sunday arvo. So I don't mind a good western.
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Comment by Stanley
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Comment by Chic Critique
John Wayne is one of the best - they're classics for a reason. It's always nice to be reminded why though when you watch them again, isn't it?
Cheers
CC
Comment by Cibbuano
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I had this moment when watching Some Like it Hot in a theatre last month!
Comment by JohnDoe
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
The shutting of the door effectively saying he will never live in civilised society carries a haunting power when seen at the cinema.