The Searchers is as good as it gets
By The Prodigal Fool, published on 30 April 2009
If John Wayne wrote a blog, we know he’d keep it short and to the point. So will we: The Guide is a big fan of the Western and – in our view – Westerns don’t get any better than John Ford’s The Searchers.
From the now infamous opening shot (which bookends the film with its near-identical closing shot) of the harsh, untamed West as seen from inside the family home, you know you’re watching something special.
There’s so much here to like and admire. From the way Ford captures the poetic grandeur of Monument Valley to the understated yet immensely powerful performance that Wayne turns in in the central role. There’s real depth here.
The Searchers tells the emotionally complex story of a man who – driven by revenge and racism – devotes five years of his life to a quest to find his two nieces who have been kidnapped by the Comanche. Not exactly light-viewing right? Well no, but the story has so many layers to it, takes it times telling the story, looks so beautiful, that it turns into an journey of self-discovery for the audience almost as much as for the main protagonist.
The film works on many levels. There’s the simple story of revenge and redemption that Wayne’s character follows but, along the way, the film also has a lot to say about the American character, about racism, sexism and the conflict between so-called civilisation (represented so vividly by those shots from inside the home) and the wilderness. It’s quintessentially American in its pre-occupations.
It’s also, incidentally, the only answer you need to those who would suggest that John Wayne was a poor actor. In this film, his first – perhaps his only – anti-heroic role, he plays a man who, even by the standards of the day was not a likeable person. Both a bigot and a racist, Wayne’s character is a tragic, lonely, morally-ambiguous figure doomed it would seem to always be an outsider. If you’ve every doubted Wayne’s acting ability, watch his performance as his character breaks down after returning from exploring the canyon about mid-way through the film. Unforgettable.
Yes, The Searchers is not just one of the greatest Westerns but, in our view, one of the greatest films of all time.
The Searchers is as good as it gets
If John Wayne wrote a blog, we know he’d keep it short and to the point. So will we: The Guide is a big fan of the Western and – in our view – Westerns don’t get any better than John Ford’s The Searchers. From the now infamous opening shot (which bookends the film with [...]
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