So tonight, I watched The Searchers (film #12 on the AFI list, which somehow got listed ahead of #11, City Lights in my DVD Queue) which is a 1956 western with John Wayne. It's about as politically incorrect and as interesting as you probably think.
The setting: Three years after the Civil War, in Texas, all of whose inhabitants are clearly still deeply resentful (big surprise) of those damn Yankees and fearful of the 'Injuns' who still roam the land.
Here's the trailer. Which is both descriptive and makes John Wayne's character actually look like a good guy. Probably because in 1956, the land reclamation/sheer discrimination wasn't quite so horrifying.
TRAILER:
Summary w/out spoilers:
"After his entire family is viciously wiped out, hardened war veteran Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) embarks on a long journey to find his only surviving niece, Debbie (Natalie Wood), who has been captured by hostile Comanche Indians. Director John Ford's richly scenic Western also stars Vera Miles, Hank Worden, Ward Bond and Jeffrey Hunter, as Edwards's riding companion, Martin Pawley."
-Netflix.com
NOTE: LOTS OF SPOILERS
but unless you plan on watching this two hour revenge film from 1956, keep reading
Anyway, Ethan returns from the war (which ended 3 years ago and then he apparently was doing god knows what, god knows where) to his brother's house, and sees him, his wife and children. There are 4 kids, 2 girls (Lucy and Debbie) and 2 boys, the oldest boy is actually an adopted quarter Cherokee boy who Ethan had rescued as a baby (Martin Pawley (thank you IMDB).)
Martin and Ethan go with some Texas Rangers to investigate a cattle raid, at which time the others are killed, though the girls are captured. Thus begins Ethan and Martin's FIVE YEAR search for Lucy and Debbie. Lucy's fate is pretty much spelled out for you in the trailer, which happens close to the beginning, so for the majority of the movie, they are traveling around Texas, New Mexico and who knows where else (seriously, they never say) searching for Debbie. The fear is, at a certain point, she will cease to be 'white' and go native, which makes Ethan want to kill her. But of course, in the end, they find her, Martin's background love-life is saved, and somehow they manage to re-assimilate her into white culture, despite the fact that she was held captive for FIVE YEARS. So everyone is happy.
END OF SPOILERS
I have a few issues of course. Poor Martin, Ethan's psuedo-nephew who he refuses to acknowledge as such because of his mixed blood is treated terribly for having said mixed blood. Which I understand is the point, I do...but here's the thing: he just has black hair. This is the only reason he so clearly mixed. OF COURSE, I don't know how I ever missed that one.
Also, the Native Americans were apparently all played by Navajos (according to IMDB) but of course, all of the women were portrayed as short and squat, and all the white women were perfect. That irked me.
ALSO, Ethan, for someone who doesn't seem to like non-whites, speaks Comanche super well. He also speaks some Spanish. Though if you ask him, he speaks 'American' because that's a thing. I also think there is something weird with Ethan and Martin's relationship, dealing with the whole 'rescued you as a baby' thing that we don't ever know.
By the way, there is NO WAY that I can believe that Natalie Wood is 14/15 in this film...also, because she is a 18yr old playing a 14/15 yr old, it gets a little creepy at times, both in scenes with her psuedo-bro (Martin) and her Uncle (Ethan.) I feel like the studios clearly weren't (aren't?) use to balancing characters who are out of view in platonic relationships, it just ended up scripted as slightly more love story than is should have been...as seen in the trailer. THAT'S HIS NIECE FOLKS. The voice over is in the middle of saying "a man who is tender and passionate."
There is TONS of gingham in this movie. Except they call it calico print. Because of course, if there are two things associated with the western settlers, it was gingham and calico. Progressively (go figure) they were a lot of machine stitched denim, including on the women. Because in 1868, (or even 1873) all women wore fashionable jeans when cooking over the fire.
Overall, it's a movie that is clearly from 1956, and is as unPC as could be. Lots of white man's triumph over the natives with a superiority complex like none other.
It's a Western, and there really isn't much more to say than that. Cowboys are good, Indians are bad, mixing blood is bad and Texas is a land all of it's own.
Not a bad movie...but not one I'd recommend either.
