"The Searchers" (John Ford, 1956)

Country of Origin: USA

With "The Searchers," John Ford complexified issues of racism, historic ideals, and maintained his conveyance of familial unity. He also shot the film in Monument Vally -- the most meaningful backdrop one can hope to experience while viewing a John Ford production. Although, "The Searchers" attained a loyal following after its release, the film went unnoticed critically in America. In Europe, however, the French critics hailed the film as a landmark masterpiece and justly so. Ford undertook an epic film when directing "The Searchers," but with his economical choice of shots and framing, the film did not become an oversized production. After all, Ford rarely shot coverage; once the shooting began, he had already envisioned the film.

The photography in "The Searchers" is stunning, but Ford's eye for composition was hardly a surprise. One difference, however, is that "The Searchers" was shot in VistaVision, a relatively new photographic process at the time that would allow films to be shown in larger aspect ration and with more finer film grain -- a notion that would encourage directors to frame in long shots. Thus, if directors could use close-ups more sparingly, they would be able to emphasize meaning when doing so; it can only be assumed that Ford was entirely aware of this.

John Wayne's lead character, Ethan Edwards, conveys his racist values throughout the film. It is with such an approach that Ford was able to explore American History and the treatment of native americans. Superficially, the film itself might appear to condone racist values, but Ford's camera probes much deeper to occasionally reveal a sympathetic portrait, but unfortunately such films are rarely screened with ample scrutiny.

Although I could probably discuss "The Searchers" for hours as it is most definitely one of the finest films ever made, if not the single greatest American story portrayed on celluloid, I will end my review here with my highest recommendation.

NOTE: The most prolific use of VistaVision came from Alfred Hitchock, who composed several masterpieces in the format: "The Trouble with Harry," "The Man Who Knew Too Much," "Vertigo" (often cited has Hitch's finest film), and "North by Northwest."

- Kurtis