Customer Reviews

The Searchers: 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition

5 star:		(86)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I saw this with my friends when I was a kid - we went around quoting Old Mose, whom we all loved - "Thank you for those kind words." - it did not matter he was somewhat crazed; that made him all the more sympathetic and loveable. I don't know how much we liked the movie otherwise because it is not totally action-packed. Having seen it now, as an adult, I see that John Ford (and, perhaps John Wayne) had other concerns: racism, sexism, political intransigence, the concept of family, and the loner. This movie, set in Texas but obviously filmed (beautifully) in Monument Valley, is more about character. And the possibility of change. And, perhaps, the impossibility of change; or, the shattering of growth by an overwhelming sense of loss (Wayne's character: the war, and the woman). Ford is a master director - I recommend watching the Special Feature in which the movie is explained, showing all the incredible framing of shots, the backlighting, the pacing of shots.... Aw, just watch it and forget any prejudices you have against John Wayne. It is a beauty.The Searchers

Believe this is my favorite film and to have it on DVD Blu-rae excellent, John Wayne,s very best. Should have won Acadeny Award

Touted as one of the most popular, yet understated western movies starring John Wayne. I enjoyed the sweeping panoramas and the epic feel; however, John Wayne is not academy material. Not recommended unless a diehard Wayne fan.

It's easy to see why The Searchers is so high on so many "best of" lists. The appreciation special feature helps put the film in its cultural context. The Blu-ray image is, of course, a joy to watch, and the beauty of Monument Valley shines through. The real surprise is how pleasant the "Behind the Camera" features are. They were originally fillers for the WB Television programs, but they have a life of their own as contemporary making of features. And for Star Trek fans, watching Jeffrey Hunter is a surprise.

A fantastic movie and a true classic - and certainly one that really shines when presented in its true widescreen aspect ratio. That said, SHAME on Warner Brothers for butchering this issue with a "imitation" widescreen format (hence my 1-star rating). The packaging claims both Standard format and "matted" widescreen are on the dvd - the latter (at least for WB) means that they take the (already width-cropped) standard screen version and simply [take] huge strips off of the top and bottom of the picture to make the shape approximately 1:85:1 (so an HDTV format screen is filled, no doubt). The result is that when watching this "widescreen" version, one is seeing far less picture than even in the Standard format! I have verified this by comparing the two dvd sides (one standard, the other "widescreen") to one another and to a true widescreen tape that I have. Those reviewers that have been raving about this widescreen presentation, have a look at the standard format side of the disk to see more of the movie ;-)

John Ford was a master craftsman of the American cinema. Though he dabbled in melodrama and action during his directorial career, his everlasting contribution to the movies remains in those galvanic distillations of the old west put forth by an unparalleled series of legendary films. "The Searchers" ranks among his most finely wrought and meticulously hand crafted projects. Indeed it seems to be the film in which the culmination of Ford's own commitment to the power, beauty and frailty of the western frontier tragically come together in a revisionist perspective that exposes both its grandeur and its flaws. The film stars the iconic John Wayne as Ethan Edwards - a strangely majestic antihero who vows bloody revenge after his cousin and family are slaughtered by marauding Comanches. But Ethan's search for his surviving niece (Natalie Wood) becomes a sinister and all-consuming obsession when he learns that she - having been abducted while still a child - has now adopted the ways of her captors and, at least in Ethan's mind, has become one of them. The film tackles racism in the form of Ethan's distrust of one time family friend (Jeffrey Hunter) who is part Cherokee and the sweep and spectacle of Death Valley has never been quite so poignantly captured on film.

THE TRANSFER: While Warner Home Video has made "The Searchers" available in anamorphic widescreen in a print that is light years ahead of anything the film has looked like before for the home film enthusiast, compared to more current DVD releases, the visual splendor of the transfer falls short of expectations. Though colors are rich there's something of a muddiness and lack of balance to them in many of the indoor scenes. Also, several scenes appear to be suffering slightly from color shrinkage, creating a slightly out of focus image quality that is distracting. Age related artifacts are present but do not distract so much as the digital anomalies of pixelization and edge enhancement which greatly plague the background information in most of the long shots. A slight shimmering is inherent in all of the scenes. Black and contrast levels can be solid at times, while sometimes appearing slightly pasty. Ditto for the unnatural flesh tones which are either overly pink or a ruddy orange. The audio has been remastered and delivers a nice expansive presentation which is in keeping with the vintage of the original sound elements.
EXTRAS: Not this time around. Sadly, this film deserves a documentary.

BOTTOM LINE: "The Searchers" is a masterful western, on par with "Stagecoach" and "High Noon". Definitely one to add to your film library.

Blu came in packaging, was quick. no scratches & excellent condition and it came on time no problems with the seller, would buy from him again

What can I possibly say that has not already been said. Great cast, great cinematography, great movie. My comment really concerns the blu-ray edition. The picture looks great for the most part but there is something wrong about the audio, it's off sync somehow and I'm wondering if it's a problem with my disc or if it's a general defect.
Can anyone explain?
Thanks

I brought this as a gift for my mom. She is a big Western John Wayne fan. We had own the Vhs copy of the movie and my mom wore it out. I think it is one of the better movies between Ford and Wayne. I recommend this movie for any Ford or Waye fan.

This film, directed by the legendary John Ford, and starring John Wayne in the leading role is a western that has achieved mythic proportions. Touted as one of the greatest westerns ever filmed, it is, I will grant you, an entertaining film. In it, John Wayne plays the anti-hero, Ethan Edwards, an ex-confederate soldier, who goes to Texas in 1868 to visit his brother and his family on their ranch in Texas. While visiting, a report of marauding Indians in adjacent land draws out the Texas Rangers and Ethan, who joins them. When they discover that a decoy has been used to lure them away from the settlement, they hurry back, only to find that Ethan's family was masacred and his two nieces gone, taken captive by Comanche Indians.

Ethan goes to the rescue, joined by Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter), a friend of the family who is himself part Indian. After a while, they discover that only the younger niece, Debbie, has survived. Their quest to bring Debbie back, or so Martin thinks, takes place over a period of five years. At some point along the way, Ethan's relentless quest for Debbie seems to undergo a transition from rescue mission to execution squad in the belief that it is better to be dead than to have "gone Injun".

The film suffers somewhat from revisionist history and its own stereotypic portrayal of Indians. They are portrayed as either savages or buffoons fit only to be the butt of jokes. Moreover, the character of Ethan is an enigma, as he changes from heartbroken uncle to death squad killer in his relentless search for his surviving niece. Ethan embodies hatred and racism, concepts that are tantalizingly laid out but never fully examined or explored, which is why Ethan remains an enigma.

Debbie, played as a child by Lana Wood and as a teenager by Lana's older sister, Natalie Wood, is a symbol around which Ethan's character gets its raison d'etre. It is she who gives him the will to go on, whether it be for the right or wrong reasons is another issue. Natalie Wood is lovely as the older Debbie, though the makeup has to go, as it serves to take away from the rusticity of the film and jerk the viewer back to Hollywood. This was typical of films in those days. No matter what the situation, the women were always in full makeup.

Still, notwithstanding some of the film's political incorrectness and incongruent production values, it is still an entertaining film and about as good as westerns get. John Wayne is memorable as Ethan Edwards. Handsome Jeffrey Hunter gives an excellent performance as Martin Pawley. Ward Bond, as captain of the Texas Rangers, is terrific. The rest of the supporting cast give performances that vary in quality. Still, this film remains the quintessential western flick and one worth watching.