Streaming Gems: The Searchers (1956) - Opinion
Photo from The Hollywood Report
From Shane Conto
When you think of westerns… who do you think of? There have been plenty of figures in this genre who made their impact on its legacy. The western genre was for close to a century one of the most significant fixtures in film. Over the last few decades, it certainly fell out of favor with the changes to our society’s perspective on “The Old West”. But there are a couple of people responsible for shaping this mythological representation of that period in American history. John Ford. John Wayne.
But what is the crowning achievement of these two influential figures of American cinema? Ford and Wayne started working together in the 1930s which launched Wayne into stardom thanks to Stagecoach. Their working relationship evolved through the 1960s with plenty of films in their filmographies. But one film took the classic western genre and elevated and challenged it…The Searchers. Many Ford/Wayne collaborations are glorious love letters to the Old West and the great American spirit. But there is something different about this film. There are certainly motifs, visuals, and elements of Ford’s previous westerns here but there is so much more.
Where does the extra layer of complexity begin? Ethan Edwards. Wayne’s character is more gray than most characters he has played in the past. He has played criminals but they were honorable. Ethan is something else. This man is a Confederate who did not believe the war ever ended. There is a coldness in the way he speaks about his criminal past. The racism is not underneath the surface…it boils to the top. Ethan is not a hero to get behind. That is why we have Jeffrey Hunter’s Martin to latch onto. Ethan is never meant to be a hero. He is a deeply flawed man whose motivations to rescue his captured nieces from an indigenous tribe is not fully honorable. The perfect representation of this disconnected and aversive character is the final shot that leaves him in the wilderness, framed out by the darkness of a doorway (one of the most iconic shots in the history of film).
But the journey rises to the occasion, right? This story focuses on the massacre of a frontier family by an indigenous tribe. Ethan and Martin go out on a years spanning journey to rescue Ethan’s two nieces who were kidnapped by the tribe. This is a story of grief, loss, struggle, persistence, love, and the frontier. Ford is able to bring out these themes in meaningful ways through the impressive script of Frank S. Nugent. There is affecting tension between Ethan and Martin that creates plenty of drama along the way. Ethan is a cold killer and racist and Martin is a loving young mixed race man who wants to save his family. There are thrilling chases, shoot outs, and brawls throughout the film. There is plenty of excitement and drama to make this an engrossing journey.
But what makes this deeper than the rest of Ford’s western filmography? There is an acceptance of complexity to these characters. The film never tries to trick you into thinking that Ethan is a good man. We know that Ethan is not a good man but his motivations align with the mission of our hero. But Ethan is just a reflection of Scar (the leader of this indigenous tribe). There are two sides of the same coin. There is a moral complexity to this film that you do not see in many of Ford’s films. Even the dynamic between Ethan and his niece Debbie, who assimilated into the tribe, is complicated. Will Ethan save her and “put her out of her misery”? There is mystery and twists around every corner in this thrilling western.
But what is the biggest selling point of The Searchers? This is Wayne's greatest performance of his career. There is so much more depth to Ethan than most of Wayne’s other characters. You can feel the coldness and danger in just Wayne’s presence. There are subtle moments that show Ethan is capable of love (uncomfortably as he flirts with his own brother’s wife). There is one scene where Ethan must reveal a horrible truth and Wayne delivers more emotion in one shot than he does in most of his films’ whole runtimes. But it is a dialogueless expression of grief and vulnerability in the film’s final frame that sealed the deal.
Why should you check out Ford’s The Searchers? This is the best film in the filmography of one of America’s greatest filmmakers. This features the best performance of one of Hollywood’s greatest movie stars. This is the peak of a whole genre of film. There is nothing like the gorgeous filmmaking of Ford and how he captures the beauty of Monument Valley. This is a towering epic of cinema and needs to be experienced.
You can find The Searchers (1956) streaming on the Max.
