Western Film
James Cha
Professor Coulter
American Myth in the Western Film
22 February 2011
“Ethan?”
With a cold and steady gaze, Ethan peers off into the snowy distance. He firmly holds his most trusted companion. Without warning and hesitation, Ethan raises the deadly steel rifle and begins wildly firing upon a herd of buffalo. After a short while, Martin stops shooting, having already shot one down. Ethan in a maddened frenzy continues to shoot the buffalo while Martin tries to stop him to no avail. Explaining his twisted reasoning afterwards, Ethan gruffly mumbles, "At least they won 't feed any Comanches this winter.” What we have just witnessed is no longer reminiscent of the classic John Wayne films where he embodies the ideals of an iconic American hero. We have just seen the portrait of a man on the brink of insanity. In what is considered John Ford’s magnum opus, The Searchers (1956), Wayne portrays Ethan Edwards, a displaced lone gunman on an obsessive quest to find and kill Debbie, his kidnapped niece. Unlike in many previous Westerns, there are no clear-cut, black and white answers. The audience is no longer presented with just a hero and a villain. Ethan represents the protagonist and the antagonist. Ford sets the stage for John Wayne to play Ethan Edwards, a character that must conquer and come to terms with his torturous inner demons before he can reconcile with Debbie. Ford explores the complex morality that drives the fire within Ethan and uses Ethan as a prodding tool to pose a question about the suspect values of society at the time. It was an era in which Ford saw racism as an ingrained aspect of every character. As Ethan begins his quest, the viewer also begins their journey to understand Ethan. From the onset, it is quite obvious Ethan Edwards has an uncensored and vocal hatred for Native Americans. He clearly expresses racist sentiment and displays an unbridled fear for miscegenation, as depicted by his constant hostility towards Martin, a 1/8th
Professor Coulter
American Myth in the Western Film
22 February 2011
“Ethan?”
With a cold and steady gaze, Ethan peers off into the snowy distance. He firmly holds his most trusted companion. Without warning and hesitation, Ethan raises the deadly steel rifle and begins wildly firing upon a herd of buffalo. After a short while, Martin stops shooting, having already shot one down. Ethan in a maddened frenzy continues to shoot the buffalo while Martin tries to stop him to no avail. Explaining his twisted reasoning afterwards, Ethan gruffly mumbles, "At least they won 't feed any Comanches this winter.” What we have just witnessed is no longer reminiscent of the classic John Wayne films where he embodies the ideals of an iconic American hero. We have just seen the portrait of a man on the brink of insanity. In what is considered John Ford’s magnum opus, The Searchers (1956), Wayne portrays Ethan Edwards, a displaced lone gunman on an obsessive quest to find and kill Debbie, his kidnapped niece. Unlike in many previous Westerns, there are no clear-cut, black and white answers. The audience is no longer presented with just a hero and a villain. Ethan represents the protagonist and the antagonist. Ford sets the stage for John Wayne to play Ethan Edwards, a character that must conquer and come to terms with his torturous inner demons before he can reconcile with Debbie. Ford explores the complex morality that drives the fire within Ethan and uses Ethan as a prodding tool to pose a question about the suspect values of society at the time. It was an era in which Ford saw racism as an ingrained aspect of every character. As Ethan begins his quest, the viewer also begins their journey to understand Ethan. From the onset, it is quite obvious Ethan Edwards has an uncensored and vocal hatred for Native Americans. He clearly expresses racist sentiment and displays an unbridled fear for miscegenation, as depicted by his constant hostility towards Martin, a 1/8th
Cited: Cohen, Hubert I. "Red River and The Searchers: Deception in the Modern Western." Film Criticism 35.1 (2010): 82-102. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. Gallgher, Tag. "Angels Gambol Where They Will: John Ford 's Indians." The Western Reader. By Jim Kitses and Gregg Rickman. New York: Limelight Editions, 1998. Print. Lehman, Peter. "Looking At Look 's Missing Reverse Shot: Psychoanalysis and Style In John Ford 's The Searchers." The Western Reader. By Jim Kitses and Gregg Rickman. New York: Limelight Editions, 1998. Print. Pippin, Robert B. Hollywood Westerns and American Myth: the Importance of Howard Hawks and John Ford for Political Philosophy. New Haven [Conn.: Yale UP, 2010. Print.