Searching For Debbie

The Searchers

Texas 1868

Ethan Edwards returns to his brothers farm three years after the end of the civil war.

While Ethan and his adoptive nephew Martin Pawley join a company of Texas Rangers to track a Commanche raiding party, the renegades double back to attack and burn the Edwards homestead, kidnapping nine year old Debbie.

Then begins a five year odyssesy. Ethan(John Wayne) and Martin(Jeffrey Hunter)journey from South to North from season to season hunting the band that abducted the young girl. And all the long while Ethans obsessive hatred and lust for revenge grows ever more intense.

John Ford's film journeys deep into the heart of Ethan Edwards darkness. He emerges from a personally unconceeeded war and a couple of years of highly questionable wanderings into a settled family home and a community thats moved on.

Throughout the film there are reasonances from a shared and sometimes secret past. Most poignantly the hopeless, impossible love between Ethan and his sister-in-law expressed in looks and longings;in how he passes her a lamp from the firplace, in how she carresses his Johnny Reb greatcoat when alone in a room. And woven into Max Steiner's musical score is the song"Lorena"the most popular tune amongst the troops of the Civil War.

Th interior cabin scenes are lit in tender shades that give a feeling of hearth and home to John Fords painterly composition, and in one crowded sequence when the rangers arrive at breakfast time the dialogue is seemingly random and overlapping with several conversations going off in different directions, but is so well orchestrated all ends up at the right point so naturally that its quite astonishing and makes you wonder how such a scene was rehearsed to such perfection.

Rich in its characters-Ward Bond as the Reverend Clayton fruity voiced preacher, ex-confederate soldier now a serving texas Ranger. Hank Warden-is Mose the half crazed frontier scout who(its never noted)does as much as any to find Debbie and is certainly one of "the Searchers".

The Jorgensons-Olive Carey, John Qualen, Harry Carey jnr, Vera Miles.

Most members of John Fords repertory company.

There are no bones to be made about it, this is a great film. Bracketed by an opening door at the beginning and by one closing at the end, filled with unforgettable images and dialogue-Like Ethan in stormy outline unleashing his rifle, casting aside its buckskin scabbard with his arm outstretched when he sees his brothers burning farmhouse. Cavalry troopers in formation moving through winter snow. John Wayne so intense in his "Turnin'o the Earth"speech. Lucy's scream of terror before the Commanche attack. And so many more visions and sounds that will linger in the memory.

The centre of the film is John Wayne's performance
Ethan is disruption
Ethan is turbulence.
But he is the bad man needed in a difficult time. Without him Debbie would remain the wife of Scar her abductor ready to bare him her own "savage brats" in Lori Jorgensons shocking outburst. But then is a feeling he's fighting against finer feelings-tenderness and concern. Wayne has never been better.

If you are going to buy"The Searchers" on DVD(and you should make an effort to)make sure you find the version restored from the original Vista Vision Prints. In an extas interview Martin Scorsese says its the best ever format for film, and if possible see it on a wide screen television.

I've seen this film many times over the years but I've never seen it look like this, its a revelation, never has Monument Valley looked more...., well...., Monumental.

The extra's are excellent especially an appreciation by Martin Scorsese, Curtis Hansen and John Milius who give intelligent studied opinions and clearly loved the film. As do many. As do I.