THE SEARCHERS · DER SCHWARZE FALKE | Stationen der Filmgeschichte - Black Box im Filmmuseum Düsseldorf

THE SEARCHERS
THE BLACK HAWK

USA 1956 · 119 min · Original Version · digitalDCP · FSK 12 · Dir.: John Ford · Screenplay: Frank S. Nugent, Alan Le May · Cinematography: Boris Kaufman · Cast: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Natalie Wood, Henry Brandon, and others

In THE SEARCHERS, Civil War veteran Ethan Edwards returns to Texas to find his brother’s family murdered by the Comanches; his niece Debbie has been kidnapped. Driven by a desire for revenge, he sets out with his nephew on a years-long quest that ultimately culminates in the question of whether he should save Debbie or kill her.

John Ford’s film is considered the swan song of the Western genre and a milestone in film history because it enriches the genre with psychological depth and moral ambivalence. John Wayne plays his character in a way atypical for him—as a contradictory figure caught between obsession and vulnerability, far removed from the classic hero archetype. At the same time, the film remains ambivalent to this day: on the one hand, Ethan’s racism is critically highlighted as a driving force behind his actions, and Ford addresses the violence in the conflict between Indigenous peoples and settlers; on the other hand, the film perpetuates stereotypical perspectives. It is precisely this tension, however, that defines the enduring significance of *THE SEARCHERS* in film history and has had a lasting influence on the genre.

In cooperation with the Filmforum – Friends of the Filmmuseum
Introduction on September 1: Philipp Hanke (Filmmuseum)