The Searchers

The Searchers was directed by John Ford (1894-1973) and released in 1956. John Ford is often called "the man who invented America". Through his films he is said to have shaped a certain vision of America, the values it stands for and what it means to be an American. He won Academy Awards for The Informer (1935), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941) and The Quiet Man (1952). In his obituary, the New York Times describes him as "imaginative, daring, sensitive, courageous, craftsmanlike, tough". According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, "his films, whether westerns or in other genres, are notable for a turn-of-the-20th-century ideal of American masculinity—loyal, self-deprecating yet competent, dependable in a scrap, bound by duty …"

John Ford is mostly known for his westerns and some critics claim that The Searchers is one of his best. The film stars John Wayne, Natalie Wood, Vera Miles and Jeffrey Hunter. The screenplay is based on a novel by Alan LeMay, which tells the true story of Cynthia Ann Parker. She was kidnapped by Comanches when she was 9 years old, and rescued many years later. Historian Glenn Frankel wrote another book about the real story of Cynthia Ann Parker, in which he reveals that in fact "the story of how the white Comanche princess was treated became very much part of the fantasy, if you will, of the myth as it developed." Frankel explains that, unlike his book, Ford's film focuses on Cynthia's uncle, who is a "very charismatic western hero, and it’s all about western heroes." and "the quest" he goes on.

The western as a genre was and still is extremely popular. Set in the period from 1850 to the 1890s, it focusses on the conquest of the wilderness, the westward expansion of white settlers and the conflict between them and Native Americans. However, in The Searchers, the main character's "elliptical journey is contrary to the very nature of the Western, which, prior to The Searchers, habitually followed a set narrative path forward, specifically in a westerly direction. Good guys are good; bad guys are bad…" (Brian Eggert)

VOCABULARY

directed : réalisé
released : sorti
to shape : façonner
obituary : nécrologie
daring : audacieux
sensitive : sensible
craftsman : artisan
tough : résistant
whether … or : que ce soit … ou
self-deprecating : plein d'auto-dérision
a scrap : une bagarre
bound : lié, tenu
duty : devoir (moral)
screenplay : scénario
to rescue : sauver
quest : quête
wilderness : étendues sauvages
settler : colon
prior to : avant
a set narrative path forward : arc narratif vers l'avant
good guys : les gentils, les bons
bad guys : les méchants

The film begins with the main character Ethan, who has been fighting in the Civil War, returning to his brother's home after a long absence. Everyone is overjoyed to see him and welcomes him. Shortly after, however, a band of Comanches attack them and kill Ethan's brother, his sister in law and their son. Their two daughters, Lucy and Debbie have been kidnapped by the Comanches. Ethan and a few other men decide to look for the girls and take revenge on the Comanches. Ethan finds Lucy dead and her fiancé dies, trying to avenge her. Ethan is determined to find Debbie and starts looking for her. He hears that she is in the hands of Scar, a Comanche chief. Ethan will spend several years looking for his niece but it soon becomes clear that he may not really want to rescue her. He hates Native Americans so much that he cannot bear the thought of Debbie living among them. A critic pointed out : "A powerful irony becomes clear — as Martin realizes Ethan intends to kill Debbie when he finds her, the audience must puzzle over exactly what is driving Ethan. Revenge ? Racism ? Duty ? Professionalism ? Unsuppressable violent impulses ?" (Gary Morris)
 

When he finds her, she is a teenager and has been living like a Native American.  Her first words to the white men who have come to take her away from the Comanches are : "They have done …nothing…They are my people…".

Quotations about The Searchers: 

"He’s very much the myth-maker about the U.S. Calvary, about cowboys, about Native Americans. Ford is, to put it bluntly, an artist, he’s interested in giving us this iconic gunfighter, Indian-fighter, this hero, this charismatic leader. And yet at the same time he’s undermining that myth all the way through."  (Historian Glenn Frankel talking about John Ford in an interview on PBS)

"This lonely character comes out of the desert and he is actually terrifying… He acts out the worst aspects of racism in our country… He is a poet of hatred" (Martin Scorsese¹ in an interview at the American Film Institute, recalling the first time he watched The Searchers).

"Like all great works of art, it's uncomfortable." (Martin Scorsese, talking about The Searchers in The Hollywood Reporter)

"The Searchers tells the emotionally complex story of a perilous, hate-ridden quest and Homeric-style odyssey of self-discovery after a Comanche massacre, while also exploring the themes of racial prejudice and sexism." (Filmsite Movie Review)

¹ Martin Scorsese is a contemporary American film director.

VOCABULARY

Civil War : Guerre de Sécession
overjoyed : ravi
shortly : peu de temps
sister in law : belle-soeur
to avenge : venger
to abduct : kidnapper
to bear : supporter
to intend : avoir l'intention
to puzzle over : se demander
to drive : pousser, motiver
bluntly : franchement
gunfighter : tireur
to undermine : remettre en cause, saper
all the way through : complètement
to act out : realiser, donner corps à
hate-ridden : rempli de haine
while : tout en …