The Searchers

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The Searchers

Released May 16, 1956

1h 59m

Western

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Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

98 Reviews

88%

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25,000+ Ratings

In this revered Western, Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) returns home to Texas after the Civil War. When members of his brother's family are killed or abducted by Comanches, he vows to track down his surviving relatives and bring them home. Eventually, Edwards gets word that his niece Debbie (Natalie Wood) is alive, and, along with her adopted brother, Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter), he embarks on a dangerous mission to find her, journeying deep into Comanche territory.

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Critics Consensus

The Searchers is an epic John Wayne Western that introduces dark ambivalence to the genre that remains fashionable today.

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Jean Yothers

Orlando Sentinel

The story is appealing, the action is exciting and the expanse of scenery in VistaVision and Technicolor is truly awe-inspiring.

Mar 25, 2024

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Helen Bower

Detroit Free Press

Ford has achieved an extraordinary effect. There is the sense of time passing, yet the picture never drags. There is continued action, yet the picture conveys in almost leisurely fashion the life of isolated families in the remote early West.

Mar 25, 2024

Full Review

Jack Moffitt

The Hollywood Reporter

[The Searchers] is undoubtedly one of the greatest Westerns ever made. For sheer scope, guts and beauty I can think of no picture... to compare with it. In it John Wayne delivers a performance that tops his great performance in The High and the Mighty.

Mar 25, 2024

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Jay Carmody

Washington Star

It is in keeping alive this seemingly endless [quest] that Ford's genius asserts Itself. He has landscape to work with, and colored film and a Vista-Vision camera. With these he can achieve miracles and, to the picture's great advantage, he does.

Mar 25, 2024

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Francois Truffaut

Arts (France)

John Ford symbolizes an age of Hollywood, the one when good health prevailed over intelligence, craftiness over sincerity. This age has gone; Elia Kazan's and Nicholas Ray's movies make more money than John Ford's, poetry triumphs over entertainment.

Mar 25, 2024

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William R. Weaver

Motion Picture Herald (Exhibitors Herald)

The Searchers is one of the great ones -- one of the greatest of the great pictures of the American West.

Mar 25, 2024

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Fer S

Great story, but very bad acting and dialogue. I also found the comedic moments totally unnecessary as they take seriousness out of the movie. Music choice was also not very good. You have to understand how old the movie is though.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/23/24

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Omar G

The Searchers (1956), rating 9/10 Stars. When Hollywood portrayed the originals natives as villains of the invading settlers, in this era they would be called terrorists. As Alfred Hitchcock described the landscape artist John Ford directing with the stars John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Ward Bond, Vera Miles, Natalie Wood. Sometimes the story was too comical with the caricatured characters. I like the theory of some fans of the film that Ethan Edwards searches for Debbie because she is his daughter, Martha, his brother Aaron's wife, had relations with him before the civil war. Also that Ethan was a mercenary of Maximilian of Habsburg in Mexico, he did not want to go home. Also the reason Edwards hates the Comanches or natives was because they killed his mother. Martin should have left the hateful Laurie and it seems to me that he was in love with Debbie, they should have gone to live together. I have sympathy for both versions of Debbie, a little more the cheerful versión played by Natalie Wood's younger sister Lana. I remember what she said about Kirk Douglas. The big Chief Scar or Cicatriz is played by a German Aryan actor with tanning paint. If Jorgensen's son Brad had married Lucy Edwards before the events, both would still be alive.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/27/24

Full Review

Audience Member

There is a reason why this is Martin Scorsese's favorite movie: it is simply a rare masterpiece, created by one of the greatest masters of cinema. Yes, it has weaknesses due to the time of its creation, but it is a film full of Old Testament force. A must-see for every film lover.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/06/24

Full Review

Shaun B

An absolute brilliant film.Not only the finest Western ever made, but one of the greatest films.It's zero amount of Oscar nominations just show what a sham they have always been.Take a look at the other films that were,that year. WANKERS.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/14/24

Full Review

Joseph C

one of the most iconic westerns of all time. john fords direction is a accurate depiction of the american west. john wayne is great as uncle ethan and the music by max steiner is superb. a little slow at times but never boring the searchers is a excellent reccomendation to the western genre.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/27/24

Full Review

John Z

This is a truly great Western film by John Ford. Not to be missed!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/05/24

Full Review

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John Ford

Director

John Wayne

Ethan Edwards

Jeffrey Hunter

Martin Pawley

Natalie Wood

Debbie Edwards (older)

Vera Miles

Laurie Jorgensen

Ward Bond

Rev. Capt. Samuel Johnston Clayton

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Synopsis

In this revered Western, Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) returns home to Texas after the Civil War. When members of his brother's family are killed or abducted by Comanches, he vows to track down his surviving relatives and bring them home. Eventually, Edwards gets word that his niece Debbie (Natalie Wood) is alive, and, along with her adopted brother, Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter), he embarks on a dangerous mission to find her, journeying deep into Comanche territory.

Director: John Ford
Producer: C.V. Whitney
Screenwriter: Alan Le May, Frank S. Nugent
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Brothers
Genre: Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 16, 1956, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 24, 2008
Runtime: 1h 59m

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