Pros: Epic John Ford tale of the West Cons: Some of the acting is a little stilted
It is difficult to distil down to one single idea how the story elements in the 1956 film The Searchers work to create such a palpable and at times visceral visual treat. The film is the seminal western. It shows the white man Ethan Edwards as a ...
The Searchers is a movie framed in doorways, from the first scene when Martha Edwards opens the front door of her cabin only to see the tiny figure of Ethan Edwards approaching in the distance, until the end of the...
The SearchersTexas 1868Ethan Edwards returns to his brothers farm three years after the end of the civil war.While Ethan and his adoptive nephew Martin Pawley join a company of Texas Rangers to track a Commanche raiding party, the ...
(A shorter review of this video appears in my "10 Best Westerns" review)
This is the movie for which the Duke should've gotten the Oscar for. Not that Rooster Cogburn isn't a great character, but it's Ethan Edwards that shows that
he was...
Pros: Cast, characters, themes, direction Cons: Choppy narrative, Brandon
John Wayne plays a former confederate soldier on a relentless search for his niece (played at various stages by the Wood sisters Natalie and Lana), kidnapped by Comanche Indians (led by the decidedly ‘honky’-looking Henry Brandon), who also ...
Pros: I can't think of anything smart today Cons: Not for this either
John Ford won four Oscars for Best Director. That’s a hell of an achievement in any film era, especially in these days when directors work when they want – not when the studio makes them – and many are lucky to direct four movies at all. Ford, however, ...
Pros: Epic story, John Wayne in his best dramatic performance, great photography and scenery Cons: Episodic structure requires viewers' concentration. View the restored edition!
John Ford once said, given a choice between facts and myth, he would print the myth. From Ford's earliest silent films, such as THE IRON HORSE (1924) through his l939 groundbreaking Western STAGECOACH (which made John Wayne a star), the tough, ...
Pros: The Searchers is a masterpiece not because it's technically brilliant (though the cinematography is certainly wonderful), but because it puts a heart to all the best westerns, and conjures a feeling of sublime longing, one that, once stirred, can't be shak Cons: Just about none -- its surface looks dated by today's standards, but anyone with the least bit of appreciation for film should be deeply stirred by this dark, uncompromising fable.
By Max Scheinin.
Look at the picture planted next to these words. It's a portrait of a grinning John Wayne, his chin covered in bristles, his eyes a-gleamin', ready to take to the open range. What is it you'd imagine from the film that this...
Pros: Great direction, performance by Wayne Cons: Sappy comedy, music, and ending
I first saw “The Searchers”, which is widely considered to be the greatest Western ever made and one of the greatest films ever made, about 10 years ago, and wasn’t impressed. I didn’t have very much experience with Westerns, and even less experience...
Pros: Perhaps John Wayne's best performance ever, beautiful natural backdrops of Monument Valley and Canada Cons: underrated and under-appreciated
The Searchers is a beautifully-shot, influential film which has resulted in some interesting inspirations, most notably that of Taxi Driver according to director Martin Scorcese and writer Paul Schrader.
Pros: Fun, deep, gorgeous to look at Cons: not much, Pat Wayne in a small role
What is The Searchers, and why is it so enamored by the critics of the post-modern era of film? Why do I love this film so? How many times has this shown up in modern cinema? First, I must say this film is probably not going to be liked by viewers the...
Pros: It will change the way you feel about western films. Cons: It is about 15 minutes too long.
Being a product of the 70s, I was never exposed to western films. I had never seen one but there was no doubt in my mind that I hated them! After all, old men and unmarried uncles watch westerns. Girls do not. The Searchers has changed all that. I...
Pros: cinematography, story, John Wayne Cons: unlikely story elements
"The Searchers" is a very good western, directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne, one of many films that they made together. Considered by many to be one of the best western films ever made, it falls short of that lofty standard. However,...
Pros: John Ford, John Wayne, Beautiful locations Cons: none
In John Ford's The Searchers John Wayne plays Ethan Edwards, a war veteran who returns home just in time to see his family slaughtered by Comanche Indians. Edwards immediately embarks on a quest to rescue the two remaining family members who have been...
Pros: superb performance by John Wayne, great composition by John Ford Cons: None
This film is not only the greatest of its genre, it's one of the greatest films ever - period. Ethan Edwards character is Shakespearean in its scope. Wayne's performance should forever have laid to rest any questions as to his talent and ability -...
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