Martin Scorsese on Watching THE SEARCHERS for the First Time

In this clip from the AFI Archive, Director Martin Scorsese shares his experience watching THE SEARCHERS as a teenager.
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[@riverotter68]

anyone who says John Wayne couldn't act never saw The Searchers

[@seanfitzpatrick4730]

Robert Mitchum would have done the Searchers way better than John Wayne

[@youturd55]

Woody Allen would have done the searchers better than Robert Mitchum.

[@randywhite3947]

Sean Fitzpatrick no the fuck he wouldn’t

[@rustyshackelford934]

Robert Mitchum is an amazing actor. But I can't picture anyone else playing Ethan Edwards other then the Duke. That is probably his greatest role in my opinion.

[@astone179]

Anyone who says John Wayne COULD act never saw The Searchers.

[@Rullarata]

I can listen to Scorsese talking about movies all day long. Just wonderful.

[@cecilphillip9071]

One time I met Scorsese and all he talked about was taxi driver and when I told him to change the topic he didn’t and I told him that if he doesn’t stop I’d barf on him because his shit stinks so much he made me barf.

[@muslit]

Not me.

[@globalcombattv]

same

[@dzanier]

His passion for cinema is unlike any other director. It is his life’s blood.

[@robertstephens156]

@@dzanier If you want to see a room explode, put Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino in that room and tell them to "Talk About Movies"! And then run like hell 'cause that room is going to blow up. They are both so in love with the art of Cinema.

[@jimmitchell2237]

John Fords masterpiece, great actors, fantastic sound score and great performance from John Wayne, should have won an Oscar for this.

[@b42baritone]

Only John Wayne could play Ethan. Great performance and one of the greatest movies of all time.

[@emilyhayek1132]

Yes John Wayne's performance was the greatest of his career in The Searchers. And many believe he deserved the Oscar for his great performance

[@billadams8086]

100% Right

[@liambutler9427]

That was the movie that proved he could actually act

[@seanfitzpatrick4730]

Robert Mitchum would have played the Searchers way better than John Wayne

[@ChimeraAZ]

@@seanfitzpatrick4730 I dont agree. I absolutely love Robert Mitchum,but John Wayne did this character so strongly that it is now indelible with his image. Mitchum my have done it well,but Wayne delved way down inside himself to find Ethan. He and Ethan will always be wound round eachother forever.

[@Decetop]

Sergio Leone will always be my favorite Western director, but I will always respect John Ford for his innovative style. No one shot movies like him before. He influenced Kurosawa so much, who then influenced and even mentored Scorsese, Spielberg, and others. Leone redefined the Western, but John Ford invented it.

[@DyslexicGod]

Couldn't have said it better

[@Duketributechannel]

You're right... Ford, Leone and Kurosawa are my all time favourite directors

[@pa3997]

Ford basically invented the Western genre along with others during the silent era, then elaborated it starting with Ringo, then questioned fundaments of the genre with The Searchers and in the end deconstructed it with the "myth" end of Liberty Valance. I cant Think of a Lot, if any directors, with so Big contributions to a particular genre

[@frogface66]

Orsen Wells studied Stagecoach to teach himself how to make a movie and then went on to make Citizen Kane.

[@joecorrero6763]

Ford was the greatest

[@Jared_Wignall]

John Wayne should have won the Academy Award for his performance in The Searchers. It’s a shame his best performance, as well as the film itself, didn’t get nominated.

[@vernshein5430]

The most powerful scene for me was when Ethan rides out of the box canyon after burying his niece. He does not tell them what has happened but he is clearly in shock. Great acting by Mr. Wayne. The most moving scene for me is the farmhouse scene where the Preacher and Captain while waiting for Ethan sees interaction between Martha and Ethan. A lot is said in that scene without any words spoken.

[@siroswaldfortitude5346]

agreed

[@Shazam961]

I would love scorese to do a western

[@Hard_Boiled_Entertainment]

Julien Stewart We'd probably expect him to do one focusing on a gang of outlaws or what have you--"Goodfellas" with horses and hats. But then, he's also given us "sweeter" films like "The Age Of Innocence" and "Hugo", so he could do a more "classical" take, if he were so inclined. The question is, would audiences accept it?

[@fightingirish5755]

They would if they knew what were good for them lol

[@meetmodi1200]

He kind of did one but in the east 'Gangs Of New York' Eastern if you will

[@TheAbelinc2]

He NEEDS to adapt Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian"

[@andrew19vato]

Yeah me too

[@johnmagill3072]

I was lucky enough to see this on the Big Screen last year. A local old theater shows old movies now and then. and this was one of them. Its truly amazing on the big screen.

[@janaprocella8268]

john Magill Are you in Roanoke, Va..?

[@jacktattis]

Oh yes the Vistas are magnificent

[@emilyhayek1132]

It was hinted in the film that Ethan was secretly in love with his brothers wife, the looks between them and his rage when her body was found in that shed and his absolute desperate search for little Debbie. It was believed by critics and film goers that little Debbie was his child or at least he suspected she was his child.

[@ChimeraAZ]

I can see that. Yes,..I can totally see that.And it is possible that those looks and his rage were purposely added,so the audience might just pick up on it. Good catch there. :}

[@cliffhigson7581]

Just looked the movie up on Imdb.com & under trivia right at the bottom under spoilers john Wayne said in a 1974 interview that john Ford hinted at this throughout the movie.

[@davidpadilla9989]

I think you're right

[@davidnikoloff3211]

There were two older children. There was no hint Debbie was his child. Wayne’s character might have wished it were so, had his earlier life gone differently, but there was no indication they were father:daughter.

[@arthurmosel808]

@@davidnikoloff3211 David you missed several things. One he didn't know about the youngest daughter. He gave her his medal. A line about why did he stay there so long. The way his brother's wife handled the great coat as they were preparing to chase the Raiders, and the look that Ward Bond (preacher in this movie as well as ranger leader) has on his face as he watches. Earlier some friction between the brothers. No lear statements but hints througjout.

[@Idattani]

The Searchers is one of probably the top 5 or 6 greatest films of all time, and Ford's masterpiece. Too bad most of Scorsese's new generation of followers have probably never seen the film.

[@globalcombattv]

true

[@sameerhafeez7029]

I just watched it

[@iena1997]

no. The Searchers is overrated

[@wserthmar8908]

@@iena1997, doesn’t mean it’s not worthy of a watch

[@iena1997]

@@wserthmar8908 it is. There’s so many better westerns than ‘The Searchers’. To me John Ford’s movies are boring as shit, except for ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’. I prefer Howard Hawk’s westerns.

[@BRLaue]

The opening and closing door scenes in the Searchers are famous, but watch the doors in every Ford movie and how the characters enter and leave through them, a prime example being in Stagecoach where the long hallway in the way station is the long existential door of life and death.

[@robertsmith8876]

Scorsese is a true film historian could listen to him all day...

[@xstugee]

This is the Greatest American film director...ever...no gimmicks, just the use of aural and visual techniques that have you mesmerized along with superb editing and story telling!

[@maxshrek460]

John Ford is Western. The Searchers, along with Hawk's Rio Bravo, is one of the greatest cinema jewels. Sergio Leone didn't make western but created a new genre.

[@naheenhabib7299]

max shrek Sergio leone did not just create a new genre,he revolutionized a genre that was good but he made it great

[@bestforbusiness9050]

Sergio Leone was greatest western director ever.

[@gregdiprinzio9280]

Shrek is trying to point out a distinction between the earlier Western and the revisionist Western. Which kind of Western you prefer depends upon your philosophy. In a western characters have a clearer idea of their morality, the Storyteller is clearer in his assessment of the good and bad sides. In the revisionist western exceptions to the rule muddy the sweeping generalization of that assessment. It's like revisionist history it's like saying you know better than the people that lived closer to that time what their attitude should have been towards their antagonists. Of course there are many other differences between the two kinds of westerns. Revisionist westerns may give us a more nuanced look at an over simplified morality but they tend to swing in the opposite direction too far for example when they show every woman in the old west with her breasts hanging out, or as in Peckinpah's the Wild Bunch a bad guy molesting an elderly woman captive (in a twentieth century depraved way) as if even the bad guys were completely bad and didn't have boundaries in those days.

[@Indieguitarist2007]

Leone didn’t create a new genre, but a sub genre of the western.

[@eargasm1072]

@@bestforbusiness9050 Sure, he was great....but nope! John Ford was the greatest Western filmmaker bar none, Hawks second, then Leone

[@AgesFlow]

An excellent, concise commentary on a classic film.

[@irisblanche1980]

Everytime I see the movie The Searchers, I come back with a different perspective. Maybe with age and time. But, my husband and I were discussing the possibility that Ethan is Martin Pauley's father. He told Martin "that was your mother's hair back there" when Scar shows them the hair of women. How did Ethan know her hair so well and happen to be the one to find Martin Pauley as a young child? One of the more interesting aspects of this movie is how their relationship changes and what these two men go through and an unrelentless search they each share.

[@jeanbaptistevallee4500]

You are on to something I had not thought of,thanks!

[@alanwatson8862]

some of it is dark

[@barrywatkins8031]

Always thought Ethan was Debbie's true father, not his brother. The way Martha acts around him and the question at the start on why Ethen still hung around before the civil war

[@arthurmosel808]

Don't agree about Martin, but sure about Debbie.

[@jameswhittingham8027]

Which is the best western? What do you want me to do? Draw you a picture? As long as you live, don’t ever ask me more.

[@ronaldgrimes6924]

I have been watching this movie same as Scorsese since I was 16 years old and I am now 76. I have seen it at least 8 or 10 times and and love it better each time. John Wayne, except for a few weak spots probably because of Fords insistence, did the best acting of his entire movie career. That is strictly my personal opinion. Wayne was a great entertainer, not much at acting but he came through in this one.

[@jeanbaptistevallee4500]

8 or 10 times? you just getting started.

[@ninerrich6447]

absolutely agree

[@trhansen3244]

@@jeanbaptistevallee4500 I've probably seen it about 40 times. Hope to see it 40 more.

[@paulpaddie9944]

Marty gives excellent insight for The Searchers. I love to listen to him talk about older movies and his appreciation of them. Marty is my favorite director of all time.

[@trhansen3244]

I love listening to him talk about movies. I wish I liked his movies.

[@redblack8414]

@@trhansen3244 You wished that you liked his movies ? I don't get it. You like them or not?

[@trhansen3244]

@@redblack8414 Yes, I do. I thought that was clear. I like him. I like to hear him talk about films. But I do not like hardly any of his movies. I own one of them. After Hours. That's it.

[@MosbyStorie]

Marty could talk about cinema 24/7. And he probably does.

[@PatrickBaele]

I saw it 10 years old and it gripped me, again and again over the years. He discribes it perfectly.

[@fernandomaron87]

This movie is for Wayne what Treasure of Sierra Madre is for Humphrey Bogart, both were leading men who gave the best performance of their careers playing their darkest characters.

[@Eltae42]

I remember that it had the same effect on me.One of my favourite westerns.

[@samhouston4263]

John Wayne is the ultimate actor, people see him as a real figure. Later they say , " Well John Wayne is not really this bad as hero superman character." This is how good of an actor he was , he took you away in his characters, didn't he?

[@derekleaberry1199]

Funny, the Searchers received no nominations for the Academy Awards. Yul Brenner won Best Actor for "The King and I." Yet Wayne's role as Ethan stands the test of time as Brenner's diminishes in comparison. "Around the World in 80 Days" won Best Picture. Does anyone in their right mind think it is a better movie then "The Searchers?" George Stevens won Best Director for the pedestrian "Giant." How is he a better director than John Ford in "The Searchers?"

[@MoneyMakingMitchNY]

+Derek Leaberry Giant was a masterpiece and dealt with social issues like very few films in the 50s. searchers should have won best picture, but best director Stevens earned. Wayne deserved best actor not only in this film but best supporting in red river and best actor in the shootist

[@wildbillharding]

George Stevens is not a better director than Ford. The point is that, as George C Scott and Marlon Brando showed, the Oscars voting is flawed and ultimately pointless.

[@ChimeraAZ]

@@derekleaberry1199 It's not "Brenner",.it's "Brynner". Yul Brynner. (My favorite actor,hands down.) And,no,Brynner's role as the King has never diminished. Odd that you think that. He played that role until his death,and to packed houses. Everywhere people wanted to see him in that role,where Wayne's movies have been the ones that have diminished in popularity. Please dont think that I am saying his movies are forgotten.No,they arent,but neither are Brynner's films. Do your research and you'll find this out.

[@jacktattis]

@@derekleaberry1199 Yes Ford or Wayne must have been on the outer. 10 TIMES BETTER THAN THE kING and I

[@stevenperrell7217]

Theres a very subtle hint as to why Ethan hates the Comanches and its in the scene where little debbie hides away from the raid on their house. When she's hiding in the graveyard you catch a quick glimps at her Grandmother's grave (Ethan's Mother) and on her tombstone it says she was murdered by comanche. That plus the killing of his brothers family shortly afterwards. Ethan isnt a racist, he's hellbent on redemption

[@karlheven8328]

He obviously is racist. You are ignoring the other many signs... He refuses to take the oath of texas rangers and doesn't accept the defeat of the south etc. It's an important part of his character in this film that he is racist and prejudiced. This movie makes this very clear if you watch it closely

[@552mustang]

@@karlheven8328 There is nothing racist about 90% what you said. He didnt join with them because he fought them previously. He didnt take a new oath because he made his to the CSA.

[@garthwatene9428]

he hates all indians whether they are responsible, hes racist

[@michael69040]

My take is that Ethan has a PhD in PTSD. He fought for the Confederacy and then was told he could amble back home since his team had surrendered. All that violence, killing and buddies dying was for..................naught! That has to bring out all the repressed anger and hatred within his DNA way before his obsession with vengeance for what the Comanche had done.

[@sauron2000000]

Ethan led to the birth of a certain Travis.

[@tdogskitchen]

Martin will always be one of my favorite if not my favorite directors because not only does he make spectacular period pieces and gangster movies, but at the core of him is a die hard movie fanatic. He loves movies like the people who watch his films do and that’s why his movies are so damn good.

[@phoneone1371]

I think you have to watch the movie several times to understand the magnitude of how great it is probably top 5 with battle ship potemkin and others

[@scottbatey3130]

At the time they made the movie, they knew the history. ( That information is contained in book's) they were being generous. One of the greatest movies of all time! !!!!!

[@kerryr.8111]

Searchers is the best western ever made. 2nd is Once Upon a Time in the West. epic. IMO. Afi had it as the highest rated western in their top 100 films at #11 I believe...

[@jacktattis]

No not even second

[@lovethyneighborandhiswife7596]

This is one of my favorite westerns, and seeing one of my favorite directors talk about it is fucking great!

[@vinnayt]

Every time he names a movie I have to pause it so i can it to my Netflix.

[@valentinedussaut3839]

Waste of time. None of these classics are on Netflix.

[@vinnayt]

@@valentinedussaut3839 8 years ago there was a chance lol

[@valentinedussaut3839]

@@vinnayt Wow, you replied fast!!!

[@patrickdoyle9860]

This is my all time favorite movie, john Wayne at his best close behind this masterpiece is they were expendable another masterpiece

[@fsbirdhouse]

Laugh if you will, and it's not a Wayne Western, but my personal favorite among Ford and Wayne collaborations (And all time favorite movie for years in fact) remains 'The Quiet Man'. I hesitate to use the expression 'Charming', but it is all of that in every possible way. Every once in a while a spark of absolute brilliance in film making comes together, and The Quiet Man is just a make you feel good, entertaining movie. Was it among the greatest movies ever made...no, but it sure came together for all the cast an crew who were involved. Most of those acknowledge it as their best effort in their careers. You'd have to climb to another level altogether to achieve the 'Greatest' level in movie making, and until someone can equal the power of the 1959 classic 'Ben Hur' that title shall forever be the Greatest man has ever put on film.

[@ChimeraAZ]

Oh! "The Quiet Man" is one of my very favorite John Wayne movies. Ever. You have great taste in movies. :}

[@jacktattis]

And all we got now is rehashed Star Wars, Star Treks Indiana Jones You know Sequels Prequels Pre-sequels Se-prequels

[@HarrisonHollers]

Scorsese and Tarantino talking films is the best!

[@jadunimeni]

Legend

[@davidnikoloff3211]

He never mentions the true source of Wayne’s hatred. In the raid scene Debbie is sent to the graveyard to hide from the slaughter to come. She sits at her grandmothers tombstone. On the tombstone is the name of Wayne’s mother, 41 the age of her death, and the fact she was murdered by Comanches. Yes, Wayne obviously loved the wife of his brother. He found them both butchered in a storage shed, by the Comanches. So this is not a prejudice born of racial difference. It is a hate brought to him from loss at the hands of the group he hates. Is that justified? No. It does bring the question of how much hurt can a man take. Loss of mother. Loss of love. Loss of family. Loss of his civil war cause. Even possible loss of his freedom due to the death he may have caused before the film starts.

[@garthwatene9428]

he hates all indians whether they are responsible or not, thats racism

[@arthurmosel808]

Remember the Indian woman that Martin accidently buys, you can see that he softens towards her. I feel that his hatred is more focused.

[@4Topwood]

@Spam Houston Yes, Scar and Ethan are two sides of the same coin. Both are driven by hatred of the race that murdered their family members.

[@steveparadis2978]

And the only reason you can read it clearly is by stopping the DVD at the point and going frame by frame. It's barely visible under ordinary viewing conditions. Most filmmakers would have stopped long enough for everyone to see that. So why did Ford put it in? For Wayne to see.

[@davidnikoloff3211]

@@steveparadis2978 could be. I think it is just another clue that Ford gives us about what made the man. He has a history that explains how he became who he was. That history would have destroyed weaker people. It changed him without killing him, but it left him filled with anger and alone. Wayne presented us with a performance that was brilliant, at times filled with love and at times cold and murderous. Surely the love was brief and subtle, the brief looks at a woman he loves, crying about burying his murdered niece, whisking Debbie off her feet. The modern criticism focusing on his “racism” is bs. The character was much more complex than that.

[@marialfabeta]

my fave movie ever

[@65g4]

I love The Searchers

[@pp-bb6jj]

I liked John Wayne in this movie. I think it's understandable if you see the character history.

[@geoseward]

Interestingly enough some of Wayne's better in depth roles was when he played older men i.e. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, True Grit and yes the Searchers.

[@sauron2000000]

Wayne was already old while filming Stagecoach.

[@jeanbaptistevallee4500]

Favorite line, "Brethern, leave us go amongst them!".

[@vindicari]

In my opinion, 3 stand out westerns, The Searchers, High Noon, and Unforgiven all individuals struggling with their own demons.

[@TurdFurggison]

I saw the Searchers for the first time ever last year. Such a great movie. Also too it’s packaged on Blu Ray for $12 with The Green Berets and The Cowboys.

[@willieluncheonette]

one of my 10 all time favorite films. Goodfellas is on my list too.

[@jimharrison2513]

First time hearing Scorsese talking and he sounds different then I thought he would. Also this film is on my list to see.

[@davidgonzales3090]

I've always been more of a Clint Eastwood kind of western guy, but this is a great film.

[@JSwag_Reviews]

I like Clint too, but way to much violence in his films over done violence that loses its realism.

[@paulpaddie9944]

It is interesting to hear Marty mention the films The Big Knife and Kiss Me Deadly because both of those films were directed by Robert Aldrich.

[@waukivorycopse2402]

Well done to all the commenters on this video. I've rarely seen a group of more well thought out and measured responses to an astonishing film. Give yourselves a pat on the back and keep it up.

[@senorsombrero1275]

The Searchers, The Wild Bunch, and The Good, The Bad and, the Ugly are the three greatest westerns ever made.

[@jacobjones5269]

It truly is The Great American Film..

[@smithjava3704]

Ford was exceptional, able to build the myths and expose the misery of the nation at the same time, all through an entertaining movie.

[@Classicguy66]

Funny, Mr Scorsese, I first saw Raging Bull when I was in the 8th grade back in 1981

[@tehgriefer9317]

The day that Maestro Scorsesse will pass, cinema will die a little.

[@marilynbowling6952]

The greatest American film ever made .

[@jacktattis]

We started on about the Searchers and by the end

[@jacktattis]

we were into the actors and who could do what better. We must not forget Wayne always had a great supporting cast They blended in and made the films they supported Wayne in. I think Wayne was the first to have a regular supporting cast This was John Waynes finest movie and no one could have played it as well .

[@Ship-security]

I like how he glosses over the murder of his brothers family and the kidnaping of the female children as a valid motivation to hate.

[@frandecc]

Well, he also wants to kill grown up Debbie because she has become a comanche. That's the racism motivated hatred he talks about

[@Ship-security]

@@frandecc True, I'm not saying Uncle E was in the was right, only that many sides were responsible for brutality. I always felt the most sadness for Marcie and Look.

[@FormulaVase-kp3dc]

I like to watch Martin Scorsese talk about other directors.

[@travispetit2410]

Where can I watch the full video?

[@richardque4952]

Orson welles in his interview call john ford a poet.all his movie are very poetic.

[@TheUnalteredMyth]

Great interview Just curious as to when this was recorded

[@BarbecueSnowflake]

Terrific film

[@Mst3kfan1994]

As tragic as it is that Gene Siskel couldn't give his thoughts on the 1990s in film, I will admit that Marty made for a great substitute on Roger Ebert's "Best of the Decade" show.

[@gordonm.7387]

Marty got depressed after New York New York. Then he made Raging Bull. He's a sensitive guy like us all. I loved Silence. A knockout. "Hey why don't you lower the jukebox?"

[@cliffedward]

The scene where Travis shoots out the eyes of the Indian, to me, doesn't show that his hatred goes beyond the grave, it shows that he knows his enemy. The American Indian often mutilated their enemies in some way so they would know them is the here after.

[@DANIEL1995107]

cliffedward It's Ethan, but yeah, he fucking hated indians.

[@johnmagill3072]

***** Ethan Edwards ( John Wayne )is the one who shot out the dead Indians eyes. And it had nothing to do with his hatred of them. Had to do with what that particular tribe believed. Listen to the words in the scene. He says by what that comanch believes without his eyes he has to wonder for ever between the winds.

[@joeymarliniv2158]

It shows both. Why does it have to show one or the other?

[@garthwatene9428]

he hates indians whether they are responsible or not

[@pa3997]

Ford basically invented the Western genre along with others during the silent era, then elaborated it starting with Ringo, then questioned fundaments of the genre with The Searchers and in the end deconstructed it with the "myth" end of Liberty Valance. I cant Think of a Lot, if any directors, with so Big contributions to a particular genre.

[@arthurmosel808]

Also listen to "The Searchers" by the Sons of the Pioneers. This is the song in the movie, listen to all of it closely. It is Ethan that is song about.

[@deckofcards87]

It's not unreasonable to assume that John Wayne's Ethan single handily inspired Scorsese's filmography. Almost all of Marty's film's are stories of anti-hero's or even flat-out despicable characters who are often searching for redemption or redeem themselves unintentionally.

[@matthewmiller9526]

Nobody comes as close as Ford did in depicting the people who lived in the Civil War era, they were close enough in time to it to know some of them in old age and certainly to have been brought up by the stories and legends left. The character of Ethan in the Searchers is so true to life of the civil war veterans, tough as nails, or they would not have survived it, a natural cunning, and having to carry the sorrow of the suffering they had seen yet in the end just enough humanity to pass down to the next generation. I consider that the greatest generation, if not for them their descendents never would be able to fight WW2. It was America’s Heroic Epic.

[@tonyh1515]

Best film ever !!

[@michaelanderson2881]

This dude makes me wish the Columbia House DVD club still existed.

[@coach3155]

every 5 minutes of scoresese talking, i come out with 10 movies i need to watch

[@rondrake3720]

I smell this film differently

[@parrmik]

There is no doubt ethan had relationships with the mothers of both martin and debbie ,whether he is the parent of one or both is unclear. In both cases he lost them to comanche raids.

[@sean.3909]

I JUST WATCHED THE SEARCHERS FOR THE FIRST TIME 😌

[@skyeslaton3435]

Masterpiece western

[@matteogennari9798]

❤

[@phantomwriter05]

The problem with Scorsese's arguments of Racism stems from the fact that before Ethan leaves for the Civil War, he had witnessed a massacre of Martin's family, who we believe to be very good friends of his. They make a point of showing that Ethan was clearly traumatized by the brutal murders. So much so that he didn't even want to see Martin, because he was reminded of the horrible things done. The movie makes clear that his hatred isn't for all Indians as it showed through out the years they were trading with other tribes and making contacts within those tribes. Ethan's hatred is for the Comanche in particular, because of his awful past with them killing and raping. The scene with the rock was after they murdered his family, and the Indian who died on the war trail was clearly someone who participated in those murders and rape. The hatred of Comanche Tribes was a historical prejudice that was held by all Texans, Tejanos, and other Indian tribes in Texas. Everyone agreed, no matter the color of your skin, that the Comanche were evil and everyone, and I mean everyone, wanted them dead. So much so that other tribes helped the Rangers and Army hunt them down and wipe them out for good. I think Scorese needs to pay a lot more attention to the movie, before talking about it in terms of racism.

[@WalterLiddy]

Nothing you're saying discounts the racism. He specifically says that you can understand how the character came to be filled with such hate, but that doesn't alter what he's become. I think you need to pay more attention before you discount what he's saying.

[@phantomwriter05]

Racism is the hatred of an entire race of people. Racism implies all Indians under the sun. Ethan's hatred is for a particular brand and tribe of Indian. Not the entire Race of them. That's not Racism.

[@justsomestuffn]

All Martin had to do was pause the film, and see the name on the tombstone. There is also some backstory that Ethan was the father of the girls-- they were his daughters raised by his brother.

[@JulioLeonFandinho]

The Character of Ethan is disgusting, and it's on purpose. What Scorsese and this movie showed to us is that people like Ethan doesn't belong to the present. Of course, Ethan Edwards is not just a simple racist, a one-dimensional character. He's capable of loving others, of sacrificing for others and so on... but his past weighs too much, that hate in him is too strong that he can't fit even into his own family. A family wich, by the way, and in the end, accept an indian girl, because the character of Natalie Wood is culturaly indian. So, we're talking about a new family in wich Ethan has no room to fit in, because he's a man from the past. And that's the meaning of the famous ending with the door closing and Ethan going into the desert from where he entered at the beginning.

[@degsbabe]

And Wayne portrayed it so well. Should have been his first Oscar.

[@JesusCristo2002]

I hope Marty's around for another fifteen years at least. His contributions to cinema are priceless. He's the greatest American filmmaker alive, the best (in my opinion) of the New Hollywood era and (for me) the second greatest American/English-Language filmmaker of all time. Stanley Kubrick will always be number one in that book.

[@ChimeraAZ]

He talks about Racism,but the term "racism" didnt even exist in Ethan's time. The word came into widespread usage in the Western world in the 1930s, when it was used to describe the social and political ideology of Nazism, which saw "race" as a naturally given political unit. So,No one in Ethan's time would have been called Racists.

[@josephstabile9154]

Of course, even a casual read of the Comanche depredations over more than a half century in Texas, of which The Searchers is based on, will go miles in explaining & justifying Ethan's attitudes.

[@taramauroa]

but the treatment of native americans whove been here thousands of years, had their lands, lives, livlihood taken from them doesnt bother you, lol, youre absolutely brainwashed

[@SW-fk1xo]

Ethan gave his soul to survive only to find out in the end he could not fit into the world because of what he had become to survive.

[@redblack8414]

Scorsese's love of movies is contagious. I could listen to him all day.👍

[@alvaropelayo8084]

I hope that when I die God will allow me to gather at the river with John Wayne, Clark Gable, Bing Crosby, Robert Taylor, Alan Ladd, Frank Sinatra, Burt Lancaster, Robert Mitchum, Jeff Chandler, Charlton Heston, John Ireland, Ward Bond, John Ford, Harry Carey, Hank Worden, Audie Murphy, Lex Barker, Randolph Scott, Andy Devine, John Qualen, Paul Fix, Tony Curtis, Olive Carey, Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Olivia de Havilland, Jean Simmons, Jean Arthur, James Cagney, James Arness, Gary Cooper, James Stewart, Donna Reed...

[@BobSmith-dk8nw]

Yes. People who don't think John Wayne could act - should watch The Searchers. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Searchers The thing Scorsese doesn't seem to get here - is that the Indians and Settlers did things to each other that made many of them hate. At the beginning of the movie, iirc, Natalie Wood's family - is slaughtered by the Indians - and she is taken captive. Her father was John Wayne's brother. So - the man has a very personal stake in getting revenge on the Indians. This type of thing was not a one time occurrence - but an on going war between the whites and the red man. One of the things a lot of people don't realize - is that there were twice as many Whites killed as there were Indians in the American Indian Wars. The bit about kidnapping is accurate. The Indians had a high childhood mortality rate - and so - were always on the look out for ways to increase their numbers. Thus - it was common practice among the Indian tribes at war with each other - to steal each others children - and to kidnap the other tribes women and put their wombs to work increasing their own numbers instead of their enemies. When the Whites came along - the Indians largely treated them the same way they'd treated each other - but - the Whites had more power coming along behind them and weren't going to put up with that. .

[@kdizzle901]

Breaking Bads finale is inspired by The Searchers

[@robertromero9488]

Wayne played the Racist anti-hero very well

[@joliecide]

George Lucas much like Archie Bunker, or Eric Cartman

[@999titu]

I swear to the honesty it's the only movie recommend by Scorsese i didn't like. I just didn't i tried but failed. It means originality is a real thing not that the movie was not maybe i watched it too late

[@Brian-yt8fu]

The part where he shoots out the indian's eyes they showed the indian's eyes were missing. I remember seeing it years ago then they cut it. I guess they thought it was too scary for us kids.

[@leeturton9254]

If the guy who directed taxi driver says it's good then get it see it..

[@presley881]

Hey Marti,injuns slaughtered his brother and family and kidnapped his niece. He had a right to be filled with rage and hate. No racism involved,just vengeance.

[@bigcolt5256]

Finally somebody said it. Screw the racism angle.

[@seekeroftheway]

Scorcese is unfortunately a typical director of his generation, completely leftist and full of shit when it comes to social commentary

[@garthwatene9428]

he hates indians whether they are responsible or not, he hates the race, hes racist

[@robertromero9488]

He was willing to kill his niece for becoming Native American. Of course he was racist

[@tomsampson8084]

This was one of Waynes best performances. It is arguably one of the closest to his true political leanings. Later in life The Green Berets was a more blatant depiction of his politics. I love John Wayne and I like both of the movies I mentioned. I just don't agree with most of his politics - especially when it comes to race and ethnicity.

[@josephcarpenter6921]

It s John & John see what yeah Marty chiil

[@jorgejefferson8251]

This guy vastly over simplified the Ethan Edwards character to fit what he wanted it to be, other than how nuanced it actually is.

[@tommurray6407]

Thought goodfellas not winning an Oscar a disgrace. Have now learned the searchers was not nominated in any category. Wtf.

[@fermild3954]

How many of philosophy in movie you want?

[@ripperduck]

One of the aspects I appreciated the most about Wayne's character is how closely he matched that of Cicatrise, the Indian who slaughtered Wayne's family. Both men are from an age that no longer exists, Wayne was a former Confederate soldier, a Deep South racist, who tried to maintain a totally degenerate way of life. Cicatrise has had his family murdered by men such as Wayne, who had no mercy, no understanding, of an indigenous existence. Ultimately, both men are destroyed, there is no place for either, Wayne kills Cicatrise, but it means nothing, it doesn't bring back the antebellum South, nor the woman he ultimately loved, nothing. What remains of his family has no use for him, he disappears, his time and kind are finished. An amazingly profound movie, one that remains with me decades after I first saw it as a young boy back in the 70's....

[@ripperduck]

***** Nope, sorry, he isn't. You missed the point entirely if you think so....

[@ripperduck]

***** I see your point regarding partial redemption, in that he doesn't kill the girl. But, to me, he did that because she ultimately was white and kin. Killing her would have meant killing a white woman, family, something he couldn't do. To me, he did what he was supposed to do, find her and bring her back. That's what his family was counting on, and as long as he was on her trail and doing so, then they accepted him. Not because he was loved, but because he was doing what they needed. When he returns, they want nothing to do with him, no congratulations, no acknowledgement of his sacrifices, his injury, which will probably end up either killing or maiming him, nothing. He makes a step toward the door, wanting a hero's welcome, and he's ignored. Though I understand what you say, and it's a very good point, to me, ultimately, he cannot redeem himself unless his family accepts who he is, but they can't do that, because of who he is, a killer. If Debbie had been an Indian, he would have shot her dead, or worse. The women and children in the village he raided mean nothing to him, a good injun is one that's dead. Redemption would have meant understanding that these people weren't savages, Cicatrise had a reason to do what he did, he wasn't some deranged, psychopathic killer, but a man trying to protect what little he had. Wayne's character never could, or would, come to see what had been done to these people, he could only focus on his own horrors and memories. When the door closes on him, he finally comes to realize that no on, not even his own kin, will ever accept what he did, and what he wants. It's over for Ethan, he's broken, no happy ending, and unlike his other movies, Wayne isn't a hero, simply one that fades into dust. Again, one of the most thought provoking of all John Wayne movies. And thanks for pointing out that Ethan didn't kill Cicatrise, I completely forgot the sequence of events....

[@4Topwood]

ripperduck You make some good points but if you think that Ethan is "wanting a hero's welcome" at the end, you are missing a major point. When he restores Debbie to the settlers' community, he automatically starts to join them but then stops and turns around. He know he is no longer of that community b/c like Cicatrice, he is irreparably scarred by battle and by the choices he's made. Like the Comanche whose eyes he shoots out, he is condemned to wandering between the winds.

[@ripperduck]

Ann Edwards Sorry, Ann, he does expect that kind of welcome, an acknowledgement, of what he's lost and sacrificed. A hero is someone who would be willing to die in order to complete whatever quest they're on, whatever task they've accepted. Heroic doesn't mean the superhero nonsense currently in vogue, in meant, as in the case of guys like Ethan, doing what you believe you're supposed to do, no matter the cost. He did exactly that, and wasn't shunned, but worse, ignored, not even acknowledged, for bringing back Debbie. That's the worst thing that can happen to him, that's why he turns and leaves, grabbing his arm to staunch the pain of where the arrow hit his shoulder, the only artifact he'll carry for what he's done. Which, is what he should be left with, he inflicted huge amounts of pain to others, as a Confederate officer fighting for a degenerate economic system, to Indians, whose only crime was living on land that usurpers and murderers wanted.

[@4Topwood]

ripperduck Uh, no. Just no'. Not going to argue with you when you obviously aren't very knowledgeable about the film. Just one exampleL Wayne grabbed his arm as a tribute to his friend and fellow actor, Harry Carey. www.tcm.com/essentials/article.html?cid=615707&mainArticleId=615659

[@joep8787]

Martin Scorsese and indeed all those who've posted here have missed an important point. Both Ethan Edwards and Cicatrix share a previously unmentioned bond which puts their intense hatred in a new light. Both speak each other's language and understand each other's culture. Your run of the mill racist is a racist out of ignorance of what he hates. I think it's possible that both Ethan and Cicatrix may have lived amongst those they now hate and may have even enjoyed it for a while. Ever notice how some of the most terrible wars are civil wars, between peoples who aren't that different from one another. Scorsese and some posters here try and make a connection between American racism and Ethan's hatred of Comanches. American racists don't bother to get to know the language or culture of those they hate. In most cases, they don't hate, they just view some groups as less than humans; as animals, as performers, as tools. I don't believe Ethan and Cicatrix are simple racists. They've gone beyond that. They probably feel betrayed by a culture they once were attracted to and now hate with an irrational passion.

[@jameshoran8]

Well said.

[@thatamerican3187]

Nobody in Hollywood has the balls to play the parts Wayne used to play. Nobody.