Review of The Searchers (1956) by Megan . — 04 May 2010

- WARNING: Spoiler alert. -.

Well, what can you expect from the 1950's when it comes to the portrayal of Native Americans? Not much good. Obviously the amount of (very) politically incorrect quips in this film made it hard for me to get attached to John Wayne, and his troupe's, characters - and I didn't feel like there was a strong enough reason to be on the Native's side, either- so what characters in this film could I become interested in, therefore becoming involved in this film? None. Although, I did enjoy Jeffrey Hunter's acting and his character a little bit. I felt so neutral about everything else in this film, though. It had no emotional impact on me other than irritation towards the racist remarks and upset at the dreadful scene of John Wayne's character going to scalp a Native out of pure self-indulgent anger/revenge/racism.

To be on the positive side- I think this film does, however, in a way- shine a light on the effect that racism can have- and it makes an important point. The point being that people's hasty perceptions of that which we do not know much about can really effect our behaviour for the worse. John Wayne's character becomes borderline insane and almost does the unthinkable when he considers killing his own niece just because she has been raised with the Natives. The film does touch on the fact that the racism going on is wrong, but it didn't drive that point home quite enough for me. John Wayne still ends up being the hero in the end of the film despite all of his previous behaviors... and with a very rushed turn-around from his character that did not seem to portray any thoughtful reflection, or guilt, about his attitude and what he had done.

One thing I can commend the film for is for it's sheer beauty, cinematography wise. Of course, John Ford is known to shoot a beautiful picture. The colours, lighting, and shots are stunning.