The Searchers / Stagecoach

Starring:John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond, Natalie Wood, John Qualen, Olive Carey, Henry Brandon, Ken Curtis, Harry Carey Jr., Antonio Moreno, Hank Worden, Beulah Archuletta, Walter Coy, Dorothy Jordan, Pippa Scott, Patrick Wayne, Lana Wood, Mae Marsh, Nacho Galindo
Director: John Ford
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
A favorite film of some of the world's greatest filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, John Ford's The Searchers has earned its place in the legacy of great American films for a variety of reasons. Perhaps most notably, it's the definitive role for John Wayne as an icon of the classic Western--the hero (or antihero) who must stand alone according to the unwritten code of the West. The story takes place in Texas in 1868; Wayne plays Ethan Edwards, a Confederate veteran who visits his brother and sister-in-law at their ranch and is horrified when they are killed by marauding Comanches. Ethan's search for a surviving niece (played by young Natalie Wood) becomes an all-consuming obsession. With the help of a family friend (Jeffrey Hunter) who is himself part Cherokee, Ethan hits the trail on a five-year quest for revenge. At the peak of his masterful talent, director Ford crafts this classic tale as an embittered examination of racism and blind hatred, provoking Wayne to give one of the best performances of his career. As with many of Ford's classic Westerns, The Searchers must contend with revisionism in its stereotypical treatment of "savage" Native Americans, and the film's visual beauty (the final shot is one of the great images in all of Western culture) is compromised by some uneven performances and stilted dialogue. Still, this is undeniably one of the greatest Westerns ever made. --Jeff Shannon

Amazon.com

There may be no better representation of America's love of the old West than the 10-disc John Ford-John Wayne Collection. The iconic star and iconic director collaborated on 14 films, eight of which appear here. Four--Fort Apache (1948), The Long Voyage Home (1940), The Wings of Eagles (1957), and 3 Godfathers (1948)--are appearing for the first time on DVD, and the two most famous, Stagecoach (1939) and The Searchers (1956), are represented in brand-new two-disc editions that add new and old featurettes as well as the outstanding American Masters documentary John Ford/John Wayne: The Filmmaker and the Legend. (This Ultimate Edition of The Searchers adds a variety of printed materials as well, such as reproductions of press materials and a 1956 comic book.) Two other landmark films previously available on DVD, They Were Expendable (1945) and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), round out the set. The three non-Westerns in the set have military settings, with They Were Expendable arguably the greatest World War II picture ever.

The Movies:
A favorite film of some of the world's greatest filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, John Ford's The Searchers has earned its place in the legacy of great American films for a variety of reasons. Perhaps most notably, it's the definitive role for John Wayne as an icon of the classic Western--the hero (or antihero) who must stand alone according to the unwritten code of the West. The story takes place in Texas in 1868; Wayne plays Ethan Edwards, a Confederate veteran who visits his brother and sister-in-law at their ranch and is horrified when they are killed by marauding Comanches. Ethan's search for a surviving niece (played by young Natalie Wood) becomes an all-consuming obsession. With the help of a family friend (Jeffrey Hunter) who is himself part Cherokee, Ethan hits the trail on a five-year quest for revenge. At the peak of his masterful talent, director Ford crafts this classic tale as an embittered examination of racism and blind hatred, provoking Wayne to give one of the best performances of his career. As with many of Ford's classic Westerns, The Searchers must contend with revisionism in its stereotypical treatment of "savage" Native Americans, and the film's visual beauty (the final shot is one of the great images in all of Western culture) is compromised by some uneven performances and stilted dialogue. Still, this is undeniably one of the greatest Westerns ever made.

The landmark Western Stagecoach began the legendary relationship between Ford and Wayne, and became the standard for all subsequent Westerns. It solidified Ford as a major director and established Wayne as a charismatic screen presence. Seen today, Stagecoach still impresses as the first mature instance of a Western that is both mythic and poetic. The story about a cross-section of troubled passengers unraveling under the strain of Indian attack contains all of Ford's incomparable storytelling trademarks--particularly swift action and social introspection--underscored by the painterly landscape of Monument Valley. And what an ensemble of actors: Thomas Mitchell (who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar as the drunken doctor), Claire Trevor, Donald Meek, Andy Devine, and the magical John Carradine.

Fort Apache stars Wayne as a Cavalry officer used to doing things a certain way out West at Fort Apache. Along comes a rigid, new commanding officer (Henry Fonda) who insists that everything on his watch be done by the book, including dealings with local Indians. The results are mixed: greater discipline at the fort, but increased hostilities with the natives. Ford deliberately leaves judgments about the wisdom of these changes ambiguous, but he also allows plenty of room for the fullness of life among the soldiers and their families to blossom. Fonda, in an unusual role for him, is stern and formal as the new man in charge; Wayne is heroic as the rebellious second; Victor McLaglen provides comic relief; and Ward Bond is a paragon of sturdy and sentimental masculinity. All of this is set against the magnificent, poetic topography of Monument Valley. This is easily one of the greatest of American films.

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, the second installment of Ford's famous cavalry trilogy (which also includes Fort Apache and Rio Grande), continues the director's fascination with history's obliteration of the past. It features one of John Wayne's more sensitive performances as Capt. Nathan Brittles, a stern yet sentimental war horse who has difficulty preparing for his impending military retirement. It's a film about honor and duty as well as loneliness and mortality. And Oscar-winner Winton C. Hoch beautifully photographs it in Remington-like Technicolor tones. The combination of melancholy and farce (Victor McLaglen makes a perfect court jester) evokes comparisons to Shakespeare. Best of all, the scene in which Wayne fights back tears when receiving a gold watch from his troops is unforgettably bittersweet. If you view the whole trilogy, it actually makes sense to save this for last.

It's hardly shameful that Three Godfathers ranks as the slightest John Ford Western in a five-year arc that includes My Darling Clementine, Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Wagon Master, and Rio Grande. The story had already been filmed at least five times--once by Ford himself. Just before Christmas, three workaday outlaws (John Wayne, Pedro Armendáriz, Harry Carey Jr.) rob a bank and flee into the desert. The canny town marshal (Ward Bond) moves swiftly to cut them off from the wells along their escape route, so they make for another, deep in the wasteland. There's no water waiting for them, but there is a woman (Mildred Natwick) on the verge of death--and also of giving birth. The three badmen accept her dying commission as godfathers to the newborn. Motley variants of the Three Wise Men, they strike out for the town of New Jerusalem with her Bible as roadmap. Ford's is the softest retelling of the tale, but it's all played with great gusto and tenderness--especially by Wayne, who's rarely been more appealing. Visually the film is one knockout shot after another. This was Ford's first Western in Technicolor, as well as his first collaboration with cinematographer Winton Hoch. What they do with sand ripples and shadows and long plumes of train smoke is rapturously beautiful. It's also often too arty by half, but who can blame them?

Eugene O'Neill loved The Long Voyage Home, the feature-length adaptation of his one-act sea plays, with intelligent bridging material written by Dudley Nichols and a final movement, both hellish and elegiac, appropriate to the onset of World War II. John Ford directed, in his more self-consciously arty vein but with no loss of power or passion. The focus is on the working seamen aboard a merchant ship making its way from the Caribbean to New York harbor and then England, with dangerous cargo on the transatlantic leg. Thomas Mitchell (who had won a 1939 Oscar in Ford's Stagecoach) gives a career-best performance as Driscoll; Ian Hunter plays the enigmatic shipmate known only as "Smitty"; Ford regulars Barry Fitzgerald, John Qualen, Ward Bond, Arthur Shields, and Joseph Sawyer fill key roles; and the top-billed John Wayne contributes a surprisingly effective supporting performance as Ole, a gentle Swedish giant who really belongs on a farm somewhere. Although neglected in recent years, this movie has a permanent place of honor in one of the most amazing three-year creative streaks any director ever had.

John Ford had a big emotional investment in The Wings of Eagles, and his favorite star John Wayne rewarded the director with one of his strongest performances. The subject is Frank "Spig" Wead, Naval aviation legend turned Hollywood screenwriter, who had written Ford's very good 1932 movie Air Mail and his magnificent WWII elegy They Were Expendable (1945). Ford was fond of exploring the theme of "victory in defeat." Wead's life was made to order for that. The hell-raising flyboy shenanigans, and his flailing marriage to a scrappy Irish redhead (The Quiet Man's Maureen O'Hara reporting for duty), were abruptly curtailed by a fall that left him with severe spinal damage. He should never have been able to walk again, but he fought his way back to limited mobility and built a new career as a writer. And when WWII broke out, Wead made a key contribution to the Pacific air war. It would be satisfying to report that The Wings of Eagles is a triumph--that the broad comedy of the early reels cuts brilliantly against the raw pain of the Weads' marriage, the grief of a family broken and mended and broken again, the film's specters of death and deep frustration. There are powerful moments, but the low comedy is very low, the visual style sometimes stark but more often just drab, and the screenplay is very choppy about the passage of time.

They Were Expendable is the greatest American film of the Second World War, made by America's greatest director, John Ford, who himself saw action from the Battle of Midway through D-day. Yet it's been oddly neglected. Or perhaps not so oddly: for as the matter-of-fact title implies, the film commemorates a period, from the eve of Pearl Harbor up to the impending fall of Bataan, when the Japanese conquest of the Pacific was in full cry and U.S. forces were fighting a desperate holding action. Although stirring movies had been made about these early days, they were gung ho in their resolve to see the tables turned. They Were Expendable, however, which was made when Allied victory was all but assured, is profoundly elegiac, with the patient grandeur of a tragic poem. "They" are the officers and men of the Navy's PT boat service, an experimental motor-torpedo force relegated to courier duty on Manila Bay but eventually proven effective in combat. Their commander is played by Robert Montgomery, who actually served on a PT and later commanded a destroyer at Normandy (he also codirected the breathtaking second-unit action sequences). John Wayne's costarring role as Montgomery's volatile second-in-command initially looks stereotypically blustery, but as the drama unfolds, Wayne sounds notes of tenderness and vulnerability that will take Duke-bashers by surprise. They Were Expendable is a heartbreakingly beautiful film, full of astonishing images of warfare, grief, courage, and dignity. This is a masterpiece.

Description

John Ford was easily one of the greatest, most prolific and versatile directors Hollywood ever produced. Combined with a star of the caliber and magnetism of John Wayne, what emerges is pure cinematic magic. WHV now introduces a ten-disc set featuring eight of the team's finest collaborations: The Searchers: Ultimate Collector's Edition (1956) Stagecoach: Special Edition (1939) Fort Apache (1948) The Long Voyage Home (1940) Wings of Eagles (1957) She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1948) They Were Expendable (1945) 3 Godfathers (1948)

Customer Reviews:

What a Deal........2007-04-28

A lot has been said about this collection. I would just like to point out that the price can't be beat either. The Searchers disk alone would set you back 35 dollars. The Stagecoach another 20. The other six DVD's are free. About 60 to 70 dollars worth. Man you can't do any better. I already had The Wings of Eagles and The Long Voyage Home. The set DVD's are identical to the DVD's I already had, so this isn't a stripped down set at all.

Superb John Wayne.......2007-03-22

An excellent selection of John Wayne movies. The Searchers has been rated one of his best with She Wore a Yellow Ribbon my all time favorite. Fort Apache is excellent also. The Long Voyage and They were Expendable were minor roles for him but all in all a great collection of films. The man became the all american hero even before his passing.

8 Films By Two Screen Legends.......2007-03-19

This is one of the larger collections that came out last year and whatever else you may think about John Wayne, he was the most prolific star of his (perhaps of all) time, twice the output of Humphrey Bogart, for example.

John Ford was also quite prolific but many of his early ones are lost. Still, his place and time as one of the great auteurs intrigues many of cinephile.

Some favorites are missing but are available, such as "Rio Grande", "The Quiet Man" and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". The extras for this set are in some cases, non existant, while some are repeats, but the main reason to own this set is for the films themselves.

"Stagecoach" - This 1939 Western stands as the turning point for both Ford's and especially Wayne's careers. This is also quite an ensemble piece for which Donald Meek, Thomas Mitchell (was Oscar for this), John Caradine, Andy Devine, George Bancroft, Louise Pratt and Berton Churchill spend much screen time as the occupants of the stagecoach along with JW and Clair Trevor. Wayne and Trevor provide the love story, she as the whore being run out of town, he the vengeful outlaw who Bancroft wants to lock up for Wayne's own good. But all are misfits in this journey and even though quite laughable today, a fun movie to watch. Alas, the native Americans are basically just ducks in a shooting gallery.

"The Long Voyage Home" is another ensemble piece and does have the odd casting of Wayne as the big Swede who doesn't hit back. Mitchell returns and is actually the main character in this movie, which does have the great bittersweet language of Eugene O'Neil. This offers what a good actor Ward Bond was when called to be when he has his death scene.

"They Were Expendable" Ford won two Oscars for documentaries shot in World War Two. Wayne made many war pictures but this is my favorite one. The dialogue and settings are quite believable for the most part and Robert Montgomery displays dignity as the one in charge. A nice haunting scene is when Wayne gets caught off talking to Donna Reed with the realization he might never see her again. This also has none of the crazy heroics that many films had (Wayne guilty in many of those) and a good humor with the supporting characters.

"3 Godfathers" is truly an offbeat film. Wayne, Pedro Amadariz and Harry Carey, Jr., are actually bank robbers, quite likable though, who save a woman's baby while running away from sheriff Ward Bond. It is through this baby that the three find redemption though it's only Wayne who has the happy ending. In its way, this is a very spiritual film.

"Fort Apache" is actually my favorite film here. Fords prints the facts and shows them distorted by Wayne for his benefit who he can effectively lead the troop. Henry Fonda plays quite the unsympathic custer character who tricks Cochise to come back. The scene that Fonda has with Cochise, who laments in Spanish the deplorable conditions but chills the white man's chilling response, is brilliant. The adult Shirley Temple provides support here with the bland John Agar. Also very good, Ward Bond, Victor McLagden and Pedro Armandariz.

"She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" is quite a melodramtic film with Wayne talking to tombstones and weeping half the time. Still, great comedic support from Victor McLagden. "Don't apolagize, it's a sign of weakness" Wayne repeats over and over. However, both Agar and Carey, Jr., aren't given much to do. Ben Johnson does what he does best. It's interesting that George O'Brien was Ford's big star in the silent era and here and Fort Apache just strictly a sad character actor. Still, John Wayne makes this watchable and the gold watch scene quite effective.

"The Searchers" which along with "Stagecoach" gets a second disk of extras. This is the definitive Wayne-Ford movie, as good as any film noir as the antihero makes good. Wayne plays the racist Ethan Edwards and Jeff Hunter co stars as the other searcher who must accompany Wayne before Wayne finds and murders his niece, played by the beautiful Natalie Wood. The firing into the dead Indian's eyes, the shooting of buffalo, the shooting of Indians in the back, the digust of looking at white women are among the most powerful scenes Wayne or Ford have ever done. It would have been interesting if Wayne actually killed Wood because that's the actual story, but thank God he didn't. This film is not a comfortable film to watch and it's not intended to be. The race issues it addresses still hold true today.

"The Wings of Eagles" is in my opinion, the weakest Wayne-Ford movie. There's no sense of period. The slapstick doesn't work for me and Maureen O'Hara's character's alcoholism is never addressed. However, Wayne's determination to move that toe, strongly assisted by Dan Dailey, makes up for a lot. Also, way too briefly, Ward Bond as John Ford. Also fun is hearing Wayne's comment of bringing in the seventh calvary when viewing an early Clark Gable movie.

SPANISH SUBTITLES MISSING - IT'S A PITY!!!!.......2007-03-11

Despite the DVD label states subtitles available in English, French and Spanish, NO SPANISH SUBTITLES ARE AVAILABLE IN THIS FILM. Unbelievable such a top level collection with this mismatch!

I would have enjoyed a complete understanding of the film, given I am an enthusiastic cinematography student, and even worse: I am a Spanish speaker!!! My sister is now writing for me!!

Thanks to Amazon for its fine service in Argentina.

PABLO GALARZA

Duke classic collection.......2007-03-09

From his first efforts in "The Long Voyage Home" to the classic "The Searchers"-this set is a must have for those who are truly John Wayne fans. Watch them in chronological order to get a real feel for these movies and how John Wayne grew into the star he was. Again, John Ford utilizes supporting players who are great actors in their own rights. If you love the Duke-you'll want this collection.

The John Wayne Signature Collection (Stagecoach / The Searchers / Rio Bravo / The Cowboys)

Average customer rating:

My dad was HAPPY!
Very vicious, racial films! Politically incorrect films!
John Wayne signature collection
john wayne collection
doesn't get better than this

The John Wayne Signature Collection (Stagecoach / The Searchers / Rio Bravo / The Cowboys)
Starring: John Wayne , Jeffrey Hunter , Vera Miles , Ward Bond , and Natalie Wood
Director: John Ford , and Howard Hawks
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002Y4TLA
Release Date: 2004-10-12

Customer Reviews:

My dad was HAPPY!.......2007-02-12

I tell you, my father is a pain to shop for. But for ONCE I got him something he thouroughly enjoyed. :) Good buy, fast delivery, and all is well for one more year....

Very vicious, racial films! Politically incorrect films!.......2007-01-10

John Wayne, one of the most politically incorrect actors all time(probably the most politically incorrect), was teamed many times with a racist and very politically incorrect director "John Ford" and a very commercial and politically incorrect director "Howard Hawks".

John Ford described the native brutally,falsely and the white innocent in his technically famous films "The Searchers", "Stagecoach", and he twisted the story of the great novel "The grapes of wrath" by the view point of the ruler. Is he a good director? Yes, he is a technially good director, but he informed the audience of wrong history done by most whites. The native were killed in their land by the white, and the white took the native's property. So "The Searchers", "Stagecoach" can not be good any sense for the society even though those movies were technically great.

John Wayne was worse than John Ford(they were almost the same). In 1950's which-hunt, some Hollywood liberals made the film "High Noon" to attack the extreme right wing. After watching the film "High Noon", John Wayne and Howard Hawks decided to attack the Hollywood liberals, so they made the film "Rio Bravo". The result was a politically incorrect film(a very falsely informed and extremely right wing propaganda film).

Did we need a extremely right wing propaganda fim in 1950's?

Some people say a film should be decided by itself (technical standards only). I don't agree with that opinion because a film influence the audience. That's why only Jim Morrison(lead singer of "doors") liked Marlon Brando, the other UCLA class mates liked the racist, extremist John Wayne. I hope to watch technically good films with human conscience.

John Wayne signature collection.......2006-07-20

I have watched the DVD's many time already and enjoy them very much.

john wayne collection.......2006-02-25

there were two of the movies that my wife wanted in this collection and so i got them for her was there a way to make them full screen

doesn't get better than this.......2006-01-29

this is a great collection of John Wayne! The cowboy is just as good as when i saw it as a boy. Men were men enven when they were just boys......

The John Wayne Collection (The Cowboys/The Searchers/Stagecoach)

Average customer rating:

A Trio of Treasures
A fabulous collection of some of the Duke's best films

The John Wayne Collection (The Cowboys/The Searchers/Stagecoach)
Starring: Claire Trevor , John Wayne , Andy Devine , John Carradine , and Thomas Mitchell
Director: John Ford , and Mark Rydell
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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Customer Reviews:

A Trio of Treasures.......2004-06-03

This review refers to 3 disc DVD set(Warner Bros) of "The John Wayne Collection" including "Stagecoach", "The Searchers", and "The Cowboys" ....

First things first...Thanks Warner Bros!...This John Wayne collection offers a great selection of not only some of the Duke's finest westerns, but is definitive of the American Westerns we have come to love. Spanning over 30 years, these three films, give us a good look at Wayne from his early years as a rising star, to the later years when this legend just awed us with his on screen presence. The selection of these three films is terrific. The wonderful stars, the masterful direction, the magnifcent cinematography, captivating storylines,fabulous music, all in one great DVD package is a real cinematic treat.

First up is "Stagecoach" from 1939. Wayne is a wanted man who is along for the ride with a group of passengers, each not only battling their own demons and prejudices, but the elements of the rugged terrain and Indian attacks as well. And what a group...it also stars Claire Trevor, Andy Devine, John Carradine, Thomas Mitchell, and Donald Meek. This one is directed by the great John Ford and the black and white cinemaptogrpahy of this journey is absolutley stunning. The DVD transfer of this 65 year old film is not as pristeen as some other B/W classic of the era, but certainly looks good. a few scratches here and there, a little flickering, but once you are involved with this film, you won't even notice. The Dolby Dig sound is very good, all the sounds of the old west clear and distinct. The DVD includes some production notes, seven trailers, and has subtitles in English, French and Spanish.

"The Searchers" from 1956 is up next. Do they come any better than this? The Duke is a war weary ex-confederate who becomes obsessed with hunting down the Comanche tribe who has massacred his family and kidnapped his young niece. We follow him for years as he will not let go of his mission or his beliefs. Wayne is amazing in this role as we see his hatred turn into humanity. This one is also from Director John Ford, and may just be his masterpiece. It is filmed in technicolor, and the stunning scenary may be viewed in the original widescreen, but also has the option of a standard version. It also stars Hollywood greats Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond and Natalie Wood. I thought this was the best transfer of the three(although not the newest). The picture was clean and clear with very good sound. There are a couple of documentary shorts included, made at the time of the shoot, one has a brief interview with Natalie Wood(glowing from her recent Oscar nomination for "Rebel Without A Cause"). It may be viewed in or with subtitles in English, French and Spanish, and it also contains some production notes.

From 1971, "The Cowboys" finds our guy as an aging rancher who must hire 11 young boys to help him on a 400 mile cattle drive.
He's tough and gruff, but really has a way with the kids,(only The Duke can cure a boy's stuttering in less than 2 minutes!), and soon finds himself acting as both trail boss and father to the group. The drive is rough for all and has the added suspense of some bad hombres led by Bruce Dern who are out to rustle The Duke's cattle. Wayne turns in a touching performance and if it was up to me, would have recieved an Oscar for this role. Dern is the baddest of the bad as he goes after our hero. The film is not short on talent, Directed by Mark Rydell, it includes Roscoe Lee Brown, a young A. Martinez, and a small but meaty part for the wonderful Colleen Dewhurst. A nice widescreen presentation, the picture and color were good but seemed just a little dated to me.The sound remastered in DD 5.1 is fabulous. There's a great documentary included. "The Breaking of Boys and The Making Of Men", talks about how the boys were selected, and how they trained for their parts. There are 13 (count em ..13) trailers of Wayne films from the 30's through the 70's, informative production notes, and has languages and subtitles in English and French.

One other note...the price is right for this set. Checking the prices individually, this is practically like buying 2 and getting one free.They each come in their own snap case and have an outer sleeve for the set.

A Trio of Treasures for fans of The Duke.

Go for it!...Happy Trails...Laurie

A fabulous collection of some of the Duke's best films.......2003-08-02

This collection contains three of John Wayne's best Westerns at an affordable price. All three of these movies are spectacular, and include the movie that launched the Duke's career (Stagecoach), one from the height of his popularity (the Searchers), and one of his final masterpieces (the Cowboys). Each of these movies is moving in its own unique way:

STAGECOACH is the film that brought Wayne and the great director John Ford together. This is also Wayne's big break into stardom. He stars as the Ringo Kid, a confirmed killer with a noble heart and the ability to see people for what they truly are, not what they appear to be on the outside.

THE SEARCHERS is the classic story of one man's unrelenting search for his niece. The Duke's character, Ethan, spends years tracking a band of Indians all over the Southwest in a nearly impossible quest.

THE COWBOYS shows the fatherly side of the Duke. Wayne stars as an elderly ranchowner who is forced to hire kids for his cattle drive when all the grown men leave the area in search of gold. Along the way, the Duke teaches them about discipline, hard work, and, ultimately, honor.

Amazon.com

A favorite film of some of the world's greatest filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, John Ford's The Searchers has earned its place in the legacy of great American films for a variety of reasons. Perhaps most notably, it's the definitive role for John Wayne as an icon of the classic Western--the hero (or antihero) who must stand alone according to the unwritten code of the West. The story takes place in Texas in 1868; Wayne plays Ethan Edwards, a Confederate veteran who visits his brother and sister-in-law at their ranch and is horrified when they are killed by marauding Comanches. Ethan's search for a surviving niece (played by young Natalie Wood) becomes an all-consuming obsession. With the help of a family friend (Jeffrey Hunter) who is himself part Cherokee, Ethan hits the trail on a five-year quest for revenge. At the peak of his masterful talent, director Ford crafts this classic tale as an embittered examination of racism and blind hatred, provoking Wayne to give one of the best performances of his career. As with many of Ford's classic Westerns, The Searchers must contend with revisionism in its stereotypical treatment of "savage" Native Americans, and the film's visual beauty (the final shot is one of the great images in all of Western culture) is compromised by some uneven performances and stilted dialogue. Still, this is undeniably one of the greatest Westerns ever made. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Good Buy for Fans Of The Duke..........2005-07-10

These films are both 5 stars in my book! First up is "Stagecoach" from 1939. Wayne is a wanted man who is along for the ride with a group of passengers, each not only battling their own demons and prejudices, but the elements of the rugged terrain and Indian attacks as well. And what a group...it also stars Claire Trevor, Andy Devine, John Carradine, Thomas Mitchell, and Donald Meek. This one is directed by the great John Ford and the black and white cinemaptogrpahy of this journey is absolutley stunning. The DVD transfer of this 65 year old film is not as pristeen as some other B/W classic of the era, but certainly looks good. a few scratches here and there, a little flickering, but once you are involved with this film, you won't even notice. The Dolby Dig sound is very good, all the sounds of the old west clear and distinct. The DVD includes some production notes, seven trailers, and has subtitles in English, French and Spanish.

"The Searchers" from 1956 is up next. Do they come any better than this? The Duke is a war weary ex-confederate who becomes obsessed with hunting down the Comanche tribe who has massacred his family and kidnapped his young niece. We follow him for years as he will not let go of his mission or his beliefs. Wayne is amazing in this role as we see his hatred turn into humanity. This one is also from Director John Ford, and may just be his masterpiece. It is filmed in technicolor, and the stunning scenery may be viewed in the original widescreen, but also has the option of a standard version. It also stars Hollywood greats Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond and Natalie Wood. I thought the transfer was pretty nice. The picture was clean and clear with very good sound. There are a couple of documentary shorts included, made at the time of the shoot, one has a brief interview with Natalie Wood(glowing from her recent Oscar nomination for "Rebel Without A Cause"). It may be viewed in or with subtitles in English, French and Spanish, and it also contains some production notes.

There are two of this double pack of "The Searchers"/"Stagecoach" for sale here at this time. This one by far is the better deal pricewise right now. The ASIN for this one is B0007VY4E0. These two films are also sold in a 3 pack that includes the film "The Cowboys", also a good deal for fans of The Duke. If you are interested in that one the ASIN is B00004XMRX, just put it in the products search to get to the buying/product page. Each DVD is in it's own snap case. The three pack has an outer sleeve as well.

Saddle Up With The Duke and Happy Trails....Laurie

Average customer rating:

Get Em In The 3 Pack...Same Price!..Includes "The Cowboys"

The Searchers / Stagecoach
Starring: John Wayne , Jeffrey Hunter , Vera Miles , Ward Bond , and Natalie Wood
Director: John Ford
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B0001WTX5A
Release Date: 2004-05-04

Customer Reviews:

Get Em In The 3 Pack...Same Price!..Includes "The Cowboys".......2005-02-03

John Wayne Fans...WHOA!...These two classic and definitive works of The Duke ia also available as a three pack, that includes another great one of his..."The Cowboys". And guess what..the three pack is about the same price(even a little less at this time) as this one! They are both released by Warner Bros, and there is even a third set out(by Warner), that, for a few dollars more...(Hey..that sounds like a good title for an Eastwood film!), includes a fourth film.."Rio Bravo". I couldn't say for sure if these DVDs are a newer release (often the date of release shown is for the collection and not the individual DVDs), but here is a little about the two that are in this set and the DVD qualitites and features(as they are in the 3-pack). For more info on "The Cowboys", please see my review of the John Wayne Collection. ASIN: B00004XMRX.

The films of course are 5 stars in my book! First up is "Stagecoach" from 1939. Wayne is a wanted man who is along for the ride with a group of passengers, each not only battling their own demons and prejudices, but the elements of the rugged terrain and Indian attacks as well. And what a group...it also stars Claire Trevor, Andy Devine, John Carradine, Thomas Mitchell, and Donald Meek. This one is directed by the great John Ford and the black and white cinemaptogrpahy of this journey is absolutley stunning. The DVD transfer of this 65 year old film is not as pristeen as some other B/W classic of the era, but certainly looks good. a few scratches here and there, a little flickering, but once you are involved with this film, you won't even notice. The Dolby Dig sound is very good, all the sounds of the old west clear and distinct. The DVD includes some production notes, seven trailers, and has subtitles in English, French and Spanish.

"The Searchers" from 1956 is up next. Do they come any better than this? The Duke is a war weary ex-confederate who becomes obsessed with hunting down the Comanche tribe who has massacred his family and kidnapped his young niece. We follow him for years as he will not let go of his mission or his beliefs. Wayne is amazing in this role as we see his hatred turn into humanity. This one is also from Director John Ford, and may just be his masterpiece. It is filmed in technicolor, and the stunning scenery may be viewed in the original widescreen, but also has the option of a standard version. It also stars Hollywood greats Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond and Natalie Wood. I thought the transfer was pretty nice. The picture was clean and clear with very good sound. There are a couple of documentary shorts included, made at the time of the shoot, one has a brief interview with Natalie Wood(glowing from her recent Oscar nomination for "Rebel Without A Cause"). It may be viewed in or with subtitles in English, French and Spanish, and it also contains some production notes.

They each come in their own snap case and have an outer sleeve for the set(of 3). I know that sometimes prices change, so if you are reading this at a much later date, please check the prices. But for right now, the better deal is definately the three pack(or even the four pack).

Saddle Up With The Duke and Happy Trails....Laurie

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