The Searchers
Synopsis
...He had to find her...he had to find her
As a Civil War veteran spends years searching for a young niece captured by Indians, his motivation becomes increasingly questionable.
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qué ridículo se siente el sistema de estrellitas con películas como ésta. y qué ridículo sería yo si tratara de decir algo inteligente o, peor, "ingenioso" sobre 'the searchers'.*
la vi algunas veces en un vhs grabado del canal once hace 20 años o más. tons ya se imaginarán con qué cara me quedé ahora que la vi de blu-ray. es PASMOSA.
por ejemplo,
qué pinche locura.
(por cierto, en las copias del once ni ciudadano kane ni psicosis perdían tanto.)
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de las cosas buenas que le debemos a the searchers: este libro, esta película.
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* (oh, para la colección de 'películas con un mejor título en español': más corazón que odio, de calle).
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One of John Ford's many masterpieces, The Searchers, recently named one of the ten best films of all time by Sight and Sound, was a glaring omission in my list of films seen. Until today. Now, I have finally seen it, and while it was not quite the great masterpiece I was expecting, I nevertheless enjoyed it immensely.
It is an epic, in scope if not in scale. It is shot in beautiful Technicolor and VistaVision which makes the impressive, haunting scenery look even more dazzling and enveloping. Though I didn't see it on the big screen, I certainly felt its wondrous vision penetrating my small screen and burning into my eyes. It's a western if ever there was one.…
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This may be the perfect Western, bridging the years between Randolph Scott's starched West and the late twentieth century's Unforgiven; while still marveling at the magnificent scenery of Monument Valley, and still loving this era in American history, The Searchers comes from a much darker place than any previous Ford Western.
Wayne is Ethan Edwards, a man just returned to his brother's homestead after three years, just in time for the family to be slaughtered and the two young girls kidnapped by marauding Indians. Ethan will spend years in pursuit of that tribe, especially after discovering the body of the older girl. At first, he means to rescue the young one; after years have elapsed, it becomes obvious he now…
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The Searchers is a careful examination of a character, played by John Wayne, who together with his nephew is searching for his niece who at the beginning of the movie is captured by a group of Native Americans. In a typical western this premise would be exploited for a generic "Cowboys vs. Indians" story but John Ford decided to make something much more than that.
While it almost certainly looks like a genre flick at first glance, if you dig a little deeper you find that it's really about the character of John Wayne, Ethan Edwards, and his complex relationship with his nephew Martin Pawley. Over the course of the movie Ethan's reasons for their long journey seem to gradually…
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I reckon this is a fine western.
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Yes, it lives up to its reputation for being complicated in its tensions, its critique of things past, and its trailblazing for things future.
But it's also complicated for any moviegoer born decades after the film's release, in that so much of it has been copied, for better or worse, mostly worse ("Uncle Owen! Aunt Beru!"). Images and plot twists from The Searchers have so saturated movies and television since its release (see "Our Mrs. Reynolds" from Firefly), that the experience of watching it now is unavoidably "meta."
Furthermore, so much has been written about it, how does anyone see this film with fresh vision?
And yet, that is my task now: To write about it for the Filmwell Sight…
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it’s hard to watch a classic, an iconic film for the first time without knowing it and without trying to quickly figure out why that picture gained that status.
first time watching the SEARCHERS, from the first few shots to the first few scenes, the movie engage you in such a way that you quickly get why this picture is a classic.
JOHN FORD [obviously] did such a great job that i can obsess with the smallest of details, in this case, the cinematography, those recurring shots.
JOHN FORD’s amazing recurring shots of exteriors framed by obscured interiors work wonders by reminding us of their home but always with a new meaning.
it’s both entertaining and intriguing, a simple story so well directed that you won’t regret watching it, this is a film you must see. -
qué ridículo se siente el sistema de estrellitas con películas como ésta. y qué ridículo sería yo si tratara de decir algo inteligente o, peor, "ingenioso" sobre 'the searchers'.*
la vi algunas veces en un vhs grabado del canal once hace 20 años o más. tons ya se imaginarán con qué cara me quedé ahora que la vi de blu-ray. es PASMOSA.
por ejemplo,
qué pinche locura.
(por cierto, en las copias del once ni ciudadano kane ni psicosis perdían tanto.)
--
de las cosas buenas que le debemos a the searchers: este libro, esta película.
--
* (oh, para la colección de 'películas con un mejor título en español': más corazón que odio, de calle).
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
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The most epic western ever made. Controversial, vast in scope and setting, and John Wayne's greatest work. This movie is incredible. You could call The Searchers the Gone With the Wind of its decade. The cinematography is stunning, and John Wayne as Ethan was truly captivating. I loved every minute of it.
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This made me remember why I hate John Wayne...
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Yes, it lives up to its reputation for being complicated in its tensions, its critique of things past, and its trailblazing for things future.
But it's also complicated for any moviegoer born decades after the film's release, in that so much of it has been copied, for better or worse, mostly worse ("Uncle Owen! Aunt Beru!"). Images and plot twists from The Searchers have so saturated movies and television since its release (see "Our Mrs. Reynolds" from Firefly), that the experience of watching it now is unavoidably "meta."
Furthermore, so much has been written about it, how does anyone see this film with fresh vision?
And yet, that is my task now: To write about it for the Filmwell Sight…
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I just saw this masterpiece at the cinema and what an experience. This is going to be one of the cinema high pint this year. It should be forbidden to watch this film on a TV screen. Trust me, it is not made for TV. It has to be seen on a BIG screen!
The critics did not think very highly of this film when it first came out and neither did the Oscar. No nomination and no great reviews. Today the Sight & Sound magazine ranks it as the seventh best movie of all time and it was The Searchers that David Lean studied and used as an inspiration for Lawrence of Arabia! Directors like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, John…
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This is such a fascinating film. There's no doubting that it's a towering cinematic achievement and experience. Dramatically, it's as exciting as ever.
BUT HOLY TURDS IS IT OFFENSIVE. It's hard to know what John Ford did and didn't intend in this sense (I suspect he was somewhat aware, but even so); surely very few viewed it as such at the time of its release, but now it's incredibly interesting to interpret.
Particularly Ethan as a character. Here's a man who hates Native Americans SO MUCH that he has essentially become like one of them - living transiently, learning their language, etc. over several years all in order to return a girl to her parents (and there's plenty to say about the quest itself - the idea of "rescuing" a woman from "savagery" i.e anything that isn't typical, 1950s womanhood).
Anyway, yeah, those are my scattered thoughts on it.
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John Wayne, plays 'Uncle' Ethan Edwards, an ageing civil war veteran who returns to the home of his brother and family. He and his adopted nephew, Martin are called away by a Marshall's gathering to investigate a cattle rustling. It's a diversion and the family are attacked by Apaches, most are killed but the two girls are kidnapped. What follows is the search by Ethan and Martin for the two girls......
An engrossing western carried by a thoroughly convincing John Wayne. An actor who divides opinions, partly due to his political and personal views, he is the dominant figure here. Whether it is, purely him playing 'John Wayne' or not, this is a fantastic compelling performance. He's brash, xenophobic, a…