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The Searchers (1956)
Last modified by Gauntlet Submitted by mhendu,
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Summary: As a Civil War veteran spends years searching for a young niece captured by Indians, his motivation becomes increasingly questionable. (imdb)
Genres: Drama, Western
Country: USA
Directed By: John Ford
More information at the Internet Movie Database
Ratings
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The Searchers belongs to 40 collections
1. 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (public: moderated by curseof26 - 45 stars)
2. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2008 revision) (public: moderated by Scottathon - 29 stars)
3. Jonathan Rosenbaum's Top 1000 Movies (public: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 15 stars)
4. Roger Ebert: Great Movies (public: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 12 stars)
5. Cahiers du cinema's 100 Greatest Films (public: moderated by Cuculiza - 10 stars)
6. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2010 revision) (public: moderated by MMAlpha - 10 stars)
7. National Film Registry (public: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 9 stars)
8. New York Times' The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made (public: moderated by theficionado - 9 stars)
9. AFI 100 (public: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 8 stars)
10. films101.com's best films of all times (public: moderated by ppinocchio - 8 stars)
11. International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers (public: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 5 stars)
12. TIME All-Time 100 (public: moderated by iceblox - 3 stars)
13. Sight and Sound 2002 (public: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 3 stars)
14. Road Trip (public: moderated by td888 - 2 stars)
15. Color Photography (public: moderated by Criminal5 - 2 stars)
16. Films available in HD (public: moderated by kubricksucks - 2 stars)
17. AFI 100 Years, Original 1998 list (public: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 2 stars)
18. John Kobal Presents The Top 100 Movies (public: moderated by Cuculiza - 1 star)
19. AFI - 10 Top 10 Western (public: moderated by Cuculiza - 1 star)
20. J. Castedo's "The Top 100 Films of the 20th Century" (public: moderated by Cuculiza - 1 star)
21. Empire's five star movies (public: moderated by KasperL - 1 star)
22. Cinemag's Best 200 films Ever Created! (public: moderated by hristos - 1 star)
23. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2007 revision) (public: moderated by Scottathon - 1 star)
24. IMDb Top of The 1950's (public: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 1 star)
25. Native Americans (public: moderated by owen1218)
26. Pre-1960's color photography (public: moderated by Technikilor)
27. NME’s 100 Greatest Rock ‘N’ Roll Films (public: moderated by Replicant)
28. Taschen 100 All-time favorites movies (public: moderated by hristos)
29. Cinemacom's 500 Best Westerns (public: moderated by Pickpocket)
30. The Spectator's 50 Essential Films (public: moderated by MMAlpha)
32. Empire's masterpiece picks (public: moderated by KasperL)
33. The Films that Inspired Star Wars (public: moderated by Hopscotch)
34. Empire's 500 Greatest Movies Of All Time (private: Ross - 17 stars)
35. Cinema Discusso Yearly Consensus (2008) (private: PeaceAnarchy - 7 stars)
36. Re-watches (private: JooJoo - 1 star)
39. edkrak films to see (private: edkrak)
40. Movies I Must See (private: gagknee)


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What other users thought -- ordered by your TCI
TCI User Score Tier
na Sam Lowry
4
T9
na zackbrown2
95
T9
na BlueHeat
96
T10
na mockingbird
90
T9
na wjschne
90
T6
na jerome
51
T4
na kybalion
60
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na loureed
88
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na jsnruf
80
T8
na dharmabum
100
T10
na Cerebrus
90
T9
na djross
55
T5
One of the few "classic" Westerns I have seen. It seems to me that the significance of John Ford, and of the Western genre, lies in the invention of myths relating to the origin of American society and of the American individual, who becomes, in the end, the American consumer. But this step in the construction of an American symbolic milieu has now been supplanted by a system which is destructive of symbols, regressing from desire to drives. In short: from "The Searchers" to "Jackass."
na jce77
92
T9
na Barometer
100
T10
na schnofel
63
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na Risselada
65
T4
na PimpPanda
73
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85
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na costanza
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na ozgur.macit
18
T2
na CrazyJim9380
80
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na IMDBTop250
78
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na comanchex
100
T10
na Wtr
8
T6
na Gody85
92
T10
na contrapunct
99
T7
na Starwind
65
T5
na TGTE
95
T10
na wudafu
60
T5
na 7hrike
90
T9
na noir
98
T10
na paulofilmo
66
T5
I've seen this three times now. I keep thinking something magical is going to happen, but it just remains an awkwardly silly search/revenge movie. I prefer simpler, less grandiose Westerns. While I enjoyed the end shot, I fervently disagree with the substance found in any positive (masterpiece) review of the "The Searchers." It's just OK, if not annoying and badly acted.
na a55555
80
T7
na Kaiserkomori
50
T5
na frozenpeas42
95
T10
na gsmiller
95
T9
na moeta2
80
T4
na goldenbeetle
99
T10
na Cinema_Asia
80
T9
Is John Wayne's character racist? Hell yes. This is still a classic and holds up well because nowhere does it state that heroes are supposed to be pristine. The "hero" exemplifies a part of America that struggled with its own perceived values of morality and responsibility. I prefer the raw depiction in The Searchers which has some element of honesty than a "conflicted" phony character you'd have today who isn't truthful about his own personal values no matter how abhorrent they may be.
na payidar
80
T7
na Logan
87
T8
na GringoTex
85
T6
na Punchy-McGoo
87
T9
na gob8
71
T6
na Coolkow19
80
T7
na Tenletters
60
T7
na 8footfreak
73
T3
na hungrybear
8
T8
na s1killer
9
T9
na dognamedfrog
80
T8
na Chujo
90
T10
na mrkwst22
99
T10
na caffe
84
T9
na MMAlpha
83
T9
na Basil
85
T8
na sdoles
7
T6
na tweedlebop
90
T9
na deicke
23
T1
na nuotio
64
T8
na jxc0207
93
T10
na cinema_hell
95
T10
na cat9man
92
T9
na Ildjarn
85
T8
na lucretius
90
T9
na lizzle
70
T4
na KGB
43
T3
Great western scenarios and well coreographed action scenes, but overall, 'The Searchers' might be the most overrated film ever made. 'The Searchers' is a stereotypic, romanticist and simply flawed film; made by the book (and yet considered so revolutionary), it's a racist, slow and uninteresting film with a comic relief sidekick from hell and orchestral music to rape your ears. It's like watching TCM at 4 AM, only feeling that the critics are messing with you.
na shlebede
89
T9
na cuewoz
80
T4
na EgbertSouse
90
T8
na ccameron
95
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na Simon M.
68
T4
na Blevo
85
T9
na cblur21
75
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74
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90
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82
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86
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na jjrocketman
85
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na arnav3
76
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60
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75
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55
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na sabrina.g
100
T9
na Gregzilla
60
T6
na IndyFilmFest
95
T9
na b0ger
90
T10
na Chompa
94
T10
This is a great film. John Ford directing John Wayne at his best - though not his usual. This is darker than most of The Duke's films.
na Sinister
91
T10
na Henrique1911
95
T8
na Slugger35
65
T4
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80
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na Derrick X
80
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43
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na burhenn
100
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na paris1919
100
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na DBibby
86
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na pandaybr
85
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na legstump
80
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na anseiodviver
90
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na manicblurgh
95
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na acbittar
95
T8
na koj
70
T6
na Capt._Marvel
85
T9
na igniteice
60
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na captainjazz
100
T9
na slam_bradley
100
T10
na jimcasey1768
100
T10
na anderton
55
T4
na allisoncm
44
T2
na redpatriot
89
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na Pickpocket
12
T2
For some reason this movie has legendary status. Always talked about in film classes and always on best of lists. It's incredibly undeserving. John Wayne is one of the most wooden actors I've ever seen. This one just didn't resonate with me at all. Maybe it was the racism.
na Guernica
37
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na taktaktaktak
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T7
na mercury
88
T7
na joebob
65
T4
na b-tard
4
T4
na johnnthomson
60
T7
na carolgesser
72
T8
na margot
85
T6
na Replicant
30
T4
Some good (as in, "not great") cinematography saves this from being completely unbearable. John Wayne has got to be one of the most uncharismatic actors to ever make it big.
na Mingus
2
T6
na nexus
81
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na scurry
85
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na purity
2
T6
na cruelclown
88
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84
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na Zelos
91
T8
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94
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87
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na DavidKahane
93
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na minge
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95
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70
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87
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7
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81
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89
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87
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na goran
97
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na borges
5
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82
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na mariane.c
80
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80
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na Pats_London
90
T8
na lchaussard
100
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87
T6
na ComedyJuice
99
T9
na theyshoot08
100
T10
# 7
na FlixR8r
70
T5
na fredpop
99
T10
na TheDenizen
75
T7
na sofatruck
90
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na rafaelbastos
100
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na guany
90
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100
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37
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14
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83
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89
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na laika
90
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84
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85
T7
na sharpenter
80
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na Molesworth
85
T7
na RRiis
95
T9
na Klauskaiser
93
T5
na DirktheJerk
68
T4
na Scottathon
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na Ortman
70
T6
na Odradek
80
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na tdawson48
88
T10
na drstrangeluv
90
T10
John Ford's gorgeous commentary on racism and the death of the old cowboy persona in the west. Ford's handling of the race issue is fairly sloppy at best, but the more intriguing aspect of the story to me is how it portrays the beginning of the end for the ruthless, take-no-prisoners cowboy that once dominated the screen. The final shot of Ethan, fresh off his brutal slaughter of a Comanche village, shuffling onward alone, into the desert is one of cinema's all-time great endings.
na emile
72
T6
na sweetsin0r
85
T9
na Tropean
85
T7
na NeuroticErot
40
T2
I fell asleep
na Badering
76
T6
na Audhumla
85
T6
Beautiful landscapes and scenery, but John Wayne is just awful, as an actor and a person, and this movie drags on forever.
na ehrenkm
92
T9
na svenerik
89
T8
na optimist
90
T7
na angusfly
100
T8
na frenzmag
95
T10
na sa1988
100
T10
na Evan Waters
89
T6
na TheDiceman
60
T7
Great western.
na floortap
60
T4
na cestmoi
75
T6
Seems crazily racist to me now, but it's a great movie if you can disconnect that part of your brain.
na Bmunise
94
T8
na Madstone
100
T10
na Mango
3
T3
na Dally
95
T10
na jordanr
60
T4
na 3Names
49
T1
I just saw this on 8/19/06 at the Hollywood Forever Cemetary under the stars with about 4 or 500 other people. I was struck by how melodramatic the writing and direction were, and the unintentional laughs it evoked. All-in-all, it's way down my list of westerns...
na imag7
40
T2
na crmassari
77
T9
na valmeade
80
T9
na Pioneer
95
T10
na Adriano
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T10
na hoodjeco
95
T10
na clouseau
83
T10
na roy_walker
100
T10
na alive75
98
T10
na carlitaliano
83
T9
na Criminal5
86
T8
I struggled with this one for a long time. It's undeniably flawed - significantly so, in my opinion - and dragged down by, firstly, the utterly banal subplots and comic relief attempts, and also by the unclear nature of Wayne's racism. But there are few films as beautiful and intriguing. It's a wonderfully shot film, with great performances and gorgeous landscapes, and the central moral debate over Wayne's character (and Ford's own stand) is utterly fascinating.
na LuizOliveira
98
T10
na TonyS.
69
T5
na julianaesk
89
T9
na goubot
76
T8
na Zealot185
70
T5
That memorable ending shot of the door closing on John Wayne is absolutely perfect, adding a much-needed weight to Ford's message on racism and the Western "hero". It's unfortunate that there's too much time devoted to comical scenes. If there had been a darker cut of this film, it would definitely be in the top tier of Westerns. It's significance to the genre is undeniable though, so I recommend it regardless.
na coot
91
T10
na Carlospro
90
T10
na helfen419
65
T3
Good scenery and action. Everything else was half-assed.
na nedrifle
77
T2
na unne
94
T10
na hellsditch
71
T3
Wow, John Wayne is a dick. Seriously. This is the first thing I've ever seen him in, and after reading glowing review after glowing review, I expected to really enjoy this. The story sounded promising enough and I was actually excited for my first Wayne/Ford go-round, but this one never got going for me. It's exactly what I pictured one of those wonky, paint-by-numbers westerns that show up on TCM ad infintium Saturday mornings, to be. No question that it's beautifully shot, but that's about it.
na d.salomao.r
92
T8
na GeorgeKaplan
94
T10
na jbissell
90
T9
na edaz
98
T10
na Chatiz
95
T10
na pecka92
85
T8
na One_Louder
100
T10
na brandonpcv
82
T9
na wayofthegun
80
T6
na TroyAnderson
96
T10
na Marigold
94
T10
na sobored
65
T6
na imdb
80
T10
na experimental
85
T10
na Paradigma
85
T9
na jgnikkila
95
T9
na lauratron
82
T8
na Excelsior
50
T6
na mpowell
70
T5
na ruloaas
90
T8
na guibanes
82
T7
na joel addie
70
T3
na Fentry
97
T10
na jacobb1313
97
T10
na roujin
50
T4
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