The Searchers (1956)

A Civil War veteran embarks on a journey to rescue his niece from an Indian tribe.

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Frank S. Nugent (screenplay), Alan Le May (from the novel by) (as Alan LeMay)

Stars:

John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

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 - Age 15
John Qualen	...	Lars Jorgensen
Olive Carey	...	Mrs. Jorgensen
Henry Brandon	...	Scar
Ken Curtis	...	Charlie McCorry
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Brad Jorgensen
Antonio Moreno	...	Emilio Gabriel Fernandez y Figueroa
Hank Worden	...	Mose Harper
Beulah Archuletta	...	Look
Walter Coy	...	Aaron Edwards
Dorothy Jordan	...	Martha Edwards

Storyline

Ethan Edwards, returned from the Civil War to the Texas ranch of his brother, hopes to find a home with his family and to be near the woman he obviously but secretly loves. But a Comanche raid destroys these plans, and Ethan sets out, along with his 1/8 Indian nephew Martin, on a years-long journey to find the niece kidnapped by the Indians under Chief Scar. But as the quest goes on, Martin begins to realize that his uncle's hatred for the Indians is beginning to spill over onto his now-assimilated niece. Martin becomes uncertain whether Ethan plans to rescue Debbie...or kill her.

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Plot Keywords:

indian | rescue | indian war | hatred | civil war veteran | 

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Taglines:

The Biggest, Roughest, Toughest ...and Most Beautiful Picture Ever Made!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Navajo Spanish

Release Date:

13 March 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

La prisonnière du désert

Filming Locations:

Kayenta, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,750,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., C.V. Whitney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lana Wood went through a "gruelling" audition. She was ushered into a room where she was introduced to John Wayne and John Ford. Instead of rehearsing a scene from the script with the two performers, Ford issued one command to Wayne: "Lift her up, please." As Lana recounted in her autobiography, "Mr. Wayne stood up--he seemed to extend further toward the ceiling than anyone I had ever seen in my life--grinned, and rubbed his huge hands together. Then he reached down, picked me up, and never once stopped smiling at me. 'That's fine, no problem at all,' he finally said, putting me down. And that was it."

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Goofs

When the Indians charge across the river, Ethan is shooting at them with an octagonal barreled rifle, when the angle changes, he is shooting with a round barreled carbine.

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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!

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Crazy Credits

This Warner Brothers film was said to be in VistaVision, according to the credits - this may be the only Warner film in VistaVision.

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Connections

Referenced in The Making of 'The Quiet Man' (1992)

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Soundtracks

Lorena
(1856) (uncredited)
Music by J.P. Webster
Lyrics by Henry D.L. Webster
Heard in score

User Reviews

Possibly the greatest movie ever made (ala Spielberg)

OK. First of all, I have seen quite a few movies in my time, and the complexity of this film makes this one of the top 5 movies of all time. Steven Spielberg said (in an early 90's interview) that this movie was possibly the greatest of all times, due to the depth of the character studies. The interplay between Ethan & Martha (his brother's wife)is subtle, yet screams of an undying, yet unfulfilled love that has endured for several years. You have to see the scene where Ward Bond is left in the house eating doughnuts, and witnesses the final, tender goodbye, while looking straight ahead, coming to the realization of what it all means, and how hard it is for the two of them to keep it from everyone else.

It is true that the film was filmed in Utah with the story taking place in Texas, but that quickly becomes a moot point. There is not space to extol all the virtues of this movie The relationship of Ethan & Martin, Martin & Lori, and the raw emotion experienced by all members of the cast are worth the rental price. No cast member came back from making this movie the same way they were when they left. Watch the film, it gets inside you. Watch it again, and you'll find things you never saw before, no matter how many times you see it.

Until next time!