"The Searchers"

Paper Summary:

John Ford's "The Searchers" is based on a very simple, straightforward story of a man's search for his niece, who has been abducted by Indians. This paper shows that what makes the film a great masterpiece is that it succeeds in exploring the conflicting emotions within a human being that result in moral dilemmas and a personality full of contradictions within the ambit of such a simple plot. The film accomplishes this through unraveling the character of Ethan Edwards, its central protagonist, as its story progresses.

From the Paper:

"Ethan's conflicting emotions vis--vis family ties is further expressed through a visually poignant scene the same night of his homecoming, which frames Ethan alone on the porch with just the family dog for company. Expressionism is used here to suggest Ethan's immediate feelings with his face carrying a sad reflective look, exemplified by his watching Aaron take Martha into their bedroom and closing the door for the night. This scene too uses the visual metaphor of the doorframe to signify that Ethan is a loner, an outsider to his own family. The meaning in this shot is inherent in its very composition as Ethan is shown looking back into the house through the doorframe and is made doubly meaningful in Aaron's action of shutting their bedroom door, thereby effectively shutting out both Ethan and the night."

More papers on "The Searchers":

• Film Review # 29372 : "John Ford's "The Searchers"
• Essay # 66089 : "John Ford's Film "The Searchers"
• Research Paper # 56026 : "The American National Character"

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