Review of The Searchers (1956) by Augustine H — 05 Aug 2013
Directed by John Ford, whose name defines the American Western, created this epic based on the 1954 novel of the same name by Alan Le May and produced by businessman and philanthropist Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney.
Ford was reunited with his regular leading man John Wayne, (they had countless collaborations together), and this does make for a very good film, and the grand vistas of the old west come out brilliantly in widescreen here.
It begins in 1868, where Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) returns from the American Civil War to his the ranch that belongs to his brother Aaron (Walter Coy), which he lives on with his wife Martha (Dorothy Jordan), their son Ben (Robert Lyden) and daughters Debbie (Lana Wood) and Lucy (Pippa Scott).
But there's been wars in and around the ranch with the Comanche Indians, and they use a theft to lure Ethan and Aaron away from the ranch, where the house is burnt down, and the daughters have been abducted by the Comanche tribe.
Ethan and Aaron swear revenge on the Comanche tribe for what they've done, but finding Debbie and Lucy isn't easy, and sneaking up on the Comanche's isn't easy, and it takes a lot of time for them to get even, but Ethan and Aaron put together a band of Rangers to help.
It's heart is in the right place, but it's not very sympathetic to the Comanche Indians either. But, this made great use of VistaVision, which looks great on screen, but it is a long film, and it takes a while for our heroes to extract their bloody revenge.
But Ford gets the best from his cast, and it's easy to see why it's a beloved western.
This review of The Searchers (1956) was written by Augustine H on 05 Aug 2013.
The Searchers has generally received very positive reviews.
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