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The Searchers
1956
John Ford's classic western combines spectacular scenery with a solid narrative. A civil war veteran trails Indians to rescue his niece. Read more
| Starring | John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Natalie Wood |
|---|---|
| Director | John Ford |
| Genres | Action/Adventure |
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The Searchers
John Ford's classic western combines spectacular scenery with a solid narrative. A civil war veteran trails Indians to rescue his niece.
| Starring | John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Natalie Wood, Ward Bond, Henry Brandon, John Qualen, Olive Carey |
|---|---|
| Director | John Ford |
| Studio | WARNER HOME VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 54 mins Blu-ray: 1 hr 54 mins HD DVD: 1 hr 59 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Collections | 100 Wild Westerns |
| Genres | Action/Adventure |
| Language | DVD: English Blu-ray: English HD DVD: English |
| Dubbed | French, Italian |
| Hearing-impaired | English, Italian |
| Subtitles | DVD: Arabic, Bulgarian, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish |
| Released | DVD: 14 Mar 2005 Blu-ray: 18 Dec 2006 HD DVD: 18 Dec 2006 Production year: 1956 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (5)
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Like Monument Valley, where it was filmed, this masterpiece western of revenge and reconciliation from director John Ford is massive and unmissable. It touches the heart of racist darkness and cleanses itself in the process. As John Wayne's Ethan Edwards sets out to kill both the Comanche butcher of his brother's family and the abducted niece who, in his eyes, has turned native, his five-year quest becomes a search for his own soul. Jeffrey Hunter is the conscience along for the ride, but it's the complexity of Wayne's antihero that reveals him as a rootless pioneer, forever framed in the doorways of family homesteads of which he can never become part. Ford's great allegory is of a people lost and found.
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Disturbing Western of obsession and racism which has become Ford's most influential film, in which Wayne gives his most ambiguous performance, being no longer a simple gung-ho hero, but a tormented loner out of step with his society. Its themes of loss an
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Most helpful member's review
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25 out of 32 people found this review helpful
Worthy of classic status?
The Searchers is one of those films regularly quoted in the critics 'best films of all time' and is one of those films that I feel that I ought to have seen. The good thing about being part of this DVD rental scheme is that it allows one the chance to fill the gaps in film knowledge.
So is the Searchers worthy of its classic status? Well, kind of. It is certainly a complex story and works on many levels. There are a number of emotionally distressing scenes that are all the more affecting because film makers of the 1950's were not permitted to be as explicit as they are today. But the era in which the film was made does led to drawbacks - the declamatory acting style, the melodramatic music interfere with rather than enhance character and narrative.
For me the real flaw is with John Wayne - film star sure - but not character actor and the central performance lets the film down badly.
It looks superb and when compared with most of the tosh produced by Hollywood today and is well worth renting, however, this is probably one of those classic films that would benefit from a remake. -
Most recent members' review
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3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
A Ground Breaking Western
This is surely one of the best westerns ever made, and certainly John Wayne and John Ford's best film.
Made in the 1956, it is as close to a realistic portrayal of life on the Indian frontier, as that time's society would allow. It is darker than any previous western and few, even by today?s standards, are as hard hitting.
Wayne plays an Indian-hating racist, on the five year trail of the tribe who brutally murdered his brother, sister in-law and nephew, raping his older niece before killing her too and carrying off his younger niece as a prize, to live in bondage. This is ostensibly a rescue mission, with Wayne accompanied by his half nephew (Jeffrey Hunter), a more moderate character, who has Indian blood in his veins. As the years draw on it is obvious that Wayne is after revenge, and that he feels that his niece (who is now a squaw), would be better off dead than rescued. Hunter, who cares only for the rescue of his little sister, must try to stop him from killing her as they close in on the renegade tribe. The tension between the older and younger man is a large part of the story and provides Ford with the opportunity to display Wayne?s character?s racist tendencies in his attitude to his companion.
It is a brilliantly realised story of revenge and racial hatred (told from several perspectives). The love story, which runs in parallel, provides a welcome contrast of humour and romance to the intense quest of the two men, but this remains a serious film.
Put this one up there with other great Westerns: - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, Bad Company, Unforgiven, Open Range, The Outlaw Josey Whales, Once Upon a Time in the West ? It should be somewhere in the top three! -
News and features
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Godfather and Oz top movie lists
- 20 Jun 2008
The Godfather and The Wizard of Oz have both been named as best films in lists compiled by the American Film Institute (AFI). A jury of 1,500 film artists, critics and historians drew up ten lists, which were divided into ten genres including gangster, sci-fi, animated and Western. President of the AFI, Bob Gazzale, said that this kind of exposure helps to keep classic films in the cultural consciousness. As well as Oz and the Godfather, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Searchers, Raging Bull and... Read more
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Searchers, The - HD DVD Version
A classic Western regarded by many as the best of the genre, John Ford's THE SEARCHERS has been acknowledged by several directors who came into their own in the 1970s, including Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Paul Schrader, and George Lucas, as a powerful influence on their work. The film stars ...
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- Searchers, The - BLU-RAY Version
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John Ford's classic western combines spectacular scenery with a solid narrative. A civil war veteran trails Indians to rescue his niece.... -
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John Ford's classic western combines spectacular scenery with a solid narrative. A civil war veteran trails Indians to rescue his niece.... -