Out of all the great Westerns produced by Hollywood during John Wayne’s time in the industry, both with and without the actor, one stands out as his all-time favorite.The Searchers, one of several Westerns John Wayne made in the 1950s, has been recognized as one of the actor’s biggest and best contributions to the genre. And apparently, this is a notion shared by Wayne himself.
The Searcherswas among the products ofJohn Wayne’s long and storied working relationship with John Ford. With Wayne as the star and Ford as the director, the pair collaborated on several movies, beginning withStagecoachin 1939 and ending withDonovan’s Reefin 1963. The two films bookended an impressive list of films, mostly Westerns. Their partnership seemed to peak in the 1950s, which was when they had multiple hits together. A tremendous part of that success stemmed fromThe Searchers.
John Wayne Thought The Searchers Was The Greatest Western Movie Ever Made
It Wasn’t Just His Favorite Of His Own Westerns
John Wayne’s high regard forThe Searcherswas revealed in 1977 when he spoke toThe People’s Almanac.The magazine requested that John Wayne offer his picks for the five greatest movies ever made. In response, Wayne came up withGone With the Wind,A Man For All Seasons,The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,The Quiet Man, andThe Searchers.When assembling his list, Wayne notably included two of his own films (The SearchersandThe Quiet Man).There’s much to discern from Wayne’s choices, with one of the most interesting details being thatThe Searcherswas the only Western of his five favorites.
All things considered, Wayne had dozens of excellent entries to choose from, so the actor settling onThe Searchersas the best Westernspeaks volumes about how much he valued his work on the film and his view of the movie as a whole.
A big part of what makes this so noteworthy is theimmense body of work that John Wayne has as a Western star. Over the years, his performances yielded a number of hits in the genre, includingStagecoach,The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,True Grit,Rio Bravo, Red River,andThe Cowboys.All things considered, Wayne had dozens of excellent entries to choose from, so the actor settling onThe Searchersas the best Westernspeaks volumes about how much he valued his work on the film and his view of the movie as a whole.
The Searchers Is One Of John Wayne’s Best Westerns
It’s Easy To Understand Why John Wayne Loved The Searchers
When looking back onThe Searchers, it’s not hard to understand his appreciation for the film. It made excellent use of Wayne’s talents and onscreen presence, using it to create one of the most nuanced characters in his career via Ethan Edwards, an ex-Confederate soldier on a long and desperate search to find a woman kidnapped by Comanches, whom he hates passionately. Its approach to Wayne’s character and his war with the Comanches makesThe Searchersconsiderably darker and more violent than his usual work, but compelling nonetheless.
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It’s worth pointing out that John Wayne is hardly alone in his opinion ofThe Searchers.As a Western with enduring popularity and an 87% Rotten Tomatoes score,The Searchershas a long-held reputation as an outstanding entry into the Western genre, with its influence on filmmakers like Martin Scorsese serving as a testament to its quality.
The Searchers
Cast
The Searchers, released in 1956, stars John Wayne as a Civil War veteran who embarks on a years-long quest to rescue his kidnapped niece. Directed by John Ford, the film delves into themes of obsession and racial tension as the protagonist’s motivations become increasingly complex.
