Review of The Searchers (1956) by Uncle E — 19 Dec 2017

I first saw this film, following an introduction by the late great Barry Norman, who described it as, 'the finest Western ever made'. Being a lover of the more modern Westerns by directors such as Leone and Peckinpah, I took this statement as a challenge, how could a film made in 1956 possibly compare with my favourites ? Then I watched the movie, engrossed from the first scene to the iconic finale and I had to agree that The Searchers was indeed the finest Western I had ever seen.

The vistas were incredible, many of the shots framed by director John Ford looked like oil paintings brought to life, straight from the canvas to the big screen. I was surprised to see the violence of the frontier presented in such a frank and uncompromising fashion. In several key scenes the suggestion of the horrors just out of frame proved the old adage that less is definitely more. In other the words the mind's eye can paint far darker pictures than anything that can be put upon the screen. For a film made in 1956 I was impressed by the unusually balanced way in which the film deals with the conflict between the settlers and the Commanche, the brutality of both sides typified by the fury of Edwards and Scar. I had never seen John Wayne play such an interesting character before, never having been a fan of his more usual bombastic screen persona. Here he plays a tough ruthless individual, a bigot and a racist fuelled by a hatred matched only by his rival Scar. I was delighted to find the heart of the movie, and in my opinion the real hero, was neither white nor native, but the part Cherokee orphan Martin Pawley, brilliantly portrayed by Jeffrey Hunter. It's his character that wears down the gruff, uncompromising Edwards with his steadfast determination and compassion forcing the older man to recognise the error of his ways or at least soften them enough to make his part redemption believable.

As the door closed on that iconic finale a whole new era of cinema was opened up to me and I was forced to challenge my own prejudices. No longer would I dismiss a film based upon my pre-conceived notions of the cast or production date. Even to this day The Searchers remains my favourite film, indeed only the magnificent Unforgiven comes close, but even more importantly it opened up decades of cinema I had previously dismissed out of hand. If not for the brilliance of Ford I would never have discovered classics such as Casablanca, Vertigo or Citizen Kane. Will there ever be a Western to surpass The Searchers - 'That'll be the day !'.