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This list of films is derived from the filmographies in Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford by Scott Eyman and John Ford by Peter Bogdanovich. From 1917 to 1923 Ford was credited as "Jack Ford". Beginning with Cameo Kirby (1923) he was credited as "John Ford".
YearTitleProducer1917With Jean Hathaway; two reels. Ford's ...1917Two reels; lost .1917Two reels; lost .1917The Soul Herder (aka The Sky Pilot)With Harry Carey, Molly Malone, Hoot ...John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, [3] and was one of the first American directors to be recognized as an auteur.
John Ford. Director: The Quiet Man. John Ford came to Hollywood following one of his brothers, an actor. Asked what brought him to Hollywood, he replied "the train". He became one of the most respected directors in the business, in spite of being known for his westerns, which were not considered "serious" film.
John Ford Filmography. 1913 The Battle of Bull Run, Actor Directed by and starring John Ford’s brother, Francis Ford; two reels; survival of film unknown. 1914 Lucille Love: The Girl of Mystery, Production Assistant, Propman, Stunts Universal; with Grace Cunard, Francis Ford; 15-episode serial; incomplete prints of four episodes.
- Plot
- Production
- Historical Background
- Reception
- Critical Interpretations
- Influence
- Comic Book Adaptation
- See Also
- Bibliography
- External Links
In 1868, Ethan Edwards returns after an eight-year absence to the home of his brother Aaron in West Texas. Ethan fought in the Civil War on the side of the Confederacy, and in the three years since that war ended, he also apparently fought in the Second Franco–Mexican War. He has a lot of gold coins of uncertain origin in his possession, and a meda...
The Searchers was the first production from "distinguished turfman" C. V. Whitney; it was directed by John Ford and distributed by Warner Bros. While the film was primarily set in the staked plains (Llano Estacado) of northwestern Texas, it was actually filmed in Monument Valley, Arizona/Utah. Additional scenes were filmed in Mexican Hat, Utah, in ...
Author Alan Le May's surviving research notes indicate that the two characters who go in search of a missing girl were inspired by Britton Johnson, an African-American teamster who ransomed his captured wife and children from the Comanches in 1865. Afterward, Johnson made at least three trips to Indian Territory and Kansas, relentlessly searching f...
Contemporaneous reviews
Upon the film's release, Bosley Crowther of The New York Times called it a "ripsnorting Western" (in spite of the "excessive language in its ads"); he credits Ford's "familiar corps of actors, writers, etc., [who help] to give the gusto to this film. From Frank S. Nugent, whose screenplay from the novel of Alan LeMay is a pungent thing, right on through the cast and technicians, it is the honest achievement of a well-knit team."Crowther noted "two faults of minor moment": 1. "Episode is piled...
Later assessments
Critic Roger Ebert found Wayne's character, Ethan Edwards, "one of the most compelling characters Ford and Wayne ever created". Ebert writes: "The Searchers indeed seems to be two films. The Ethan Edwards story is stark and lonely, a portrait of obsession, and in it we can see Schrader's inspiration for Travis Bickle of Taxi Driver. [...] The film within this film involves the silly romantic subplot and characters hauled in for comic relief, including the Swedish neighbor Lars Jorgensen (John...
Race relations
A major theme of the film is the historical attitude of white settlers toward Native Americans. Ford was not the first to attempt this examination cinematically, but his depiction of harshness toward Native Americans was startling, particularly to later generations of viewers; Roger Ebert wrote, "I think Ford was trying, imperfectly, even nervously, to depict racism that justified genocide." At the heart of The Searchersis Wayne's performance as the angry, vengeful Ethan Edwards. From the beg...
Ethan and Martha
An important plot undercurrent is the obvious mutual attraction between Ethan Edwards and his brother's wife, Martha. Although no dialogue alludes to it, many visual references to their relationship are seen throughout the film.Some critics have suggested that this unspoken passion implies that Debbie—who is specifically described as eight years old, as Ethan returns from an eight-year absence—may be Ethan's daughter. Such a situation would add further layers of nuance to Ethan's obsessive se...
The Searchers has influenced many films. David Lean watched the film repeatedly while preparing for Lawrence of Arabia to help him get a sense of how to shoot a landscape. The entrance of Ethan Edwards in The Searchers, across a vast prairie, is echoed in the across-the-desert entrance of Sherif Ali in Lawrence of Arabia. Sam Peckinpah referenced t...
Dell Comics published an adaptation of The Searchers in Dell Four Color #709 (June 1956), written by Leo Dorfman and drawn by Mike Roy. The comic book downplays Ethan's racism and omits the final i...
Alvis, J. David; Alvis, John E. (2009). "Heroic Virtue and the Limits of Democracy in John Ford's The Searchers". Perspectives on Political Science. 38 (2): 69–78. doi:10.3200/PPSC.38.2.69-78. S2CI...Clauss, James J. (1999). "Descent into Hell: Mythic Paradigms in The Searchers". Journal of Popular Film and Television. 27 (3): 2–17. doi:10.1080/01956059909602804.Cohen, Hubert I. (2010). "Red River and The Searchers: Deception in the Modern Western". Film Criticism. 35 (1): 82–102. JSTOR 44019396.Day, Kirsten. (2016). Cowboy Classics: The Roots of the American Western in the Epic Tradition. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-1-4744-0246-0.The Searchers at IMDbThe Searchers at Box Office MojoThe Searchers at Rotten TomatoesThe Searchers at the TCM Movie Database1. The Quiet Man. 1952 2h 9m Approved. 7.7 (43K) Rate. 85 Metascore. A retired American boxer returns to the village of his birth in 1920s Ireland, where he falls for a spirited redhead whose brother is contemptuous of their union. Director John Ford Stars John Wayne Maureen O'Hara Barry Fitzgerald. 10. 2. How Green Was My Valley.
Jun 26, 2024 · John Ford, iconic American film director, best known today for his westerns, though none of the four films that won him Oscars were of this genre. Because of their popularity and his skill, Ford’s films had a powerful influence on Americans’ conception of their own history and values.
