Review of The Searchers (1956) by Aaron A — 14 Jun 2011

"That'll be the day".

Synopsis: After his entire family is viciously wiped out, hardened war veteran Ethan Edwards embarks on a long journey to find his only surviving niece, Debbie, who has been captured by hostile Comanche Indians.

The Searcher is another one of those films where the entertainment value hits you like the ground hits you when you fall off your horse, but where the themes and true value of the film is as subtle as a blade a grass in the sun-choked desert.

The picture's entertainment value is blatant. The film's color palette is rich in a wide assortment of colors; from the garments the characters wear to the natural landscape of the wild west, your eyes will thank you. Also, the film by today's standard is relatively light-hearted (though surprisingly dark for it's time, apparently), and this easy going feeling greatly enhances the few moments that are (for any era) frighteningly heavy. In short, it's entertainment value isn't the confusing aspect of this film, as you should enjoy yourself.

What perplexes me is the film's artistic storytelling. The film is about racism, though little dialogue alluding towards any such theme is spoken; and the actual dialogue that does allude to the theme of racism is extremely direct and casually delivered. In fact, I found it hard to establish a theme of any kind during my initial viewing. Such a script leaves me to the conclusion that this film was not intended as a political statement but rather as a candid Western ment for entertainment purposes. Something of a foil to "Unforgiven".

Though the film is so masterfully made it's hard to understand the picture's true purpose for existing in the first place, the simple fact that the film lends itself to so much analytical viewpoints, means The Searchers is something special.