Turns out that plenty of racism, sexism, cardboard cutouts masquerading as characters, and stunning cinematography all equal the most revered Western of all time. Well, if I have to watch John Wayne being a self-righteous asshole for two hours, at least I also get to watch some of the most beautiful landscapes in this part of the world. That's a fair bit of recompense.

The Searchers is a morose, overly serious Western on all counts, but it occasionally also attempts to muscle in a bit of awkward humor during the unnecessary romantic subplot between the daughter of Swedish immigrants and Cardboard Cutout #2, the young man who sets out to be the moral conscience of Cardboard Cutout #1, otherwise known…

The Searchers gives the lie to the supposed heroism of the Wild West mythos. John Wayne plays the same Indian-killing cowboy we've seen him play since the early 1930's, the image of a valiant savior come to rescue a bunch of white folks from the Native American menace, but here he plays it as explicitly racist, calling out the pathological nature of the traditional cowboy's racialized violence. Our heroes of the West were always outlaws who had to ride off into the sunset, but they were glorified outcasts, they were getting rid of the "real" bad guys. The Searchers shows this hero not as an altruistic warrior, but as a murderer whose positive effects on society are less purposeful, more…

Psychological epic on the psychology of racism, fascinating in dialectic with Griffith's Birth Of A Nation: racism as the product of fear of losing sexual superiority and the fear of miscegenation. Key that Ethan is pro-Confederacy: Martin fears Ethan wishes to kill Debbie but doesn't know why, Ethan fears Debbie has been 'contaminated,' resolves to kill her after learning she has become Scar's wife. Logically this should have no bearing, but for Ethan it's all about preserving the bloodline. One of the most damning indictments of American culture: the question is posited: is racism the true American psyche?

It's key that Martin is what Ethan determines as a 'half-breed,' the moral center of this film is a child of mixed-race.…

The first ever western that I watched didn't star John Wayne & wasn't directed by John Ford but instead had Clint Eastwood in the lead role & was helmed by Sergio Leone. It's no secret that I'm a huge admirer of Leone's spaghetti westerns which are noted for their morally ambiguous characters, stylised gun violence, expert staging of duels, breathtaking cinematography & sensational scores.

Now Leone's version may differ from traditional depiction of the Wild West but those are the elements that defined this genre for me. And so I believe you can already take an appropriate guess on how The Searchers worked out for me. Easily amongst the most boring films I've had to sit through, if this is what the supposedly…

The rage of this film is so overwhelming, an endless slaughter and rape perpetuated by both cowboys and Injuns. More symbolism than normal in a Ford film, especially those shots from the inside looking out, but Ford's mastery of tone, character and place has rarely been better. The reddish glint of sunset turned into a dread-inducing precursor to redskin attack; the sickened distance Wayne's Ethan places between himself and his half-breed adopted nephew; the way Monument Valley seems so infinite but so bordered, its own globe that can be walked until one loops around to where he started. Yes, it has somewhat dubious comic relief scenes, as well as a nominally happy ending, but this is one of Ford's most…

66/100

[originally written on my blog]

Time to bite the bullet and admit—as much to myself as to you fine people—that I just don't love The Greatest Western. Easiest way to rationalize this heresy is to pick a fight with the ending, which has always felt baldly contrived; I've read heroic interpretations of Ethan's sudden decision to cradle Debbie in his arms, but never a sensible word regarding Debbie's equally sudden (and patently ludicrous) about-face when Martin comes for her. Truthfully, though, the film's disregard for the harrowing reality of an assimilated captive's ordeal is only one of many speedbumps. Martin and Laurie's frustrated romance, for example, while often entertaining for its own sake, doesn't really work as a counterpoint…