Review of The Searchers (1956) by Daniel K — 31 May 2010

5: The greatest western ever made and currently #6 on my list of all-time favorite films. It doesn't get more iconic than this. The only westerns that come close for me are My Darling Clementine and Red River.

I still think it is one of the best looking Blu-Ray discs out there, especially when one considers the picture was made in 1956. I get goosebumps when the door opens at the outset of the film and we're greeted with the door frame, the woman's outline, the desert vista, and the lone rider approaching in the distance.

It only grows more beautiful from there. One can see parts of this picture copied in film after film, and not just the shots, but also the characters and themes. George Lucas and Quentin taxation are too of the more obvious, but there are many more.

The performances, the story, the cinematography, the locations, etc are all perfect. Monument Valley is astounding appropriate for the genre, and the manner in which Ford shoots the actors, from a very low angle at which they appear to be monuments themselves only makes the film that much more timeless.

It helps that I've walked on the main set and explored Monument Valley myself, both by vehicle and on foot, but this is entirely unnecessary for the picture to wield its immense power. It seems incredible that anyone could really search for this long, only to change their mind in the end.

The scene in which Wayne picks up Natalie Wood and cradles her in his arms is one of the high points of cinema for me. It, along with bookend beginning and end of the picture through those doors are on my list of all-time favorite scenes.

There is something magical about those doors. Wayne, of course, is always on the outside. There is no warm hearth, friendly table, or rocking chair by the fire waiting for this man. He is an outsider and denied access to the pleasures and niceties of life.

He is a wanderer; a searcher; destined to continue his travels where ever they take him. It doesn't get more archetypal than this. I hadn't seen it in a couple years, so his character was actually a bit of a surprise for me.

I'd grown accustomed to seeing him in some of his later roles, such as The Shootist, True Grit, The Green Berets, The Sons of Katie Elder, In Harm's Way, McLintock!, etc. This is a much harsher, less sympathetic, and much more stubborn character.

He doesn't say much, but for the most part he seems to be what could be called a murdering, vengeful, bigoted bastard. He fills the screen with his presence and lives on in the viewers mind long after he's departed the screen.

He is also surrounded by an outstanding cast. I'll never get tired of seeing this.