The Searchers

A classic John Ford (director), John Wayne (lead actor) Western. Did you know that I love Westerns? The Searchers is so good because the story is simple but the motivations are complex. The plot is straightforward, but there is a lot more showing than telling. I also love the scenery. While a lot of the film is shot on sound stages with painted backdrops there are also many breathtaking shots of the southwestern scenery. It's movies like this (or perhaps this movie in particular) that shaped my ideas about what to expect in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. I've been disappointed to never quite see anything like it in real life.

The story is a about a man, Ethan, and a younger man, Martin, the adopted son of Ethan's brother, who search for Ethan's niece, Debby, who was kidnapped in an Indian raid. The rest of the family was killed. The two men search for years for Debby and their quest is bitter, hopeless and relentless. The world they travel is harsh and unkind. They return to their community every couple of years to a usually warm welcome. They could make a home but Ethan won't give up the search and Martin feels the need to watch him. Why? Martin doesn't trust Ethan, who has a violent temper. Martin is afraid that Ethan would sacrifice Debby's life to seek vengeance on the Indians who took her.

The fascinating part of the movie is the undercurrent (it's not that under, really) of racism towards the Indians. In Ethan's eyes, becoming "one of them" might be worse than being killed. His relationship with Martin is ambivalent, too, because Martin is either 1/4 (according to Ethan) or 1/8 (according to Martin) Indian. Ethan loves and hates Martin. Some say Ethan is John Wayne's best role, better than his Oscar winning performance in True Grit. I think I agree.