posted on August 4, 2001 03:57:02 PM new
Are you ready to begin a review of John Ford's 1956 movie "The Searchers"? How does this movie relate to its genre - Western? It may not seem PC now, but did it reflect it's time?
I've viewed several Westerns this week to get a feel for the genre - The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Searchers(twice), Little Big Man, The Shootist, Lust in the Dust, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. How do these movies, and The Searchers in particular, function as a barometer of their times as well as shoot-em-ups? Opinions? What did you think of the photography? the characters? the themes? etc.
posted on August 4, 2001 05:01:10 PM new
Ethan Edwards was an interesting character. He was a very flawed man, a man without a home. The beginning of the movie starts out with a song, it asks what made Ethan the man he is.
What makes a man to wander What makes a man to roam and leave board and home? Ride away, ride away, ride away
Ethan's only tie seems to be with his sister-in-law, Martha. When Ethan rides up she looks at her husband and lowers her eyes. Ethan's brothers questions why Ethan stay around before the war because he had no love for the land, Martha reacts at the question. When Martha gets Ethan his coat you see her stoke it, you know their are strong emotions toward him. Ward Bond witness her actions yet looks away, you know he's not surprise, nor will he ever share his knowledge. As Ethan rides off Martha looks on and hold her daughter Debbie. You have doubts as to whether Debbie is Ethan's niece or daughter. When Ethan returns to the burnt out farm he shows his thoughts, "Martha! Martha!"
Ethan's hate of the indians shows a dark side to him. One striking scene is when he turns and looks at a captive white woman that has been rescued, I've never seen hate captured in an expression as well. It becomes a question as to if Ethan means to rescue Debbie or destroy something of his that has been tainted.
The Searchers was the birth of the anti-hero. Ethan is the hero, but he's also a renegade, you know he lives outside the law. One of the greatest shot in cinema history is the closing shot in The Searchers. All enter the home but Ethan, he stands in the doorway and accepts his job is done, he turns and walks away, and the door closes. The movie begins and ends with the opening and closing of a door.
The cinematography has few equals, the search party being followed by the indians was a fantastic shot. If you go out to monument valley see it from Ford Point (yup, named after John Ford.)
The Searchers has influenced some of the top directors, Spielberg, Lucas, Scorcese all site it as a milestone for them. Scorsese used The Searchers as his blueprint for Taxi Driver.
posted on August 4, 2001 05:15:54 PM new
"The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" is my favorite all time western. I can not even began to tell you how many times I have seen it. Why does it appeal so to me???? Haven't a clue. Great sound track, good cast and I suppose the dustiness??? This was one of those "Italian" westerns that became so popular back in the 70's! It was the first time we saw dusty streets, dirty dirty cowboys, flies buzzing around and everything brown and dingy....Talk about realism, Wow!
posted on August 4, 2001 05:19:54 PM new
Wow, uaru. Have you taken film classes? I watched this movie a few weeks ago when it was on AMC. I got into it by accident and ended up staying up until almost 2 AM to see the ending. To me, it seemed to go on and on and on....yet I watched it to the end. I remember chastising myself for staying up so late to see the whole thing. I remember each scene you referred to, but when I was watching it, the one thing that kept going over my head was why Ethan went to so much bother. I thought it was because he just hated Indians. The way the passage of "time" through the movie was portrayed was a bit confusing too. I can see that quite a bit went over my head now. I'm not particularly a John Wayne fan, but this is the one movie where he doesn't seem to be doing a caracature of himself.
posted on August 4, 2001 05:23:38 PM new
I've seen quite a few 1960s Westerns. Is "The Searchers" typical of Westerns made in the fifties? If not, how is it different?
I viewed it twice and did see much that I'd missed the first time through. I'm sorry to say that I'm not a student of film. Although I've seen thousands of movies, I've never studied the directors, genres, etc. If I'd had more time I would have watched more of Ford's Westerns. Were most Westerns of the period just shoot-em-ups or did they touch on social issues as "The Searchers" and "The Man Who Shot Liberty valance" did?
I did notice the symbolism of the doors (or openings in the cave).
posted on August 4, 2001 06:47:45 PM newWere most Westerns of the period just shoot-em-ups or did they touch on social issues as "The Searchers" and "The Man Who Shot Liberty valance" did?
Depends on the film. Zinnermann's "High Noon", George Steven's "Shane", and William Wyler's "The Big Country" could hardly be called shoot-em ups. All of those had strong messages. There were a lot of shoot-em up horse operas also.
John Ford was very much a rebel that fought for lost causes. In most of his movies there is one common theme, men who are victorious in defeat. In most of his movies the key character(s) face defeat but the manner they deal with that defeat shows the nobility of man. The Informer, The Last Hurrah, They Were Expendable, How Green Was My Valley, Fort Apache, Grapes of Wrath, Cheyenne Autumn, all movies where the main character(s) face ultimate defeat.
Ford often stated that rather than make movies he wish he could have spent his life fighting the British in Northern Ireland.
posted on August 4, 2001 07:07:07 PM new
I saw a trailer on "The Searchers" about how the film was made and all the work that went into clearing roads and bringing in electricity and water to the site. Did the costs of producing Westerns cause Hollywood to stop making them for the most part? I realize that the Vietnam war had an influence on late 60s and 70s Westerns.It certainly changed the tone of them. But Sergio Leone certainly had an audience for his work.
posted on August 5, 2001 12:29:51 AM new
Just got home. Better late then never, though.
I'll admit that is has been many years since I last saw "The Searchers." Sorry to say that I've been too busy this week to watch *any* movies at all. What caught my interest at the time I saw it was the way it touched on the attitude of the white community towards those who'd been captured & then assimilated into Indian life. It not just that Ethan hated Indians for what they'd one to his family. The character reflects the very real fervor of the time period to "reprogram" such captives (much as some parents kidnap & reprogram kids from cults today). The unreasoning hatred the character projects was also, it seemed to me then, a reflection of the racial hatreds portrayed daily in the news (saw it in the late 60's the first time).
posted on August 5, 2001 04:08:22 AM new
There may be another nuance to Ethan's attitude towards the Indian antagonists.
The movie opens with Ethan returning from the Civil War with his sword and stating that he didn't "surrender". It is also alluded to that he robbed a Union gold payroll shipment.
It almost seems that he carries out his distressing loss of the Civil War and directs it towards the Indians. His "never surrender" character carries the search when many would have given up.
Ethan is the "rugged individual" who knows his own mind, suffers no compromises, and won't quit.
