ReWatch: The Searchers

• Directed by John Ford
• May 16, 1956 (Chicago Theatre)
• Based on the 1954 novel The Searchers by Alan Le May

A middle-aged Civil War veteran spends years looking for his abducted niece accompanied by his mixed race adopted nephew.

Though not a hit at the time of release, The Searchers is one of those movies that found its audience over time and deservedly so. It said that Wayne’s character of Ethan Edwards is one of the most complex he and Ford ever brought to the screen. I would agree as Ethan is a man with a clear code of conduct and morality whose own actions at time contradict what he puts forth.

Ethan treats everyone (white) equally yet is clearly racist and harder than necessary on his adopted nephew Martin (Jeffrey Hunter). Nothing Martin does is ever quite good enough and to simply be acceptable he must do more than others. Yet he has a stubborn streak that borders on confrontational that compels him to stand up to Ethan.

Ethan is an unrepentant former Confederate soldier who never quite surrendered and doesn’t ever intend to. It is implied he robbed and engaged in a life of crime until returning to the family homestead. The premise of The Searchers kicks off when Ethan along with Rev. Capt. Samuel Johnson Clayton (Ward Bond) doubling as a Texas Ranger set off to reclaim some cattle stolen by Native Americans, which turns out to be a diversion for a murder raid that kills Ethan’s relatives.

Ethans quest to save his niece Debbie (Natalie Wood) is as much a quest to save his niece as it is an excuse to kill. Ethan often deals with a situation in as bloody a way as possible. The bodies really do pile up in this film. Heck, Ethan even goes through the pockets of a man he shot. When else did you ever see a John Wayne character do that? Admittedly he was taking back money he had paid the man for information on his missing niece but still…

Ethan’s nephew Martin must grow from a boy into a man and that’s exactly what he does during the course of the film. He’s also seeking to prove himself to Ethan though exactly why doesn’t seem to be quite understood by him either. Ethan must grow as well. He needs to leave his hatred in the past and get beyond his bigotry which he more or less does by the end of the film.

There is a heavy atmosphere in this whole movie, despite any of the lighter stuff. It’s not a fun and hopeful Western of the myth making type. These are people trying to tame a dangerous land and danger is all around-and not just from the natives who do not wish them there. Sometimes it’s from their fellow settlers. In this film Ford tried to address the darker elements of human nature. It touches on greed using Futterman (Peter Mamakos). And there is the racism of Ethan.

The story itself is a slow burn. Upon this re-watch, I actually grew to enjoy the film much more. Still not my favorite John Wayne movie but it has risen in my estimation. The characters are vastly more complex and the story is not about just throwing fists. It’s about characters growing. The quest is not about saving Debbie. It is about saving themselves.

Presented here are flawed characters but not so flawed that they need therapy. They have baggage and this film is about them overcoming it. Hard decisions have to be made. Do they rescue Debbie or leave her in her life? If they don’t given events that are beyond their control, Debbie will most likely die. There is a Comanche chief on a road of revenge and he is making himself a massive target.

The scene involving Ethan, Martin, and Chief Scar (Henry Brandon) is probably one of my favorites in the movie. Martin may not be aware of what’s going on, but Ethan and Scar clearly know what’s in the mind of the other yet neither quite says it. The scene is the two men sizing each other up, and trying to discern what the next move is. It’s not so much about what is said and done but what is not said and what is not done.

This has the fantastic direction one would expect from John Ford and it’s filled with lush cinematography that treats the stark landscape of the West as art. It is a beautiful to look at film. He turned in some amazing films in his career. While this didn’t resonate initially with audiences, it has aged quite well and proven itself to be a classic. Unfortunately there is the occasional shot filmed obviously on a soundstage which does not mesh well with the largely location shot footage.

My assessment of The Searchers is much higher than it was originally. It’s just a great film with complex and interesting characters. It’s not an uplifting or myth making Western, but rather a serious drama with something to say. If you have not seen this you most certainly should.