"That'll be the day"

By my count, John Wayne says it four times in The Searchers, the number 96 movie on the AFI list. It comes to us from 1956, the same year as Giant, The King and I, The Ten Commandments, and Around the World in Eighty Days. Tanith Belbin is skating now, and she's gotten lots of attention lately. Good-looking girl. ATWIED actually beat out all of them for Best Picture, which surprises me though I admit I haven't seen it. The Searchers, Giant, and The Ten Commandments are three of the best ever made, so it must have made quite an impression. 1956 was also the year for The Bad Seed, a movie that disturbs the hell out of me every time I think about it. "You give me back those shoes!" Shiver. Back to TS.

Actors you'll know: John Wayne, Natalie Wood (though you probably have to be over 50 to recognize Natalie Wood). Actors you may recognize but not know: probably nobody. But I give special mention to Vera Miles because I've at least heard of her, and another special mention to Ward Bond, since he was in The Horse Soldiers, which was partially shot in Natchitoches Parish.

John Ford is the director, one of his broad, epic westerns. The Netflix slip describes it as his "meditation on racism, revenge and obsession", which I guess is accurate. Comanche Indians kidnap a little girl, and her uncle and brother try to get her back. John Wayne is the main character (Ethan Edwards), though I wouldn't necessarily call him the hero or the real good guy of the film. Some of his actions fit more with the heroes of Greek tragedy than with the more straight-laced ones of American film. He's tough, because John Wayne is always tough. He's not always nice, and for a while we actually root against him. He was 49 the year the movie came out, though I think he looks a bit older. There are several shots of him where we see him with anger, or rage, or disgust, or weariness, a tribute to his acting and Ford's directing. Of course, there are also shots where I can't help thinking of Ryan Stiles impersonating him on Whose Line Is It, Anyway?

The "Good Guy" of the film is Martin Pawley, played by Jeffrey Hunter. The only other thing he was in that I've heard of was The Longest Day. No surprise, since everybody and his brother was in that movie. (Eddie Albert, Paul Anka, Richard Burton, Red Buttons, Sean Connery, Henry Fonda, Roddy McDowell, Sal Mineo, Robert Mitchum, Rod Steiger, Robert Wagner, John Wayne, just to name a few). Martin is naive and reckless, but stubborn and loyal as well. He just wants to find little Debbie.

The scenery is great, the cinematography is great, and I like the way that everybody in the movie fits into their roles. I don't know if this is true or not, but it seems to me that fitting happened a lot more in older films. Maybe because the characters were more stereotypical, and an actor could play basically the same character in a dozen films in a row.

What about "racism, revenge, and obsession"? Obsession in the fact that they spend five years trying to find Debbie. Revenge in the fact that Ethan never hesitates to shoot an Indian when given the opportunity. And racism, ah racism. Being an Indian isn't just a "problem" for Indians. Spending too much time with them or having Indian blood can cast a taint on someone, somehow nullifying their whiteness. I'm sure there's more than I can't think of right now. Although if you'd like off-screen racism, I always like to notice when an "ethnic" character is played by a white actor, since the moviemakers or studios never put real ethnics in the role. The Comanche chief is played by Henry Brandon, born in Berlin. Not exactly Geronimo's cousin.

Very good movie, easy to watch, likable characters, great scenery, and not too long at an hour fifty-nine.