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87. John Wayne as Ethan Edwards
The Searchers (1956)
One of the greatest Westerns ever made - possibly THE greatest. It's difficult not to like John Wayne, but his antihero Ethan takes some effort to feel affection for. He spends years looking for his niece Lucy. Eventually the drive to find Lucy becomes, for Ethan, a desire to find her and kill her - because she has been assimilated into the culture of the Indians that Ethan despises so deeply. This is a really meaty character that gave Wayne a chance to show that he was much more than a walk and a talk.
This film shows its age in the area of racial sensitivity, but in all other respects it is a masterpiece. A true piece of art that explores the gray areas of Western "heroes" - no small feat for a movie of its time.
The Searchers (1956)
One of the greatest Westerns ever made - possibly THE greatest. It's difficult not to like John Wayne, but his antihero Ethan takes some effort to feel affection for. He spends years looking for his niece Lucy. Eventually the drive to find Lucy becomes, for Ethan, a desire to find her and kill her - because she has been assimilated into the culture of the Indians that Ethan despises so deeply. This is a really meaty character that gave Wayne a chance to show that he was much more than a walk and a talk.
This film shows its age in the area of racial sensitivity, but in all other respects it is a masterpiece. A true piece of art that explores the gray areas of Western "heroes" - no small feat for a movie of its time.
*John Wayne love*