CLASSICS CORNER: The Searchers

THE SEARCHERS (1956)

My Rating: **** (out of *****)
Starring: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Ward Bond, Vera Miles, Natalie Wood
Director: John Ford

My Review:

It is sometimes difficult to see a film out of the context in which it was first released. Being born in 1978, I am particularly disadvantaged in that I did not get to experience legendary director John Ford's The Searchers when it first appeared in 1956. So, for those who saw this great film in its original context, consider my handicap, be gracious and open-minded, and continue.

The Searchers opens magnificently with a breathtaking shot of sweeping red desert (Monument Valley, Utah). The image is seen from inside a darkened cabin, and this framing adds to the absolute awe and grandeur of the experience. The spectacle of this particular shot sets the standard for the rest of the film, which sports what could arguably be called the finest Wild West cinematography in movie history. Yes, it's that good. Earth or snow, field or forest, day or night, the wilderness becomes a character in its own right, living, breathing, and expressing at least as much as any of the humans with whom it shares the screen.

Those humans, led by Ford standby John Wayne (in an unusually complex and compelling performance), act out the simple story of a grizzled cowboy and his nephew who, after some of their close kin are brutally slaughtered by Comanche Indians, embark on an increasingly obsessive search for one family member whom they believe to be alive.

While the plot is relatively straightforward, the motivations and development of the characters are wonderfully textured. As mentioned, Wayne gives the performance of his career as Ethan Edwards, a mysterious and solitary man who clearly cared for his murdered family, and seems neither to stop at nothing or be deterred by no one in his quest to find his neice Debbie. As the story progresses, however, Ethan's intentions become increasingly sinister, and we begin to see that he is driven more by revenge than by love. Ethan's hatred for the Comanches runs so deep that he will slaughter grazing buffalo just to rob them of necessary food. At one point, Ethan admits that he will murder Debbie if the Comanches have turned her into "one of them." As it turns out, there is very little to like about Wayne's character in this film, and yet, we are drawn to Ethan as he descends deeper and deeper into madness. Wayne makes him repulsive and magnetic at the same time, and as such, does not allow the viewer to perform an easy dismissal.

The remaining cast members are more or less compelling, sometimes more, sometimes less as the case would have it. The ever-reliable Ward Bond easily walks away with every scene he is in as the region's crusty minister who doubles as an army captain, depending upon the situation. A handful of character actors and Ford staples (including Hank Worden and Harry Carey Jr.) also pepper the landscape with colorful village idiots and seedy outpost operators. Jeffrey Hunter - as Ford's nephew, fellow traveler, and last shred on conscience - is by turns solid and annoyingly goofy. Vera Miles, as Hunter's constantly thwarted love interest, is a feisty, refreshingly bold heroine (for the times), but she too suffers under the weight of the broad (almost silly) humor that Ford sometimes chooses to use in this film. More on that in a moment.

The Searchers is undoubtedly a great movie. It is also a singularly bizarre one. Ford took incalculable risks with this film in terms of tone, style, and subject matter. The film is surely groundbreaking, but alas, all of Ford's generally masterful strokes do not work. Following the aforementioned cinematography and acting, Ford's subject matter (racism, revenge, hatred, murder, rape, obsession) and shades of gray are his strongest suits. While not as sympathetic as most of the film's white characters, Ford's Comanches aren't simply one-note villains. The movie actually encourages us to feel for a group of massacred Indian women and children, and we admire the Indian chief's wit, even as he is clearly presented as a "bad guy." Also, Wayne's largely unsympathetic turn as Ethan brings welcome nuance to the proceedings. What was commonly black and white in earlier cowboy movies is presented, at long last, in the beginnings of Technicolor.

Tone and style are where Ford makes most of his missteps. The movie jumps rapidly between moments of dark, brooding intensity, high melodrama, sharp wit, and broad humor that borders on caricature. The intensity and wit are always successful. The melodrama, while a popular and often successful moviemaking style during the 1950s, is rendered more hackneyed than usual when viewed next to the realism it sometimes accompanies in this film. The movie's broad humor rarely flies, and actually takes away from the strength of the other elements due to its often abrupt and seemingly indiscriminate placement. Finally, the largest flaw comes in the film's final moments, when Ethan's character has a sudden change of heart that is a complete turnaround from all that has come before. The movie gives us no indication whatsoever as to what might have effected this change in Ethan, and thus his reunion with Debbie, which could have been powerfully moving, rings totally false.

The jolting, overly tidy conclusion of Ethan's journey notwithstanding, The Searchers still manages to pack a punch in its closing moments. The film's opening shot is revisited, and this time, instead of coming out of the house to greet Ethan as he arrives, the characters enter into the house, each with his or her individual level of hope and resolve. Through the door frame, we see Ethan hesitate. As the music swells and the screen fades out, we are left with the haunting question of Ethan's fate. Will he enter in? Will he continue on as an embittered loner? This grand cinematic moment is, in a word, sublime.

The Searchers is a marvelous film, and a history maker. Regardless of how the film strikes you, it will undoubtedly arouse stimulating reflection. While not perfect, it's rewards are rich and plentiful.

Not Rated; contains violence (including suggested rape) and mature thematic elements