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The Searchers
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The Searchers (1956)

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User Rating: 8.1/10 (22,229 votes)
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Overview

Director:
John Ford
Writers:
Alan Le May (novel)
Frank S. Nugent (screenplay)
Release Date:
13 March 1956 (USA) more view trailer
Tagline:
The story that sweeps from the great Southwest to the Canadian border in VistaVision. more
Plot:
As a Civil War veteran spends years searching for a young niece captured by Indians, his motivation becomes increasingly questionable. full summary | full synopsis (warning! may contain spoilers)
Awards:
1 win & 2 nominations more
User Comments:
Ford and Wayne doing what they do best more

Cast

 (Cast overview, first billed only)

John Wayne ... Ethan Edwards
Jeffrey Hunter ... Martin Pawley

Vera Miles ... Laurie Jorgensen
Ward Bond ... Rev. Capt. Samuel Johnston Clayton

Natalie Wood ... Debbie Edwards (older)
John Qualen ... Lars Jorgensen
Olive Carey ... Mrs. Jorgensen
Henry Brandon ... Chief Cicatrice (Scar)
Ken Curtis ... Charlie McCorry
Harry Carey Jr. ... Brad Jorgensen
Antonio Moreno ... Emilio Gabriel Fernandez y Figueroa

Hank Worden ... Mose Harper
Beulah Archuletta ... Wild Goose Flying in the Night Sky (Look)
Walter Coy ... Aaron Edwards
Dorothy Jordan ... Martha Edwards
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Additional Details

Runtime:
119 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.75 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound Recording)
Certification:
Portugal:M/12 | Canada:F (Ontario) | Canada:G (British Columbia/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | South Korea:12 (2003) | USA:Not Rated | Canada:G (Manitoba) | West Germany:12 (nf) | Iceland:L | Australia:G | Finland:K-12 | Norway:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:U
Filming Locations:
Aspen, Colorado, USA more
MOVIEmeter: ?
V 7% since last week why?

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
One of the first movies to market itself with a making-of documentary aired on TV. Gig Young hosted the program, with Jeffrey Hunter as the guest. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: The dead Indian under the stone is breathing. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
[seeing a horseman in the distance]
Aaron Edwards: Ethan?
Debbie Edwards: Hush, Prince.
Lucy Edwards: That's your Uncle Ethan!
Martha Edwards: [he approaches] Welcome home, Ethan!
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Paris, Texas (1984) more
Soundtrack:
The Searchers more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
29 out of 41 people found the following comment useful:-
Ford and Wayne doing what they do best, 18 December 1998
9/10
Author: Neil Dennis (neildennis@hotmail.com) from London, England

John Ford's classic Western, has inspired many quest movies and tv series since its release. The film is a series of episodes linked by the 10 year quest for a niece stolen by Indians as a child. Wayne's Ethan Edwards, an embittered Confederate veteran shows only hatred for all redskins and is uncomprimising in his intended treatment of his niece when he finds her. Modern cinema audiences may find this uncomfortable, especially since western folklore has been reassessed over the last 20 years. But don't let this put you off. Ford's treatment is a modern allegory and Ethan can be forgiven his sins when, at the final denoument, one act of kindness gives us hope, and we feel Ethan has learned an important lesson. Tolerance. Everything about this film makes it a classic and perhaps the best in its genre. Ford's direction is as impeccable as ever, Frank Nugent's script and Winton Hoch's cinematography give us some of the classic images of the cinema. John Wayne, as ever, doesn't even need to act. He just sits tall in the saddle and perpetuates the myth.

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Message Boards

Discuss this title with other users on IMDb message board for The Searchers (1956)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Rev. Capt. Samuel Johnston Clayton's 'battle' wound? Cobram
dumb question kanuffelrik
Overlooked sequence cjstevens1975
What am I missing? bodycounter2
An anti-revenge movie janniklindquist
An absolute classic mike-foxton4
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