Set in 1928 Kansas, the film revolves around a relationship between a working class girl and a young rich boy who fall in love and want to take the next step into their relationship yet expectations and pressures from their parents about their individual futures and such would drive the couple apart and into chaos. It is a film that explores young love between two high school kids who are devoted to each other yet both of them are from different social statuses despite attending the same high school as well as their parents wanting to do something for their futures as well as wanting to keep them together. William Inge’s screenplay is largely straightforward as it opens with Wilma Dean “Deanie” Loomis (Natalie Wood) and Bud Stamper (Warren Beatty) making out in his car as the latter wants to go forward but the former is reluctant for the relationship to be sexual. Still, the two want to maintain a relationship with Stamper wanting to marry Deanie in the future yet his father Ace Stamper (Pat Hingle) has plans for him to take over the family business even though Bud knows he doesn’t have the grades to go to Yale.
While Deanie lives comfortably despite her being over-protected by her mother (Audrey Christie), she is eager to become Stamper’s wife though is still reluctant to lose her virginity while also having to watch the dysfunctional world that is Stamper’s family. Notably as his older sister Ginny (Barbara Loden) has returned home from Chicago from an annulled marriage as well as a getting an abortion done, which was illegal at the time, where she becomes a source of discord for the family. Even as her behavior would create gossip with Ace wanting to focus more on Bud’s future where he convinces Bud to break up Deanie temporarily as the result would be chaotic with Deanie becoming erratic over its break-up. The two would endure their own separate journeys where Stamper deals with the futility of expectations while Deanie goes on her own journey to discover herself.
Elia Kazan’s direction is evocative in not just the richness of its compositions but also in its overall presentation as it plays into a world where parents are expecting this great future emerging just a year before the Crash of 1929 that lead to the Great Depression. Shot largely at the Filmways Studios in New York City with exterior locations shot on Staten Island and High Falls, New York, Kazan creates a film that plays into a period in time where Prohibition was still happening though the rich were able to get alcohol through some illegal means and get away with it. Even as Kazan shows how Ace Stamper is able to get alcohol in those times as he is a rich man with oil wells and cattle ranches where he wants Bud to run these things in the future though Bud is more interested in just wanting to run a ranch. Kazan plays into this sense of generational gap involving Deanie and Bud against the expectations of their parents as Kazan’s unique compositions in his close-ups and medium shots play into the melodrama and dramatic suspense.
There are some wide shots in Kazan’s direction in the way he films scenes in Kansas including this waterfall area for the film’s first scene as well as a couple of key moments that would play into the Deanie and Bud’s dissolution. Kazan also maintains this air of sexual innuendo in the way Ginny presents herself as well as a scene of Deanie in a bathtub as she is talking to her mother as she would act erratically over what happened with Bud. It would play into this third act of Bud and Deanie living separate lives but also confront their own issues with themselves but also gain an understanding of what their parents want. Notably as Bud’s time in Yale produces poor results in a scene with him, his father, and Yale’s dean (Kermit Murdock) where Kazan definitely shows who is running the conversation as that person is starting to unravel with Bud caught in the middle. Its ending refers to a poem by William Wordsmith that Deanie struggled to read and comprehend in its second act as it would return as a way to express what she and Bud had endured but also the choices they would make as adults. Overall, Kazan crafts an intoxicating and exhilarating film about high school sweethearts whose love life is disrupted by the demands of adulthood and the expectations of their families.
Cinematographer Boris Kaufman does amazing work with the film’s cinematography in the richness of the daytime exterior locations as well as the usage of lights for some of the interior scenes at night along with an emphasis on low-key lighting for the exterior scenes at night. Editor Gene Milford does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into the melodrama as well as some lighthearted moments in the film. Production designer Richard Sylbert and set decorator Gene Callahan do brilliant work with the interiors of the Loomis family home in its simple yet classy style that is a sharp contrast to the way more refined world of the Stamper family estate with all of its bigger rooms and such. Costume designer Anna Hill Johnstone does fantastic work with the costumes with the dresses that the women wear being a highlight including some of the clothes that Deanie would wear later in her life as well as the raunchy clothes that Ginny wears.
Hairdresser Willis Hanchett and makeup artist Robert Jiras do terrific work with the hairstyles that the women wear at the time including Deanie’s hairstyle in the film’s first and second act as well as a more refined look in the third act. Sound editor Frank Lewin does superb work with the sound in the way waterfall sounds from its location up-close and from afar as well as the way a room is presented in its location. The film’s music by David Amram is incredible for its jazz-like score that features some saxophone and piano to play into the melodrama and romance that includes some orchestral flourishes with a soundtrack filled with the music of the times.
The film’s marvelous ensemble cast feature some notable small roles and appearances from Ivor Francis as Deanie’s psychiatrist Dr. Judd, screenwriter William Inge as the local pastor Reverend Whitman, Kermit Murdock as the dean of Yale in Dean Pollard, Phyllis Diller in her film debut as the famed performer Texas Guinan, Martine Bartlett as the school literature teacher Miss Metcalf, the duo of Sandy Dennis and Crystal Field as two of Deanie’s friends in Kay and Hazel, Charles Robinson in an un-credited performance as a young man that Deanie meets in a hospital in John, Gary Lockwood as a friend/teammate of Bud in Toots, Jan Norris as a slutty classmate of Deanie in Juanita Howard, and John McGovern as Doc Smiley who becomes concerned for Bud’s health following a collapse at a basketball game while also believing that Bud is being put into a lot of pressure from his father. Joanna Roos is wonderful as Bud and Ginny’s mother who is supportive of Bud’s relationship with Deanie though she has great concerns over her husband’s ambitions and the pressure he put on their son. Fred Stewart is superb as Deanie’s father Del Loomis as a man who runs a small shop next to the house as he is this low-key person that doesn’t try to cause trouble while is also doing what he can to make Deanie feel happy as he would also feel that his wife is smothering her.
Zohra Lampert is fantastic as Angelina as this young Italian immigrant that Bud meets in Yale as she would help him see things differently as well as be an important person to him later in his life. Audrey Christie is excellent as Deanie’s mother who is protective of Deanie as she also sees her as a young girl as she unknowingly would smother her as it would add to Deanie’s emotional and mental troubles. Barbara Loden is brilliant as Bud’s older sister Ginny as this young woman who likes to push her father’s buttons as well as be this ultimate rebel though it would also put her in danger including an attempted rape on her as she’s also gained notoriety for all of the wrong reasons. Pat Hingle is amazing as Bud’s father Ace Stamper as this rich oilman who expects so much from Bud to succeed him as he talks a lot while also making some bad suggestions as he would help play a role in Bud and Deanie’s break-up as he is really a complex man that is severely flawed and tries to control so many things in his life.
Finally, there’s the duo of Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood in tremendous performances in their respective roles as Bud Stamper and Deanie Loomis. Beatty in his debut performance has all of the attributes of a high school sports star in terms of its physiques and looks yet it is Beatty’s vulnerability that makes Bud compelling to watch as someone who is aware of his flaws and shortcomings as well as the fact that he doesn’t have his father’s ambitions. Wood exudes a radiance in her performance as a young woman that has an air of innocence but is also someone who had been too sheltered leading to an emotional breakdown and issues that would allow her to act out where Wood brings in that intensity to a young woman that is unraveling. Beatty and Wood together have this amazing chemistry as a young couple in love but one of them wants to get more physical but other isn’t willing as it causes problems with Ace getting involved as it adds to the drama as the two are a major highlight to watch.
Splendor in the Grass is an outstanding film from Elia Kazan that features great leading performances from Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty. Along with its supporting ensemble cast, wondrous visuals, a fiery music score, and a story of young love and the expectations of adulthood. It is a film that explores two young people wanting to devote their love for one another only to cope with life changes and the move into adulthood as well as the demanding hopes of their parents. In the end, Splendor in the Grass is magnificent film from Elia Kazan.
Elia Kazan Films: (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) – (The Sea of Grass) – (Boomerang!) – (Gentleman’s Agreement) – (Pinky) – (Panic in the Streets) – A Streetcar Named Desire - (Viva Zapata!) – (Man on a Tightrope) – On the Waterfront - East of Eden – (Baby Doll) – (A Face in the Crowd) – (Wild River) – (America America) – (The Arrangement) – (The Visitors (1972 film)) – (The Last Tycoon)
© thevoid99 2024
Directed by Nicholas Ray and screenplay by Stewart Stern from a story by Ray with adaptation by Irving Shulman, Rebel Without a Cause is the story of a teenager who arrives to a new town as he has trouble with his new environment where he often encounters trouble. The film is a look into a troubled young man as he deals with his own conflicts with his parents, ideals, and all sorts of things while trying to find himself. Starring James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Jim Backus, Dennis Hopper, Ann Doran, Corey Allen, and William Hopper. Rebel Without a Cause is a riveting and evocative film from Nicholas Ray.
The film follows the day in the life of a young man who had just moved to a new town where he finds himself getting in trouble as he’s being challenged to a chicken race while dealing with his own family life believing his parents don’t understand his anguish. It plays into this man who isn’t just dealing with the fact that he couldn’t do the right things but often keeps doing things the wrong way as he’s targeted by other kids who would get him into trouble. Stewart Stern’s screenplay doesn’t just follow the trouble that the film’s protagonist Jim Stark (James Dean) goes through during the course of the day but also a couple of other young teens who would be at a police precinct like Stark late at night. Judy (Natalie Wood) is a teenager who is picked up by the police for breaking curfew as she claims to be unloved by her father who says awful things to her while John “Plato” Crawford (Sal Mineo) was taken to the police for shooting puppies with his mother’s gun as both of his parents aren’t home.
Stark is a young man that lives in a somewhat dysfunctional home as his father Frank (Jim Backus) is often more concerned with wanting to be his buddy rather than be a father while his mother Carol (Ann Doran) is always upset over what her son does and often feels the best solution is to move to another town. It’s a pattern that becomes too common for Stark as he has just arrived to Los Angeles unsure of what to do and who to socialize with. Especially when Judy’s boyfriend Buzz Gunderson (Corey Allen) notices him and decides to push him around leading to a chicken race with cars where things don’t go well at all. Even as Stark is convinced that he’s cursed though he is able to get some sympathy early in the film from Inspector Ray Fremick (Edward Platt) who got to see up close what Stark’s parents are like as he offers to help him.
Nicholas Ray’s direction is definitely ravishing for the way he captures the life of a troubled teenager in Los Angeles where the film is shot on location though the school that Stark and others attend is shot on location in Santa Monica, California. Ray’s direction through the usage of the Cinemascope widescreen format allows him to take great usage of the wide shots of the locations including a few key scenes at the Griffith Observatory that would play in a scene where Stark is confronted by Gunderson and his gang and the film’s climax. Yet, Ray would emphasize on medium shots and close-ups including some unique compositions that play into the struggles of Stark, Judy, and Plato in the film’s sequence at the police precinct. Ray’s would shoot someone like Plato meeting Inspector Fremick in a medium shot in the foreground while Stark is seen in the background as it’s among these unique visuals that Ray would create along with scenes at home with some stylish camera angles to play into Stark’s anguish over his parents’ inability to help him.
Ray would also create these moments of intrigue in the compositions as it relates to how Plato looks at Stark that definitely provides subtle ideas that Plato is gay as it was considered taboo during the 1950s in which the film was made and set in. The sense of drama that happens for much of the film has Ray create some carefully crafted compositions in the way he positions his actors but also play into moments that are intense such as the aftermath of the chicken race. The film’s climax which relates to Gunderson’s gang trying to find Stark as well as Plato add to the sense of heightened drama as well as this chance of Stark to try and bring some kind of meaning to his life in helping Plato. Overall, Ray crafts a rapturous and exhilarating film about a young man’s search for meaning in his young teenage life.
Cinematographer Ernest Haller does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of vibrant colors from the way much of the daytime exterior scenes look to the interior scene set at the Griffith Observatory as well as how the colors appear in the Cinemascope film format. Editor William H. Ziegler does excellent work with the editing as it help play into some of the dramatic tension as well as bits of the suspense during the chicken race scene. Art director Malcolm C. Bert and set decorator William Wallace does fantastic work with the interiors of the Stark family home as well as the homes of Judy and Plato and the abandoned mansion that Plato mentioned nearby the Griffith Observatory.
Costume designer Moss Mabry does amazing work with the costumes from the red jacket Stark would wear for the film’s second half as well as the clothes that Gunderson and his gang wore as well as the dresses that Judy wore throughout the film. The sound work of Stanley Jones is terrific for its natural approach to sound as well as a few sound effects that play into moments in the drama. The film’s music by Leonard Rosenman is incredible for its somber yet soaring orchestral score that help heighten the drama as well as the anguish from Stark, Judy, and Plato in their home lives.
The film’s wonderful cast include some notable small roles from Ian Wolfe as the astronomy professor Dr. Minton, Frank Mazzola and Jack Grinnage as a couple of Gunderson’s goons in their respective roles in Crunch and Moose, Virginia Brissac as Stark’s grandmother, Marietta Canty as Plato’s family maid who is concerned for his well-being, William Hopper and Rochelle Hudson as Judy’s parents, Dennis Hopper as a member of Gunderson’s gang in Goon, and Edward Platt in a superb performance as Inspector Ray Fremick as a sympathetic police official who is trying to understand the anguish and angst of Stark, Judy, and Plato in the film’s precinct sequence as he interrogates all three of them individually early in the film. Corey Allen is terrific as Buzz Gunderson as Judy’s boyfriend who is also the head of a high school gang that wants to push Stark around though he also shows a sensitive side just before the chicken race knowing that he doesn’t want to kill anyone.
Jim Backus and Ann Doran are fantastic in their respective roles as Stark’s parents in Frank and Carol Stark as a couple who have a hard time trying to understand their son with Frank wanting to help but be more of a friend while Carol is a more stern and not wanting to confront the real issues at hand. Sal Mineo is brilliant as John “Plato” Crawford as a young man who is sensitive and lost due to not having his parents around as he finds a sense of companionship in Stark where he subtly provides ideas of homosexuality in his fascination toward Stark. Natalie Wood is amazing as Judy as a young woman who feels unloved by her father as well as unsure of what to do as she hangs out with Buzz for companionship only to become fascinated by Stark whom she would fall for. Finally, there’s James Dean in a tremendous performance as Jim Stark as this young man that is dealing with uncertainty about himself and his family where Dean displays a mixture of anguish and charm into a role that is definitely an iconic performance in cinema.
Rebel Without a Cause is an outstanding film from Nicholas Ray that features great performances from James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo. Along with its gorgeous visuals, a superb ensemble cast, a mesmerizing script, and a sweeping orchestral score. It’s a film that play into the world of teen angst and uncertainty told in the span of a day in the eyes of a young man that doesn’t feel like he belongs anywhere in the world. In the end, Rebel Without a Cause is a magnificent film from Nicholas Ray.
Nicholas Ray Films: (They Live By Night) – (Knock on Any Door) – (A Woman’s Secret) – In a Lonely Place - (Born to Be Bad) – (Flying Leathernecks) – (On Dangerous Ground) – (The Lusty Men) – Johnny Guitar - (Run for Cover) – (Hot Blood) – (Bigger Than Life) – (The True Story of Jesse James) – (Bitter Victory) – (Wind Across the Everglades) – (Party Girl (1958 film)) – (The Savage Innocents) – (King of Kings) – (55 Days at Peking) – (We Can’t Go Home Again) – (Lightning Over Water)
© thevoid99 2018
Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 7/5/10 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.
Based on the Alan Le May novel, The Searchers tells the story of a Civil War veteran returning home only to encounter tragedy concerning his family. With his nephew, the two go on a journey that spans a few years to find his niece who had been abducted by the Comanche Indian tribe. Directed by John Ford and screenplay by Frank S. Nugent. The film explores a man’s search for his niece where it gives its star John Wayne a role that is complex and dark. Also starring Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Lana Wood, Ward Bond, and Natalie Wood. The Searchers is an evocative and thrilling film from John Ford and his star John Wayne.
Returning home to Texas a few years after the Civil War, Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) arrives to meet his brother Aaron (Walter Coy), Aaron’s wife Martha (Dorothy Jordon), and their children Lucy (Pippa Scott), Ben (Robert Lyden), and the youngest named Debbie (Lana Woods). Arriving to the family dinner is Aaron’s adopted son Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter) whom Ethan is uncomfortable with since Martin is half-Cherokee while the Reverend Captain Samuel Johnson Clayton (Ward Bond) arrives the next day to meet the family where he asks Martin and Ethan to join the Texas Rangers. Ethan and Martin aids Clayton to find out who has been stealing cattle from the nearby Jorgensen family where Ethan makes a chilling discovery as he realizes it’s a trap. Ethan and Martin return home to find their home burned with the family dead prompting Ethan, Martin, and Lucy’s fiancee Brad Jorgensen (Harry Carey Jr.) to go search for the Comanche tribe that had probably captured Lucy and Debbie.
The search proves to be troubling after Ethan, Martin, Brad, and the rangers were almost trapped by the encounter with the Comanche forcing Clayton to call off the search. Ethan, Martin, and Brad decide to continue the search where Martin goes on the search for a trail where Ethan makes another discovery that leaves Brad devastated. With the trail lost and winter approaching, Ethan and Martin seek shelter at the Jorgensen family as Martin is greeted by old childhood friend Laurie (Vera Miles). Lars Jorgensen (John Qualen) and his wife (Olive Carey) give Martin a letter about someone who knows Debbie’s whereabouts while Ethan meets a trader named John Futterman (Peter Mamakos) who also reveals clues about a dress Debbie wore a few years ago. Ethan and Martin continue their search where Martin writes his recollections to Laurie where the search goes on for a year. After meeting with some cavalry men at a fort, Ethan and Martin learn about the women who had been captured by the Comanche.
After meeting a Mexican man named Emilio Figueroa (Antonio Moreno) who reveals the whereabouts of the tribe and their leader named Scar (Henry Brandon). Ethan and Martin arrive to the tribe camp where they find another shocking discovery about Debbie (now played by Natalie Wood) as it troubles Ethan prompting he and Martin to return to the Jorgensen home where some incidents occur when Clayton makes a plan. Even as Martin is worried about what Ethan might do to Debbie as he has a plan of his own.
The film’s story about a man and his adopted nephew taking a five-year search to find a young girl who had been captured by Indians is a simple story. Yet, it’s the journey and the study of its characters that makes the film far more compelling in its presentation. It’s really about a man trying to find his lost niece while his adopted nephew is learning about his uncle’s dark side. Despite Ethan Edwards’ sense of hatred towards the Comanche, he is a man devoted to his family and his hate over their slaughter is the drive for the search of Debbie. For Martin, he too is devoted to family and wants vengeance. His character serves as a conscience of sorts though he is immature and inexperienced into how to find the Comanche while he would later have an encounter with an Indian tribe where he would end up marrying one for a brief period.
Screenwriter Frank S. Nugent succeeds in creating a story that is truly complex in its tone. At times, there’s some humor to balance out the drama and suspense of the film while there’s also characters that do more than what is expected in the archetype of the western genre. Particularly Laurie Jorgensen who is a frustrated yet loyal woman who loves Martin but has a hard time waiting for him to come home. Another female character that is a main drive to the plot, though is only seen briefly is Martha, Ethan’s sister-in-law. It is suggested that Ethan is in love with her but there’s no dialogue nor any story that alludes to that relationship but rather in subtle body language. The film’s antagonist in Scar is also complex since he’s a man who has the same kind of hate that Ethan has but towards white men over tragedies made by white men. Nugent’s study of character, surroundings, and the exploration of racism is truly mesmerizing as well as provocative in its approach. The result is a story that is engaging and thrilling in its journey.
Capturing all of this on screen is the legendary John Ford whose direction is truly hypnotic and at times, breathtaking. Shooting on location in parts of Monument Valley along with other locations in Utah, Los Angeles, & Canada. Ford creates a world where there are rules but they can limit to what is possible. Those rules was something for Ethan and Martin as they care about searching for Debbie. Ford’s direction is stunning from the way he framed the opening and closing shots to how captures close-ups with zoom lenses. Even for wide shots to capture the world of Monument Valley with an amazing depth of field is truly jaw-dropping. Even as he captures the action with tracking camera shots to get the momentum and drama of what is happening.
Some of the dramatic moments in the film has Ford doing some great things about what not to show in order to intensify the dramatic elements of the film. Even as Ford manages to play around with the rules that were restricted at the time as he, like other filmmakers at the time, were starting to push boundaries. While it may not have the grit of the westerns to come from Sergio Leone and Sam Peckinpah. Ford does add a classical element that is truly sweeping as he creates what is definitely an archetype of what the western should be.
Cinematographer Winton C. Hoch does a spectacular job with the film’s photography from the wide, epic canvas look of the exteriors in the day time with some more intimate, darker shots for the nighttime scenes. The interior shots are done with little lighting while some scenes that have a mixture of interior/exterior is filled with shades or evening shots on the outside to exemplify the beauty of the West. Even if it has a sense of darkness that is happening as Hoch’s work is superb. Editor Jack Murray does excellent work with the film’s editing where it moves fast during the film’s climatic battle scene while creating wonderful transitions from scene to scene. Notably the sequence where Laurie narrates Martin’s letter about his journey as it moves back and forth quite seamlessly as Murray’s editing is a highlight.
The art direction of James Basevi and Frank Hotaling, along with set decoration by Victor A. Gangelin, is brilliant for the set designs on the cabin homes of the Edwards’ home along with the ranch of the Jorgensen family. Even as it maintains a sense of authenticity of what it looked like in post-Civil War era of the American West. Costume designer Charles Arrico is very good for its look and how it reflects on that world of the old west while the dresses that Vera Miles and the other actresses wear are beautiful. The sound work of Hugh McDowell Jr. & Howard Wilson is superb for its layering in capturing the action that goes on from the shootouts and locations that the characters are surrounded by.
The music score by Max Steiner is wonderful for its excitement for many of the film’s action and suspense scenes to more somber pieces in the dramatic moments. Mostly an orchestral score, the music also has more humorous scenes involving Martin and his Indian bride. The title song that’s played in the opening and closing credits is a slow yet old-school western ballad by Stan Jones that is sung by Sons of the Pioneers.
The casting for the film is phenomenal as it includes some noteworthy appearances from John Wayne’s young son Patrick as a young cavalry lieutenant, Antonio Moreno as a Mexican man who leads Ethan & Martin to the Comanche, Robert Lyden as Ethan’s young nephew Ben, Pippa Scott as Lucy, Harry Carey Jr. as Brad Jorgensen, Beulah Archuletta as Martin’s Indian Bride, and Hank Worden in a hilarious role as Mose Harper. Other noteworthy small but memorable roles come from John Qualen and Olive Carey as Laurie Jorgensen’s parents, Ken Curtis as the simple-minded Charlie McCorry whom Martin doesn’t like, Lana Wood as the young Debbie, Walter Coy as Ethan’s brother Aaron, and Dorothy Jordan as Martha Edwards, whom Ethan adores.
Henry Brandon is excellent in a small but eerie performance as Chief Cicatrice aka Scar who has a deep hatred for the white man while explaining his own actions as Brandon brings a complexity to his role as the villain. In one of her early film roles, Natalie Wood is very good as the 15-year old Debbie. A young woman changed by the Comanche while pleading to be left alone only to become a target of her uncle. Ward Bond is great as Rev. Col. Samuel Johnston Clayton, an authority figure who means well but doesn’t understand Ethan while getting into things he isn’t fully prepared for. Vera Miles is amazing as Laurie Jorgensen, a hard-headed woman who loves Martin but is put-off by his immaturity and unwillingness to get married while being the one person to ground him. Jeffrey Hunter is superb as Martin Pawley, Ethan’s adopted nephew who goes along the journey to find Debbie only to discover more about his uncle. Hunter’s performance is remarkable in a man who starts off immature only to grow up to realize what is needed to be done.
Finally, there’s John Wayne in what is definitely one of his most iconic roles of his career. In the role of Ethan Edwards, Wayne displays a sense of wisdom but also a character who seems troubled. When he loses his family, Edwards intent for revenge and to find Debbie shows a man knowing what it takes to survive and to bide his time. Yet when he finds Debbie and what she’s become, the dark side of Edwards is revealed as Wayne’s complex, layered, and brooding performance shows all of that but in subtle tones. Even in the more humanistic, compassionate side of Edwards is rarely seen but it is done with light moments of body language. It is definitely a brilliant performance from John Wayne who doesn’t get a lot of credit for his acting.
The Searchers is a thrilling western by the late John Ford and that features a mesmerizing performance from the late John Wayne. Anyone who is new to the western genre must see the film for its visual language, themes, and character study as it lives up to all of benchmarks expected in the genre. Anyone new to the work of John Ford will see this as truly, worthy introduction to one of the greatest directors in cinema. Filled with amazing action, chilling suspense, some fine humor, and subtle drama, The Searchers is truly one of the most defining films of the western genre that can only come from the vision of John Ford.
© thevoid99 2012
