The Searchers
Tags: realism, murder, cult, violence, atmospheric, revenge

Plot synopsis:
Three years after the end of the Civil War, Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) rides onto the Texas farm owned by his brother, Aaron (Walter Coy). Aaron is a little wary of Ethan, who has not been seen since the surrender of the Confederate Army, but his children -- Lucy, Ben and Debbie -- are all overjoyed to see him. So is Martha (Dorothy Jordan), Aaron's wife; she and Ethan clearly are in love though they cannot act on it. Aaron and Martha's adopted quarter Cherokee son Martin arrives for dinner. He greets Ethan but Ethan is very unhappy in his presence despite the fact that he is the one who found him abandoned as an infant. Martin and everybody else can see Ethan's dislike for him. As the night draws in,Martin sits outside on the porch feeling distant from the family in Ethan's presence. He goes to off to bed as do the other kids, and Aaron and Martha soon discover that Ethan is in possession of newly minted Northern money. Aaron agrees to hide the money for Ethan and tells him he is free to stay as long as he likes. Ethan knows his welcome is tenuous, however, and after everyone else goes to bed, sits alone on the porch.The next morning, the Reverend Captain Samuel Clayton (Ward Bond), the area's minister and captain of the Texas Rangers, comes with a posse to the farm. Someone has run off Lars Jorgensen's (John Qualen) cattle. Clayton deputizes Aaron and Martin to join the Rangers' posse. Ethan tells Aaron he is not to go but instead to stay close to home in case the cattle rustling was in fact a diversionary ploy by aggressive Native Americans. Clayton is glad to see his former compatriot in the Confederate Army but also mentions that Ethan matches the description of a lot of wanted criminals. Ethan agrees to go with the Rangers to search for the cattle but refuses to swear an oath to the state of Texas, believing that his oath to the Confederacy is sufficient.They ride off and follow the trail and it isn't long before Marty tries to share his concerns about what they are following with Ethan, but Ethan is dismissive because of Marty's biracial heritage. After several hours of riding, the posse finds Jorgensen's cattle slaughtered in the desert. They realize that a band of Comanche Indians have lured them away from their farms. Because Jorgensen's farm is closest, most of the posse rides there. Ethan, Marty and the slightly demented Mose Harper (Hank Worden) decide to ride for Aaron's farm. But Marty wants to ride off straight away and Ethan knows that the horses won't make it. They need resting for a while. Martin doesn't care and angrily rides off anyway. As dusk sets in,Aaron becomes suspicious at his farm as he hears noises in the distance.Fully aware of what Mose was saying about the Comanches, he and Martha try to stay calm in front of the kids while Aaron picks up a shotgun to pretend he's going to do some hens.Martha starts to close the windows and put out the lights.Lucy realises what is going on and starts to scream in terror.Martha slaps her and tries to calm her and comfort her. They get Debbie out of the window so that she can go off to safety while they prepare for the inevitable.Debbie runs off and sits by an headstone. A shadow looms over her. it is the chief of the tribe, Scar. He blows his horn to call his tribe. Early in the morning,Ethan and Mose ride along and see Martin stood wanting a ride from them. His horse has failed to make the journey but Ethan rides along passed him and Mose follows. Ethan sees that the ranch is burned down and rides down to try to find any survivors from the attack.Aaron, Martha and Ben have been slaughtered, and Lucy and Debbie are missing.As the funeral takes place and the people sing an hymn, Ethan becomes frustrated and just what's to get on with taking revenge. He tells Clayton to cut the prayer short so that they can go searching for Debbie and Lucy. They find a partially buried Indian corpse,who has died apparently from from been wounded during the attack. Ethan shoots the warrior's eyes out to further mutilate the corpse and prevent it from reaching the afterlife. Soon Ethan finds the Comanches setting up camp near a river 20 miles away from where the rest of the posse are.He returns to them and tells them they'll wait until nightfall and attack them. Clayton doesn't think it's a good idea because it could result in Lucy and Debbie been killed. Instead they slowly sneak in but find that they are gone.As they travel along the desert,the Comanches try to get the posse into a trap. They manage to make it to the other side of the river and fend them off in a gun battle,which results in one of them been wounded. As the Comnahces try to collect their dead and injured members,Ethan tries to shoot more of them but Clayton stops him. Full of rage, Ethan angrily tells them that he's going on alone to pursue them.Marty and Lucy's boyfriend Brad Jorgensen (Harry Carey, Jr.) want to join him.Ethan agrees on the condition that he's in charge.The three of them separate from the rest of them,who return home with the wounded member of the group.Soon Brad the Indians encampment one night, he believes he sees Lucy's distinctive dress. Ethan tells him that he found Lucy's defiled corpse in a canyon when the three men had split up to follow different trails. Insane with rage, Brad rides wildly into the Indian camp on his own.Marty tries to stop him but Ethan grabs him to prevent him following.Gunshots are heard in the distance and Brad is soon killed.Ethan and Marty continue on their search but as winter sets in, they lose their trail. They return to the Jorgensens' ranch. Marty has a tenuous romantic relationship with the Jorgensens' daughter, Laurie (Vera Miles). Mrs. Jorgensen gives Ethan a letter from a trader named Futterman who says he might have information about Debbie. Ethan arranges for Marty to stay with the Jorgensens but Marty wants to go with him. However in the morning, he discovers that Ethan has taken off on his own. Fearing that Ethan will kill Debbie if he finds her, he still takes off after him much to Laurie's displeasure.At Futterman's trading post he tells them that he purchased a swatch of calico print dress from an Indian band led by a war chief named Scar. Marty recognises it as Debbie's. Futterman tells them that she was taken by Scar,the chief of the Nawyecka tribe.Ethan pays Futterman part of the reward. He tells him he'll get the rest when and if they find Debbie.Futterman asks them if they want to stay the night but Ethan refuses. He knows Futterman is after his money.Later that night, Futterman and two accomplices follow Ethan and Marty for the rest of the money. But Ethan knows what they are up to. He leaves Marty by the camp fire to sleep while he goes to hide with a rifle,ready to take the men out. He shoots all three men in the back and retrieves his money from the dead body.Marty is angry that Ethan just left him for bait but Ethan just calmly tells him to get ready to move on.By now, the search for Debbie has continued for a year or more. Marty writes a letter to Laurie detailing his and Ethan's attempts to find Debbie.Charlie McCory delivers the letter and she reads it out loud to the family and narrates the next part of their journey.Ethan and Marty have traveled out of Texas into Colorado and parts north. Laurie is outraged to learn that Marty accidentally acquired an Indian bride, Look (Beulah Archuletta) while trying to trade for blankets with a different band of Comanche. Marty tried to drive her away but Ethan finds the situation amusing. When Look learned they were tracking Scar, she abandoned them in the night. They later found her in a Comanche camp that had been slaughtered by the American calvary. Marty and Ethan visited a local fort where white women who had been with the Comanche are, having been rescued by the cavalry. Ethan and Martin tell them that they are looking for a girl who was taken and will be around the age of 14 now. They are taken to three girls of that age,who appear to be deranged from their experiences but none of them are Debbie. One of the girls snatches Debbie's doll from Marty's hands and as she rocks with it back and forth, Ethan looks her horrified,thinking of what Debbie will be like if they find her.Laurie finshes reading the letter by telling everyone that Ethan and Marty are heading for the new territory. Laurie swears she will give up on Marty, which delights Charlie, who begins to serenade her.Five years later, Ethan and Marty are in New Mexico territory, where they find Mose in a cantina. He has met Figueroa, a merchant who trades with Scar's tribe. Figueroa takes them to meet Scar (Henry Brandon). Scar and Ethan are both annoyed to learn each speaks the other's language. In Scar's tent, Ethan and Marty see Debbie (Natalie Wood), now a teenager. They return to their own camp by a creek. Marty asks Ethan if Scar wants to kill them.Ethan reckons so and explains that the only reason he has let them escape with their lives for now is because of the Comanche code of honour. In the distance Debbie comes running down the sand dune to Marty. He begs her to try and remember him. She says she does but the Comanche are her people now and they must leave her. Ethan pulls out his gun and orders Marty to move away from her so that he can kill her but Marty blocks him. Just then, Scar's warriors attack and Ethan is wounded by a poisoned arrow. He and Marty ride off with the Indians in pursuit.They take cover in a cave and fend them off with their pistols.Ethan rests up,while Marty tends to him. Later,Ethan gives him a letter to read. He wants Marty to take all his possessions should he die but Marty isn't happy about it,as Debbie's his next of kin. But Ethan just considers her an indian now and not a relation.Marty refuses to accept it and tells him he hopes he dies.A while later, they return to the Jorgensens just as Laurie and Charlie are about to be married. They are just about to enter the house when Lars tries to stop them and tells them they are wanted for Futterson's death.He tells them to hide but Ethan walks in anyway to greet everyone.His return is met with silence. Marty is upset to find out that Laurie was going to marry someone else and shocked when he finds out it's Charlie.They end up having a fight and although neither man wins, the wedding is called off. Just as Clayton is about to arrest Ethan and Marty, a young calvary officer called Lt.Greenhill (Patrick Wayne) arrives with Mose who had been captured by Scar's tribe but managed to escape once they came close to the Jorgensens' farm. Clayton organizes his Rangers again and, with Ethan and Marty, they ride out to confront Scar.Ethan wants to charge into Scar's camp, hoping that Scar will kill Debbie so he doesn't have to. Marty persuades Clayton (who is in charge) to let him sneak into camp and rescue Debbie before the charge. When he does so, he has to keep her from screaming for help. Scar enters the tent but Marty beats him to the draw, killing him. Clayton, Ethan and the Rangers charge into the camp, killing or scattering the Comanche. Ethan finds Scar's body and scalps it.As he rides out of the tent holding the scalp, he sees Debbie in the distance.Fearing for her life she runs away and Ethan rides after her.Knocking Marty aside, he pursues near a cave. As she cowers, he reaches down and picks her up. Cradling her in his arms, he says, "Let's go home, Debbie."Ethan and Marty take Debbie back to the Jorgensens' ranch, where Lars, Mrs. Jorgensen, and Mose (sitting on the porch on a rocking chair) are waiting. They take her inside, followed by Marty and Laurie. Ethan stands outside, then turns and walks away as the door closes on him.

Review: It deals with a Civil War veteran , Ethan Edwards (John Wayne as an embittered Indian-hating , ex-Confederate soldier gives his best acting through a long career) along with Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter was nearly 29 at the time of filming, although his character was supposed to be a teenager , though Robert Wagner auditioned for the character) and Brad Jorgensen (Harry Carey Jr) embark on a relentless journey , spanning several years , to rescue his niece (Natalie Wood as a grown-up girl and his youngest sister Lana Wood as a child, the latter starred a bit later on a similar film titled Greyeagle) who was abducted years earlier from an Indian tribe .
Ford gets to ensemble a magnificent supporting cast , plenty of familiar faces such as John Qualen , Olive Carey , Henry Brandon , Ken Curtis , Harry Carey Jr., film debut of Pippa Scott , Antonio Moreno , the role of a young cavalry officer, Lt. Greenhill, is played by Patrick Wayne, John Wayne's son and great featured-role acting by veteran War Bond .
When you add the fact that THE SEARCHERS also contains John Wayne's greatest performance to the film's merits, it becomes easy to see why it is on the short list of the greatest motion pictures ever made.The plot is deceptively simple; after a Comanche raiding party massacres a family, taking the youngest daughter prisoner, her uncle, Ethan Edwards (Wayne), and adopted brother, Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter), begin a long quest to try and rescue her.
Only Pawley's love of his 'sister' and determination to protect her stands in his way, making the film's climax, and Wayne's portrayal of Edwards, an unforgettable experience.With all of Ford's unique 'touches' clearly in evidence (the doorways 'framing' the film's opening and conclusion, with a cave opening serving the same function at the film's climax; the extensive use of Monument Valley; and the nearly lurid palette of color highlighting key moments) and his reliance on his 'stock' company of players (Wayne, Ward Bond, John Qualen, Olive Carey, Harry Carey, Jr, Hank Worden, and Ken Curtis), the film marks the emergence of the 'mature' Ford, no longer deifying the innocence of the era, but dealing with it in human terms, where 'white men' were as capable of savagery as Indians, frequently with less justification.Featuring 18-year old Natalie Wood in one of her first 'adult' roles, the sparkling Vera Miles as Pawley's love interest, Wayne's son Patrick in comic relief, and the harmonies of the Sons of the Pioneers accenting Max Steiner's rich score, THE SEARCHERS is a timeless movie experience that becomes richer with each viewing.It is truly a masterpiece!.
Wayne's character's (Ethan Edwards) hatred of "the Commanch" is called into question a number of times, especially in his stormy relationship with adopted nephew and fellow searcher Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter), who we are told is a quarter-Indian himself, and cannot bring himself to find the same sort of hatred for the Indians that Ethan holds.Ethan was a Confederate soldier in the Civil War, returning to his brother's Texas homestead after the war.
The Indians took the family's youngest daughter, and the majority of the film has us following Ethan and Martin in their attempts to track down Scar and take back the girl, Debbie (played by Lorna and Natalie Wood, at different times).Such a situation sets up one of the many moral ambiguities that make this more than an ordinary Western: the Commanches slaughtered Ethan's brother and his family - he seemingly has reason to hate them with the almost crazy passion that he does.
Furthermore, when the two "Searchers" actually meet Scar, who they've been chasing for years, he is presented as a rather intelligent character, although certainly one filled with vengance - he, too, has his reasons for waging war with the likes of Ethan and Martin, and cannot merely be written off a the type of bloodthirsty savage that is typical of the portrayal of most Indians within the genre.The film relies on enough classic Western material to imbue with the feel with the sense of such pictures.
The relationship is from a classic, archetypical Western mold - the two have been in love since they were kids, but Martin has responsibilites to his family that stop him from making the proper time for his beau, and his rough frontier-uprbringing leave him seemingly lacking the proper sensitivity for dealing with Laura (though he does, of course, have a heart of gold).As a side note, this film should prove immensely interesting to any serious fan of the "Star Wars" trilogy (the original one).
Unfortunately, these plans are cruelly thwarted when the ranch(filled with the women and children) is raided by ruthless and renegade Indian chief Scar, who attacks and massacres the family, except for little Debbie Edwards(Natalie Wood) Ethan, enraged and distraught by this raid, vows to track down and kill the tribe, and rescue his niece, with the help from his nephew Martin(played by Jeffrey Hunter).
This search takes several years of their lives, across the country and through all kinds of weather and obstacles, until one day they finally locate Debbie, who is now assimilated into the tribe Ethan hates, and he may not be able to spare her...Gorgeously filmed on location in Ford's beloved Monument Valley, with an intelligent and ambitious script and a superlative performance by Wayne, as a driven and vengeful man who is not always likable, but is still righteous and fascinating.
'The Searchers' is a stunning film with enormous scope, and breathtaking beauty, the ultimate meeting of two legends who frequently worked togetherJohn Ford and John Wayne..."The Searchers" brings the feeling to focus in the story of the abduction by Indians of two white girls and the long hunt for them that becomes a personal crusade "The Searchers" is about just such a raid and the terrible obsession of a man who seeks not only to rescue captives but to exact fearful vengeanceJohn Wayne comes riding back from Confederate service in the Civil War, three years after it's over, to the Texan ranch he co-owns with his brother (Walter Coy).
There's bitterness and mystery about the man There are gold double eagles in his saddle-bags and there's a clammed up look in his eyes that says whatever he's done, or whatever he's been through, he's telling nothing It's obvious, though, that he's glad to be home, that he's quite fond of his brother's wife (Dorothy Jordan), but he hates the fact that they've adopted a Cherokee half-breed (Jeffrey Hunter) into the familyWhen Ward Bond, a preacher-cum-Rangers' captain, drops in to form a posse, Wayne goes along with him, only to find later that they've been decoyed away by Comanches He gets back to learn that his brother, his wife, and their son have been killed and their two daughters have been abductedAs always, certain words, sequences, images stay in the mind and evoke an emotional response:The wind sweeping across the landscape and through a frontier woman's black hair...The homecoming of a lean ex-Confederate soldier (against a bright sky) approaching a solitary house...The sad reflective look of a loner, sitting on the porch with only a dog for company...A married woman seen, by a Captain/Reverend, taking out and gently caressing her brother-in-law's cape in a manner that betrays her love for him...The ride of the posse through the grandeur of Monument Valley, Utah...White men riding scared through a valley while marauding Indians surround them between two parallel lines...The anguish face of a man agonizingly realizing that his brother's family could be the target of a Comanche murder raid...A shadow covering a ten year old girl, and the shocking view of an Indian standing menacingly before her...The catchphrase, 'That'll be the day!'A long view of a two searchers riding along a ridge in front of a sunset...The passionate frenzy of an avenging man, shooting wildly at a herd of buffalo...The 7th Cavalry riding beautiful horses in lines, galloping through an icy river, and carrying colorful flags against the white of the snow...Dignified women line up on one side, and their well-behaved men on the other, to the tune of "Shall We Gather at the River."The old man Mose, peacefully sitting, on the porch, in the family's rocking chair...'The Searchers' is a big motion picture that cries 'wilderness' and the images sustain it...
It is perhaps the first film to clearly investigate the emotional bases for the racial tensions between Indians and whites, and shows a shocking massacre of a Comanche village...John Ford was certainly a fantasist that has meditated on the West for a long period of years and has created an imaginary West that is uniquely his own...
The emotional baggage he carries with him is hidden beneath a hard exterior and a big cowboy hat, but this is a film that is bursting with so many clues that it demands the attention normally reserved for recondite art-house movies rather than no-brainer Westerns.Shortly after his return, what family Ethan has left is brutally raped and murdered in an Indian raid, but his ten-year old niece Debbie is captured and raised wigwam style.
As well as racism, the films themes include individuality, the American character, and the opposition between civilization and the untamed frontier wilderness.After arriving back at his brothers home too late to save him and his family, the Searchers becomes a story of a desperate, hate-ridden quest.
For me the most disturbing scene is at the 1:13 marker - you see the 7th cavalry entering a snow bound fort on horseback and as 'Glengarry' plays there is a group of Indian women and small children in front of a group of horses with mounted cavalry bellowing at them to "Move along!" Any competent historian is struck with a 19th Century version of a Sonderkommando death squad in Podolia herding captured Jews.This film is briefly noted in the classic history "Empire Of The Summer Moon" by S.C. Gwynne - if you have never read the book you truly should to just get a true understanding of what makes Texas what it is.John Wayne-Ethan Edwards notes how he is different than the Indians by stating "....never met someone who wouldn't quit" This was true - until the Texicans, Rangers arrived the Comanche had successfully and completely defeated all the native-American tribes, Spaniards and Mexicans they'd encountered.I cannot recommend this film enough - it is the best performance in Wayne's career - he should have been nominated for the AA and given it hands down - his contempt for decorum, for niceties, for manners for respect and courtesy is throughout the film and his self-exclusion at the end of the movie is truly a self-assessment of where he belongs - anywhere but where reason and planning for the future is the expected norm.There is not one bad cast in the entire film -.
The story is character driven and since it deals with an obsessed racist it might have been good in theory but as soon as Ford cast John Wayne as anti-hero Ethan Edwards it dealt the film a fatal blow , it`s impossible to think of John Wayne as anyone other than John Wayne .
Having only seen this film once over twenty five years ago,and thus having hardly any recollection of it,i took the opportunity to view it yesterday on t.v.to see if it lived up to it's reputation as one of the best westerns ever made.There were a number of striking images throughout as you would expect in a film of this scope,but other then that i find it impossible to find another good word to say about it.The acting ranged from the wooden,Wayne as Wayne,as usual,to the histrionic,Vera Miles,the plain bad,Jeffrey Hunter,to the so bad it had to be seen to be believed,Ken Curtis and Hank Worden.The depiction of the indians,even for a film made this long ago,was deplorable,the scene where Hunter trades with a small group of them simply made me cringe.The music,which i always thought was supposed to compliment a film,was intrusive and jarring.If the passing of time can elevate this movie to the status of a classic,then i shudder to think how many of todays really bad films will be viewed in the future.Having said at the beginning i could not find another good word to say about it,i actually have to give praise to Alan Le May as the basic story and theme of his work was quite strong,it's just a shame it was turned into such a deplorable movie.
In '56 its ending was somewhat clear, but subtle enough that naive viewers didn't really give it much thought; now, in an era where most motion pictures link to deeper subtext, viewers and especially critics see other things in this film.John Wayne stars as a Civil War veteran whose niece is kidnapped by Indians.
Anyone else would have been despised by audiences of the time.Director John Ford holds back nothing as he captures both the darkness and the beauty of the rugged old west, setting his film deep in Monument Valley and easily making you forget the fact that the film takes place in Texas.
As a character driven picture it's something of a flag bearing lesson for all other directors to make note of, for the thematic heart of it lays with Ethan Edwards (superbly played by John Wayne), an embittered man that incredibly, in spite of his evident bile, manages to keep the viewer from hating him due to the complexities of his make up and the surrounding sprawl of the American West.The film is bookended by brilliant shots from open doorways, with both sequences impacting to almost steal the breath away, yet these are merely the crusts of an incredibly delicious sandwich.
John Ford shows us how Western is done by it's breathtaking landscapes, haunting scenes and the best ending to a film I've ever seen.John Wayne gives the performance of his career as Ethan and I don't think his other performances can top that, but then again, my mind might change.
John Wayne plays a Confederate soldier with a shady past who returns home to see his brother's family massacred by Comanches with the exception of his kidnapped niece; his years-long obsession with her safe return (and his personal revenge) forms the basis of John Ford's stylized anti-Western which has its own peculiar rhythms, not all of them very comfortable.
"The Searchers" is a pluperfect mix of character, story, setting, text, and subtext that advanced the art of motion pictures by influencing generations of filmmakers, and remains a singularly entertaining experience for the first-time viewer.John Wayne plays one of the titular characters, a hard-bitten Confederate named Ethan Edwards who rides after a pair of kidnapped girls, the only surviving members of his brother's immediate family after a Comanche raid.
Vera Miles does great work playing Martin's sometime lover, the object of one of Ford's grandest, goofiest fight scenes, and Hank Worden thanks you kindly as a bald Indian fighter with a love for rocking chairs and a mindset crazy enough to ride with Ethan stride for stride.Is this Wayne's best film?
Ford makes his direction a marvel of scene-setting from beginning to end (starting things off with a door opening, and ending with a door closing), while Wayne just grabs you by the throat with his passion and anger and doesn't let you go until you know, like Martin (Hunter's performance is the most criminally under-appreciated thing about this film, he's literally the backbeat of the whole film), that he is going to be okay.It's not the finding out that's the trick, but the getting there, and in large ways as in small, "The Searchers" makes for a trip worth taking..
Great character study gives the world John Wayne's best screen performance, and another top notch film from Ford.
I was stunned by the depth and greatness of this movie when I first seen it even after all the positive reviews I heard about the movie before hand.To the less appreciative viewer it is a simple story of a man on a five year quest to find his kidnapped nieces however the movie of course is about more an awful lot more.Covering issues of racism, love, hate, revenge and above all tolerance it really does need several viewings to even scratch the surface of what the movie is trying to illustrate.John Wayne was outstanding as the loner whom is clearly wrong and who is also the bad guy finding something on this quest he wasn't expecting to.What I liked about this movie was the fact that is highlighted the plight of the American Indians they are portrayed as humans and as equals.
Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) returns from the American Civil War to the home of his brother Aaron (Walter Coy) in Texas.The year is 1868, three years after the war ended.What he has been doing for the past three years, no one knows.Shortly after his arrival the Comanches come and kill his brother and sister-in-law Martha (Dorothy Jordan), his nephew, Ben (Robert Lyden).His nieces Lucy (Pippa Scott) and Debbie (Lana Wood, later sister Natalie Wood) are missing.Ethan and Aaron's adopted son Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter), who has a little Cherokee blood in him find the place all burned down.A group goes after these Indians with a revenge on their mind.The acclaimed director John Ford directed this western masterpiece, The Searchers in 1956.Ford liked to cast John Wayne to play the leading men.He certainly is the right man to play Ethan Edwards.He was underrated as an actor.In this movie he's the hero who has some unheroic qualities.Wayne makes this man likable.The Duke liked the character Ethan so much he even named his youngest son after him.His son Patrick Wayne plays Lt. Greenhill.Jeffrey Hunter does a great job as Martin.The beautiful and talented Vera Miles plays Laurie Jorgensen, who loves Martin.John Qualen and Olive Carey play her parents.Olive's real life son Harry Carey Jr. plays Brad Jorgensen.Ward Bond plays Rev.Capt.