The Searchers
1956 · Movie · 119 min. · United States
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.
Direction John Ford
Cast John Wayne · Natalie Wood · Jeffrey Hunter · Ward Bond · Vera Miles · John Qualen · Olive Carey · Henry Brandon · Ken Curtis · Harry Carey Jr. · Hank Worden · Walter Coy · Antonio Moreno · Patrick Wayne
Soundtrack Max Steiner
Screenplay Frank S. Nugent · Alan Le May
Cinematography Winton C. Hoch
Original title The Searchers
8.0
31K votes (FilmAffinity)
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