Transcript The Searchers

English 299C:
Film as Narrative Art
Mr. Kelley
THE SEARCHERS
(JOHN FORD, 1956)
It’s the tragedy of a loner. He’s the man who
came back from the Civil War, probably went
over to Mexico, became a bandit, probably
fought for Juarez or Maximilian—probably
Maximilian, because of the medal. He was just a
plain loner—could never really be a part of the
family.
John Ford, on The Searchers
Points to Consider:
• Where has Ethan been at the beginning of
the film?
• Where is he at the end?
• Do these points have significance?
• What is Ethan’s relationship with his
family?
• What sort of man is Ethan?
• Consider point of view in the film. With
whom is the audience made to identify?
• Is this identification ever broken?
• Is Ethan a “pure” hero, or is he flawed, like
other characters we have studied—Walter
Neff, Charles Foster Kane, and L. B.
Jefferies, for instance?
• Does Scar parallel Ethan in any way?
• What does Scar seem to represent to
Ethan on an unconscious level?
• How does Ethan regard his missing niece?
Are his feelings echoed in the community
in any way?
• What is the function of the episode with
Look? Does she parallel another
character?
• What is Ethan’s spiritual, or psychological,
condition throughout the film?
• Do the incidents in the film constitute a
therapeutic experience in any way?
• What does the ending suggest?
Selected Filmography of John Ford
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The Informer (1935)
Stagecoach (1939)
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
My Darling Clementine (1946)
The Fugitive (1947)
Fort Apache (1948)
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)
Selected Ford Filmography
(Continued)
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Rio Grande (1950)
Wagonmaster (1950)
The Quiet Man (1952)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)