Review of The Searchers (1956) by Chris Z — 26 Dec 2009
The Searchers is a bit of an inconvenient movie for me, in the sense that it's a beautifully-shot classic that everybody loves. On the other hand, I always found a lot of the acting broad (even for Ford).
The Mose Harper character's a particular offender in this regard. John Wayne's character Ethan, while nuanced, wasn't someone I particularly wanted to spend two hours with--add to that the awkward portrayal of the Comanche Indians, especially the German actor playing 'Scar' (good grief) and Natalie Wood's Debbie, whose attitudes seem to fluctuate from scene to scene towards the end, depending on what the plot demands, didn't help either.
I realize it's been an enormously influential film, but I'd just rather ignore it altogether. That'll be the day.
This review of The Searchers (1956) was written by Chris Z on 26 Dec 2009.
The Searchers has generally received very positive reviews.
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