The above words are often spoken or rather, snarled, by Ethan Edwards, John Ford’s aging anti-hero, portrayed with amazing depth by John Wayne in his eighth (or so) cinematic outing with “a guy who just makes westerns”—Ford’s own self-deprecating assessment. The Searchers is a beautiful and brutal film, running the gamut from familial love to the darkest racism. And John Ford, at a time in his career when many are resting on their laurels, pushed into new territory, reinventing the western and giving us one of the most soul-satisfying films ever.
—Geo.
Note: Due to technical difficulties, the final few minutes of this broadcast had to be reconstructed from lower quality material.