cinemabon
06-07-2006, 07:38 PM
The Searchers directed by John Ford
As John Wayne stood in the doorway, Ford gave him no direction for the last shot in the film other than to stand there. As Wayne stood there, he saw Harry Carey’s widow, Olive just off camera. Her husband had been responsible for not only Wayne’s career, but John Ford’s as well. It suddenly occurred to Wayne to make the same gesture Carey always performed at the end of his pictures; he reached up and grabbed his right arm. When Olive saw this, she burst into tears. Wayne turned and walked away, one take. The End.
Stories like that one and more can be found on this new edition of “The Searchers” released this week on DVD. While virtually ignored by both critics and the Academy the year of its release, “The Searchers” has gone on to become the quintessential western in the eyes of many purists. Ford only had one regret about the entire production, which he stated was one of his favorite five films he ever directed.
“Here’s a lone gunman on his horse in the middle of the dessert, and all at once you’ve got the fuckin London Philharmonic Orchestra playing in the background!” so quotes Peter Bogdanovich of Ford during the narration soundtrack. Evidently, Ford wanted less music, but the studio overrode his wishes.
Bear in mind the time “The Searchers” was released, no one had ever depicted the Calvary as doing anything but coming to the rescue. Here we have an Indian encampment, full of women and children, slaughtered by the good guys. In fact, the film is full of dark and troubling images. This is not your typical shoot ‘em up western. This is a journey of a tortured soul with more than just revenge on his mind. During the course of the film, Ford touches on racism, prejudice, and examines our religious beliefs as well, which the brilliant Frank Nugent screenplay calls ‘preachin.’
Ford stacks his cast with many regulars and introduces us to several young stars whose careers will shine later in the decade, Natalie Wood, Jeffery Hunter, and Vera Miles, as well as Wayne’s own son, Patrick. The two disc 50th Anniversary special edition is just the kind of treatment this classic western deserves. Photographed in glorious 65mm VistaVision, Monument Valley never looked so beautiful.
An interviewer once asked Akira Kurosawa, the great Japanese film director, which great artists he studied for his composition. “Was it a sculptor, a photographer, a famous painter, did you come by it naturally? How did you know how to compose your framing so well in your films? Who did you study?” Kurosawa replied, “John Ford.”
As John Wayne stood in the doorway, Ford gave him no direction for the last shot in the film other than to stand there. As Wayne stood there, he saw Harry Carey’s widow, Olive just off camera. Her husband had been responsible for not only Wayne’s career, but John Ford’s as well. It suddenly occurred to Wayne to make the same gesture Carey always performed at the end of his pictures; he reached up and grabbed his right arm. When Olive saw this, she burst into tears. Wayne turned and walked away, one take. The End.
Stories like that one and more can be found on this new edition of “The Searchers” released this week on DVD. While virtually ignored by both critics and the Academy the year of its release, “The Searchers” has gone on to become the quintessential western in the eyes of many purists. Ford only had one regret about the entire production, which he stated was one of his favorite five films he ever directed.
“Here’s a lone gunman on his horse in the middle of the dessert, and all at once you’ve got the fuckin London Philharmonic Orchestra playing in the background!” so quotes Peter Bogdanovich of Ford during the narration soundtrack. Evidently, Ford wanted less music, but the studio overrode his wishes.
Bear in mind the time “The Searchers” was released, no one had ever depicted the Calvary as doing anything but coming to the rescue. Here we have an Indian encampment, full of women and children, slaughtered by the good guys. In fact, the film is full of dark and troubling images. This is not your typical shoot ‘em up western. This is a journey of a tortured soul with more than just revenge on his mind. During the course of the film, Ford touches on racism, prejudice, and examines our religious beliefs as well, which the brilliant Frank Nugent screenplay calls ‘preachin.’
Ford stacks his cast with many regulars and introduces us to several young stars whose careers will shine later in the decade, Natalie Wood, Jeffery Hunter, and Vera Miles, as well as Wayne’s own son, Patrick. The two disc 50th Anniversary special edition is just the kind of treatment this classic western deserves. Photographed in glorious 65mm VistaVision, Monument Valley never looked so beautiful.
An interviewer once asked Akira Kurosawa, the great Japanese film director, which great artists he studied for his composition. “Was it a sculptor, a photographer, a famous painter, did you come by it naturally? How did you know how to compose your framing so well in your films? Who did you study?” Kurosawa replied, “John Ford.”