Review of The Searchers (1956) by Kylie P — 28 Mar 2011

What makes The Searchers the greatest Western film of all time, according to the powers that be when it comes to deciding such things? Is it John Wayne? The Duke is at his usual top form in this film. He plays an openly racist character and manages to make him sympathetic with his signature drawl and quiet bravado. Ethan is stalwart and uncompromising; he's not perfect, and he knows it. Still, this type of persona crops up several times in Wayne's storied filmography. Was Ethan Edwards his best character portrayal, his best performance?

Is it John Ford? The storied director had a long and illustrious film career and no doubt learned much about the use of camera, lighting, to evoke a visual story. He also seemed to have a knack for finding the right pace for the script, and The Searchers is no exception. Though Ethan and Martin's search is long and toils for many years, Ford does not let the story drag nor allow for the whiplash of sudden action. The movie is also beautifully shot; Ford emphasized panorama and, therefore, the size and scope of this near-impossible journey by maximizing the photography of the on-location settings that formed the backdrop for this tale.

Is it the story itself? Reviews and synopses suggest that Ford and the screenwriters, with this film, pioneered an examination of the perspective of the Native culture during a decade when it was fashionable to stereotype Indians as the no-holds-barred villains of the western genre. The perpetrator, Scar, the chief of this tribe, has his reasons for his actions, and the "White man" is not without guilt. In fact, Scar's attitudes toward the families his tribe pillages are directly contrasted with Ethan's more banal and less eloquent views of tribal existence and customs.

Yet, the story itself is not ahead of its time. It's a tale of search and rescue, and the contrasting of prejudice on two sides of the coin is not even necessarily a new concept for this decade in film ("Giant" was released the same year).

Also, this film is not the modicum of cinematic perfection, either; it is flawed at its most basic levels. The overall character development suffers; the lack of background for Ethan's character does not aid the viewer in achieving connection or likability with the character. If any connection is maintained, it's owing chiefly to Wayne's charisma as a performer in this type of vehicle, not because the mystery of his past is so alluring. In fact, the lack of past for Ethan, the character with which the viewer is meant to identify most, is potentially more alienating than the alternative; a bit more explanation for why the character is so openly against Indians would have been a start, if for no other reason than that seemed to be the character's primary motivation for his unerring search, rather than a love for nieces he barely knew.

Some of the supporting performances are, further, nothing short of strange, from Hunter's awkwardly kooky and headstrong Martin to the shrill reactions of his paramour, Laurie (Vera Miiles), in a B-love story that fails to service the overall narrative, even as effective comic relief. That romance is so disjointedly thrust against what is otherwise an uncompromisingly dark and arguably gripping tale of determination and triumph against the odds, it almost sinks the picture entirely.

Of course, therein lies the crux of why The Searchers is bestowed with such accolades. What is ultimately a pretty ordinary western is lent some extraordinariness by the elements described above: Wayne's unflinching anti-hero, Ford's grasp of the genre and ability to pace the picture to the benefit of the viewer's maximum engagement, and the basic story itself and what it represents. Racist and potentially adulterous though he is, Ethan is a man pouring his heart and soul in and risking his life on a search for the love of two helpless girls who need him, regardless of what he did in life prior to the point, and regardless of why the girls need his help in the first place (or what might be fueling his fire to keep riding). Any other social commentary about the history of race relations in this context is buried by the story's sinews centered on courage and determination against insurmountable hurdles.