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The Searchers

  • 19561956
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 59m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
88K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,938
45
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
John Wayne, Natalie Wood, Ward Bond, Jeffrey Hunter, and Vera Miles in The Searchers (1956)
Theatrical Trailer from Warner Home Video
Play trailer2:47
3 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Adventure
  • Drama
  • Western
An American Civil War veteran embarks on a years-long journey to rescue his niece from the Comanches after the rest of his brother's family is massacred in a raid on their Texas farm.An American Civil War veteran embarks on a years-long journey to rescue his niece from the Comanches after the rest of his brother's family is massacred in a raid on their Texas farm.An American Civil War veteran embarks on a years-long journey to rescue his niece from the Comanches after the rest of his brother's family is massacred in a raid on their Texas farm.
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
88K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,938
45
  • Director
    • John Ford
  • Writers
    • Frank S. Nugent(screenplay)
    • Alan Le May(from the novel by)
  • Stars
    • John Wayne
    • Jeffrey Hunter
    • Vera Miles
Top credits
  • Director
    • John Ford
  • Writers
    • Frank S. Nugent(screenplay)
    • Alan Le May(from the novel by)
  • Stars
    • John Wayne
    • Jeffrey Hunter
    • Vera Miles
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 533User reviews
    • 121Critic reviews
    • 94Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 3 nominations

    Videos3

    The Searchers
    Trailer 2:47
    The Searchers
    The Searchers
    Trailer 2:45
    The Searchers
    Did 'Home Alone' Inspire 'Rambo: Last Blood'?
    Clip 1:43
    Did 'Home Alone' Inspire 'Rambo: Last Blood'?

    Photos206

    John Wayne in The Searchers (1956)
    John Wayne in The Searchers (1956)
    John Wayne in The Searchers (1956)
    John Wayne in The Searchers (1956)
    Vera Miles in The Searchers (1956)
    Ken Curtis and Vera Miles in The Searchers (1956)
    Jeffrey Hunter in The Searchers (1956)
    Jeffrey Hunter, Olive Carey, and Vera Miles in The Searchers (1956)
    John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Henry Brandon, and Antonio Moreno in The Searchers (1956)
    John Wayne, Ward Bond, and Jeffrey Hunter in The Searchers (1956)
    John Wayne and Jeffrey Hunter in The Searchers (1956)
    John Wayne in The Searchers (1956)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John Wayne
    John Wayne
    • Ethan Edwardsas Ethan Edwards
    Jeffrey Hunter
    Jeffrey Hunter
    • Martin Pawleyas Martin Pawley
    Vera Miles
    Vera Miles
    • Laurie Jorgensenas Laurie Jorgensen
    Ward Bond
    Ward Bond
    • Rev. Capt. Samuel Johnston Claytonas Rev. Capt. Samuel Johnston Clayton
    Natalie Wood
    Natalie Wood
    • Debbie Edwards - Age 15as Debbie Edwards - Age 15
    John Qualen
    John Qualen
    • Lars Jorgensenas Lars Jorgensen
    Olive Carey
    Olive Carey
    • Mrs. Jorgensenas Mrs. Jorgensen
    Henry Brandon
    Henry Brandon
    • Scaras Scar…
    Ken Curtis
    Ken Curtis
    • Charlie McCorryas Charlie McCorry
    Harry Carey Jr.
    Harry Carey Jr.
    • Brad Jorgensenas Brad Jorgensen
    Antonio Moreno
    Antonio Moreno
    • Emilio Gabriel Fernandez y Figueroaas Emilio Gabriel Fernandez y Figueroa
    Hank Worden
    Hank Worden
    • Mose Harperas Mose Harper
    Beulah Archuletta
    • Lookas Look
    Walter Coy
    Walter Coy
    • Aaron Edwardsas Aaron Edwards
    Dorothy Jordan
    Dorothy Jordan
    • Martha Edwardsas Martha Edwards
    Pippa Scott
    Pippa Scott
    • Lucy Edwardsas Lucy Edwards
    Patrick Wayne
    Patrick Wayne
    • Lt. Greenhillas Lt. Greenhill
    • (as Pat Wayne)
    Lana Wood
    Lana Wood
    • Younger Debbie Edwardsas Younger Debbie Edwards
    • Director
      • John Ford
    • Writers
      • Frank S. Nugent(screenplay)
      • Alan Le May(from the novel by)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Natalie Wood was still a student in high school when this film was being made, and, on several occasions, John Wayne and Jeffrey Hunter had to pick her up at school. This caused a good deal of excitement among Wood's female classmates.
    • Goofs
      The "dead" Indian under the rock, when the rock is removed, is clearly breathing.
    • Quotes

      Martin: I hope you die!

      Ethan: That'll be the day.

    • Crazy credits
      The credits state this Warner Brothers film is in VistaVision; this may be the only Warner film in VistaVision.
    • Connections
      Edited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Fatale beauté (1994)
    • Soundtracks
      The Searchers (Main Theme)
      Composed by Max Steiner

      Lyrics by Stan Jones

      Sung by Sons of the Pioneers (uncredited)

    User reviews533

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    John Ford shows us how to make a Western
    John Ford is a classic Western filmmaker (though certainly not the only genre in which he excelled), employing the classic Western film star, John Wayne, in perhaps one of the most underappreciated films of our time. Ford builds a thoroughly entertaining movie which explores classic Western themes without necessarily relying on these themes to drive the plot.

    Like any good Western, we are inorexably drawn to a kind of Cowboys vs. Indians saga, but Ford manages to draw us into the conflict in such a way that the mere "Cowboys good, Indians bad" aesthetic isn't really applicable here. While relying on the archetypical roles of the two groups to set up a conflict, Ford is ahead of his time in managing to characterize the Indians as more than "noble savages". Wayne's character's (Ethan Edwards) hatred of "the Commanch" is called into question a number of times, especially in his stormy relationship with adopted nephew and fellow searcher Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter), who we are told is a quarter-Indian himself, and cannot bring himself to find the same sort of hatred for the Indians that Ethan holds.

    Ethan was a Confederate soldier in the Civil War, returning to his brother's Texas homestead after the war. A group of Commanches, led by the ominous Chief Scar, route and kill his brother's family while Ethan and Martin are investigating a cattle rustling, the Commaches' diversionary tactic. The Indians took the family's youngest daughter, and the majority of the film has us following Ethan and Martin in their attempts to track down Scar and take back the girl, Debbie (played by Lorna and Natalie Wood, at different times).

    Such a situation sets up one of the many moral ambiguities that make this more than an ordinary Western: the Commanches slaughtered Ethan's brother and his family - he seemingly has reason to hate them with the almost crazy passion that he does. Yet the more naive Martin cannot bring himself to hate them in such a way, and the split between them becomes a major point of contention when it becomes clear that Debbie has more or less been adopted as a Commanche (the two "Searchers" chase after her for about five years in film time). Furthermore, when the two "Searchers" actually meet Scar, who they've been chasing for years, he is presented as a rather intelligent character, although certainly one filled with vengance - he, too, has his reasons for waging war with the likes of Ethan and Martin, and cannot merely be written off a the type of bloodthirsty savage that is typical of the portrayal of most Indians within the genre.

    The film relies on enough classic Western material to imbue with the feel with the sense of such pictures. Aside from the question of Ethan's morality, Wayne plays him with classic John Wayne freewheeling confidence and swagger that made the actor such an icon, and it comes off quite well. We are also given a side story involving Martin's romance with the hard-as-nails Laurie Jurgensen (played by Vera Miles, best known for playing Janet Leigh's sister in "Psycho"). The relationship is from a classic, archetypical Western mold - the two have been in love since they were kids, but Martin has responsibilites to his family that stop him from making the proper time for his beau, and his rough frontier-uprbringing leave him seemingly lacking the proper sensitivity for dealing with Laura (though he does, of course, have a heart of gold).

    As a side note, this film should prove immensely interesting to any serious fan of the "Star Wars" trilogy (the original one). While those films undoubtably draw a great deal of inspiration from Kurosawa's samurai films, there is most certainly a great deal (especially in the film subtitled "A New Hope") drawn from here. One scene in particular (when Luke returns to his farm after stormtroopers have blasted in pieces) is virtually ripped straight from "The Searchers". Ford's film is also full of the sort of gallows humor present throughout the trilogy, and even incorporates some rather goofy characters, the half-cracked Mose Harper (Hank Warden) and the incredibly over-the-top rival for Laura's hand Charlie McCorry (Ken Curtis), without ruining the overall serious feel of the film, but managing to squeeze laughs out of absurd situations (such as a fight between Martin and Charlie) without compromising the ability to quickly return to a solemn tone. Such deft touch, as well as the addition of wise-cracking dialogue (provided largely by Wayne and Ward Bond here) are a large part of what made the original trilogy so successful, and it's strikingly similar to the type of paradigm on display between various characters here.

    Regardless of ranting and raving about Star Wars, however, this is an excellent film on it's own merit.
    helpful•113
    53
    • dover
    • Jun 17, 2002

    FAQ5

    • Why did the Comanches attack the home of Aaron and Martha to begin with?
    • Did Ethan and Martha have an affair?
    • Is this based on a true story?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 26, 1956 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Navajo
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Tragaci
    • Filming locations
      • Monument Valley, Arizona, USA
    • Production company
      • C.V. Whitney Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $3,750,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 59 minutes

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