Filmikaze!

By: John Ford (director), Frank S. Nugent (screenplay), Alan Le May (novel)

Starring: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bones, Natalie Wood

As a Civil War veteran spends years searching for a young niece captured by Indians, his motivation becomes increasingly questionable.

There can be no doubt that John Ford was an excellent filmmaker. He was incredibly gifted, is quite possibly the most influential director of all time, and The Searchers is one of his most recognized films. As such, I find it excessively difficult to review the film, not because it’s all been said before (Although it has), but because of the particular dichotomy of Ford’s talent and the pervasive racist attitudes of the time. The Searchers is even more difficult to get a handle on because Ford manages to challenge some racial conventions while perpetrating others.

As far as actual film structure is concerned—Cinematography, visual metaphor, use of color, editing, etc.—this is a brilliant film. As a person with more modern sensibilities regarding race and gender, however, it was difficult for me to get past many of the antiquated attitudes, even when I kept reminding myself it was a product of its time. It’s very pretty to look at, and there are some genuinely enjoyable segments, but if you’re sensitive to racism and sexism, you’ll want to pass.