Upon returning from a trip out to find cattle thieves, Ethan Edwards finds his brother and sister-in-law murdered by Comanches and their two daughters missing. Driven by a hatred of Indians, and a motive of some determination, Edwards and his part Indian companion set off to find the missing girls - it's a perilous journey that will span many years.
The Searchers is one of the greatest Westerns ever made, in fact it's one of the finest pictures all told ever made. Its reputation as such is most definitely warranted, directed and photographed with almost peerles... read the rest.
Overrated Wayne Western with a young Jeffrey Hunter
Released in 1956 and directed by John Ford, "The Searchers" chronicles the story of Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) who returns from the Civil War to his brother's ranch in the Southwest; and to his brother's wife, whom he secretly loves. After the ranch is raided by Comanches, Ethan and his 1/8 Indian nephew (Jeffrey Hunter) search for the band of Indians to get his captive niece back (Natalie Wood). As time passes and the niece assimilates with the Natives it's not certain if Ethan intends on rescuing the girl or killing her.
An interesting film, very well made, but with a weak script.
This is one of those old Western movies where the cowboy figure is glorified as the epitome of the common American hero, the women are helpless youths waiting for a gunslinger to keep them safe, the West is a lawless land where everyone does their own thing. whatever and the natives – in this case, the Comanche – are true terrorists, whom it is lawful to persecute and kill because they commit serial atrocities.
I'm not going to get into any thoughts about the moral of the film or how it views not only Native Americans but wo... read the rest.
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