The Searchers By John Ford - 1912 Words

John Ford’s 1956 film, The Searchers, is a classic Western tale set in the staked plains, post-Civil War era. Like most of John Ford’s Western films, The Searchers is also filmed in Monument Valley, Arizona/Utah. John Ford first introduces Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) returning on horseback to his brother, Aaron Edwards’s (Walter Coy) house three years after the Civil War. Ethan is introduced to Martin Pawley (Jeffery Hunter), the adopted son of Mr. and Mrs. Edwards. The film moves forward when Rev. Captain Clayton (Ward Bond) volunteers Ethan, Marty, and a group of men to search for the Jorgensen’s missing cattle. The search turns its tracks when the men realize that the Edwards family have been killed by the Comanche Indians, and Debbie (Natalie Wood) and Lucy (Pippa Scott) are taken by Scar. Although Ethan is the anti-hero, him and Marty are the protagonists of The Searchers. Both Ethan and Marty’s lives are flipped upside down and are now on a jou rney to save Debbie and Lucy. The antagonist, Scar, is possibly considered Ethan’s alter ego because they share several similarities. Throughout the film, Ethan and Marty face many challenges accepting their background and issues. The overall meaning of the film is to let go of the past and accept what the future has to offer; John Ford’s use of paradigm, style, and themes drives the overall meaning throughout the film. Notably, John Ford’s paradigm moves the overall meaning of the film by the structure of the events which takeShow MoreRelated`` Song Of Solomon Written By Toni Morrison And Film The Searchers Directed By John Ford1535 Words   |  7 PagesMaya Angelou once said â€Å"Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible†. This sentiment is apparent in the novel Song of Solomon written by Toni Morrison and the film The Searchers directed by John Ford. In both these works of fiction prejudice is an underlying theme of the central plot. Throughout both plots, it becomes apparent the cause, cost and cure for prejudice taking the form of racism. The root of prejudice in Song of Solomon comesRead MoreComparing Dances with Wolves with The Searchers600 Words   |  3 PagesThe Searchers The Native American culture is something that is cherished by their people. â€Å"Perhaps no other group of people has quite the rich and storied culture as those of the Native Americans. They have a history rich in struggle, strife, and triumph (Native American Culture).† Dances with Wolves, directed by Kevin Costner in 1990, is about a white man who becomes interested in the Native American culture and decides to befriend fellow an Indian tribe (Dances with Wolves). The Searchers by JohnRead MoreNative Americans and Their Intrinsic Relationship with Western Films950 Words   |  4 PagesDances With Wolves, directed by Kevin Costner, and The Searchers, directed by John Ford, looks into the fabric of this countrys past. The media has created a false image of the relationship between Native Americans and White men to suppress the cruel and unfortunate reality. Both directors wanted to contradict these stereotypes, but due to the time period the films were created, only one fi lm was successful. Unlike The Searchers, Dancing With Wolves presents a truly realistic representation of NativeRead MoreFilm Analysis : The Searchers1624 Words   |  7 PagesFilm Analysis-The Searchers Dean Childs ENG 225 Allison Sansbury November 10, 2014 The Searchers Throughout this class, various discussions and blogs have been used to analyze the different elements of films such as theme, cinematic techniques and genre. It is time to bring all of these separate elements together in the analysis of one specific film, according to class text, â€Å"analyzing levels of meaning below the surface story can greatly enhance enjoyment as well as understanding ofRead MoreAll the Pretty Horses vs. the Searchers1288 Words   |  6 PagesAll the Pretty Horses/The Searchers The ideal American West or in other words Hollywoods West is described as being a life of adventure, one with beautiful scenery, and a world made up of brave, rough, intuitive, fearless cowboys. Cormac McCarthys All the Pretty Horses challenges and at times romanticizes the description of the ideal American West, whereas, John Fords film The Searchers romanticizes the description of the ideal American West. This is shown through their description ofRead More Representations of Native Americans in Dances with Wolves and The Searchers1379 Words   |  6 Pages(Kilpatrick) Although films have found a place in society for about a century, the labels they possess, such as stereotypes which Natives American are recognized for, have their roots from many centuries ago (Kilpatrick). The Searchers, a movie directed by John Ford and starred by John Wayne, tells the story of a veteran of the American Civil War and how after his return home he would go after the maligned Indians who killed his family and kidnapped his younger niece. After struggling for five years toRead MoreThe Searchers Narrative Structure Essay1173 Words   |  5 PagesBoy to Man: The Searchers Through the Eyes of Martin Pawley The narrative structure of John Ford’s The Searchers is centered primarily around the actions and knowledge of men. Throughout the movie, men are the figures of action, they are out scouring the land for lost loved ones while the women stay home and wait with hope. In The Searchers, just as with any search, the limiting factor involved is knowledge. Ethan, the main character, begins the movie as the leader of the searchers. His assumed roleRead MoreGenre Films Predictability and Formulaicity Essay1598 Words   |  7 PagesGenre Films Predictability and Formulaicity This essay shall discuss whether Genre films are predictable and formulaic, looking at the Western genre, and using the example films of, The Searchers and Unforgiven. Genre is a fundamental means by which we communicate especially in storytelling. If looking at genre in terms of Thomas Shatz, he puts forward the theory of similarity and overlap. He adopts a thematic and ideological approach, which identifies only twoRead MoreThe Movie The Searchers, Little Big Man, And Dances With Wolves Essay2201 Words   |  9 PagesIndians or â€Å"go Native† and eventually they always become better than the original Indians in the film. This notion has been repeated in many films, three significant films were it is evident is in The Searchers, Little Big Man, and Dances with Wolves. In the film The Searchers directed by John Ford, Ethan is the main character, which hates native Americans to the fullest and goes on an adventure with Martin looking for his niece, Debbie. Debbie was captured by the Comanches when they killed her familyRead MoreAll The Pretty Horses And The Searchers Comparison1113 Words   |  5 PagesBoth Cormac McCarthys All the Pretty Horses and John Fords The Searchers depict a  ¨cowboy ¨ going on an adventure, but each shows the myth of the cowboy in very different lights. The Searchers shows John Wayne as a great man loyal to his family who will do anything to protect them. McCarthy shows the cowboy John Grady as a boy who wants to chase the dream of the life of a cowboy. These differences are very similar to the more major contrast between the novel and the movies’ views on the myth of