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The Searchers

8.0

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2 Related Movies

Related Documentary:

A Turning of the Earth: John Ford, John Wayne and the Searchers

Remake:

The Missing

Original title

The Searchers

Year

1956

Running time

119 min.

Country

United States

Director

John Ford

Screenwriter

Frank S. Nugent. Novel: Alan Le May

Cast

Music

Max Steiner

Cinematography

Winton C. Hoch

Producer

Warner Bros.

Genre

Western. Adventure | Cult Movie. Racism. Kidnapping Film / Disappearance

Synopsis

Ethan Edwards (John Wayne), a case-hardened Civil War veteran, returns to his brother Aaron's (Walter Coy) Texas home in 1868. When Rev. Samuel Johnson Clayton (Ward Bond) arrives to raise a posse to run down the Comanche who have stolen the cattle of neighbor Lars Jorgenson (John Qualen), Ethan is among those who join him. They return to find the Edwards family slaughtered and the two girls, Lucy (Pippa Scott) and Debbie (Natalie Wood), missing. The posse continues to search for the girls but turns back as winter settles in. However, Ethan and his reluctantly accepted companion, Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter), the girls' part-Cherokee stepbrother, press on for another seven years, with the Indian-hating veteran becoming ever more fanatical as the hard seasons pass.

Rankings Position

#11 Best Westerns in the history of film
#11 Best Adventure Movies
#51 Best Movies of the '50s
#106 Best US Movies of all time

Awards: 1957: Golden Globes: Most Promising Newcomer - Male (Patrick Wayne)

1956: Directors Guild of America (DGA): Nominated for Best Director

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Ranking Lists Position

6 My Favorite Westerns (824)
92 My 10 favorite Film Directors and my favorite movie of each one of them (59)

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The Searchers

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