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Searchers [DVD] [1956] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

John Wayne (Actor), Jeffrey Hunter (Actor), John Ford (Director) | Format: DVD
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (85 customer reviews)

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Region 1 encoding (requires a North American or multi-region DVD player and NTSC compatible TV. More about DVD formats.)

Note: you may purchase only one copy of this product. New Region 1 DVDs are dispatched from the USA or Canada and you may be required to pay import duties and taxes on them (click here for details). Please expect a delivery time of 5-7 days.


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Product details

  • Actors: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond, Natalie Wood
  • Directors: John Ford
  • Writers: Alan Le May, Frank S. Nugent
  • Producers: Merian C. Cooper, Patrick Ford
  • Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Black & White, Closed-captioned, Colour, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Language: English, French
  • Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
  • Dubbed: Spanish
  • Region: Region 1 (US and Canada DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 1.85:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: Unrated (US MPAA rating. See details.)
  • Studio: Warner Home Video
  • DVD Release Date: 29 Oct 1997
  • Run Time: 119 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: 6304696566
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 233,260 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)

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Reviews

From Amazon.co.uk

A favourite 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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Best bluray oldie so far 13 April 2010
By S. Slottje
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
This film is absolutely fantastic in bluray. It really does the landscapes and costumes justice. If you like this film you'll love this fabulous rendition.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best... 25 Sep 2001
By A Customer
Format:VHS Tape
This and The Shootist are my two favourite westerns - John Wayne is very different in these two films and I think both performances are great. I disliked Wayne quite a lot until I saw these two movies, and they changed my mind fast.
The photography and editing are superb, and as always in Wayne westerns, even this darkest one, there is a golden vein of humour in it, not as much as usual in his films but it's still there.
Some of the shots in this film are astounding; the great closing scene of course, and I think the shot earlier on where the camera moves in as Wayne spins round and stares (and I mean stares!)at an 'indianised' white girl, is one of the best shots I've ever seen in any film. The intensity of that shot is unforgettable.
A really great film.
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35 of 40 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good picture and film 20 Feb 2008
By Steve Robbins
Format:Blu-ray
When taking this film in context, it was 1956 after all, this is an amazing film, full of wonderful panoramic backdrops of monument valley and the surrounding area. OK, so the story is a bit weak in places, the acting a bit wooden at times and it is full of clichés, but it has this magic charm that is irresistible.

The real magic lies in the cinematography that was well above the standard of the day, and is better than a lot of modern films. Each scene is carefully constructed, with beautiful western style back drops, and a real sense of the harsh environment they are playing the story out in.

The picture quality is very good, full 1080p, sharp edges and little unintentional bobbing around like old films do sometimes. Occasionally there is the small fault, but given the very good restoration they did, it embarrasses some modern films in its presentation.

The supplements are very good. There are several documentaries about how they made the film, about the people in it. It is interesting to see original TV shots and film shots of the set, and you can really see what the standard of the day was like in visual and audio production, which gives you a better appreciation of the film.

Overall, it's an enjoyable presentation, but remember it is from 1956, so not everyone's cup-of-tea.
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19 of 22 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars So much more than a simple revenge western 7 Feb 2005
By Scott Miller
Format:DVD
This film is simply a classic in all respects. Beautifully shot and directed, you could easily get lost in what looks at first glance like a David Lean epic with tumbleweed. Yet it is one of the darkest movies of the period and contains John Wayne's finest performance by a country mile. He was never darker and never better - a really convincing performance which lifts this fine film to a level rarely reached in cinema. And as for the classic closing shot... This truly is a must buy movie!
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18 of 21 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Western of all time? Fifty years old and good enough for another fifty years! 26 Jun 2007
By Robert J. Evered
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I first saw this film as a young eighteen year-old Western aficionado on its first theatrical release to the English provinces in 1956. I came to it with great expectations fresh from reading Alan Le May's book of the same name. I came away knowing I'd seen a great film but I was disappointed on two counts first the search lasts for ten years in the book and second, Wayne's character Ethan is killed off in the penultimate battle with the Indians. In the subsequent years I've seen this film dozens of times and it never fails to amaze me that on each fresh viewing I never fail to notice something new!

John Ford and John Wayne collaborated on several films most of them westerns. Although this was their first Western for six years since they completed the last of the Cavalry Trilogy RIO GRANDE (1950). As with the trilogy, Ford once again choose to shoot the most of the film in Monument Valley Utah, when using this his favourite location Ford became an acclaimed visual poet of the West. With Ford's "Western Director" to Wayne's "Western Star" they were unequalled in the making of Westerns producing an outstanding body of work between 1939 and 1962! Although THE SEARCHERS remained totally unrecognised by The Academy Awards for 1956. Fifty-odd years later it still stands at the top of the many peoples list as the greatest Western of all time. Also appearing in most if not all of The Greatest 100 Movies Of All Time Lists.

Three years after the Civil War Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) a dark brooding mysterious character returns home to his brother Aaron (Walter Coy) homestead. Ethan takes his brother place on a posse led by Texas Ranger Rev. Capt.... Read more ›
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Possibly the greatest western ever. 7 Jan 2001
By Prufrock
Format:VHS Tape
Very rarely do all the components of a movie come together so perfectly. Wayne working relationship with Ford was long established and both men did their best work in this film.

Ford produces two films in one; on the surface this is a simple story of a man's search for his neice, kidnapped during an Indian raid. Underneath that is the story of a loner, a racist and a confederate who has lost his place in the world. For Wayne the character of Ethan was a departure; the performance is brave and at times very unsympathetic; far more worthy on an oscar than his later turn in True Grit.

Ford films this epic in the grand manner; Monument Valley has never been better used. For the perfect example of this watch the scene where the posse is tracked by the Indians. Widescreen cinema at its best.

But perhaps it is the final shot that is the most powerful; Ethan turning away as the door shuts. A loner again finding himself outside the society he belongs to. Has there ever been a more powerful image in American cinema?

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars suprise gift
brought as surprise gift for friend, who had been looking for the film for ages, he watched the dvd and enjoyed every second of it and said quality was excelant would recomend... Read more
Published 1 month ago by darrel davidson-windsor
4.0 out of 5 stars Castellano: audio y subtítulos
Este comentario se refiere a la Edición Especial de 2 Discos. Una agradable sorpresa. La edición parece ser la misma que la española y tanto la película... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Gillis
5.0 out of 5 stars Ford at his best
There is little that one can add to the comments on this superb western. Whether it's true or not that 'The Crickets' took their song title 'That'll be the day' from John Wayne's... Read more
Published 1 month ago by lycidas
5.0 out of 5 stars As Good as expected
One of the all time great westerns filmed in an iconic part of USA looked good on DVD but is absolutely amazing in this new fully restored version. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mr David Miller
5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest Western of all time.
IMHO the best western ever made. The characters, the direction, the camera work, the lighting, the amazing scenery which evokes everything that was great about the genre. Read more
Published 2 months ago by David Purnell
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!
I recently bought this Blu Ray disc having already seen this fantastic movie many times over the years, although in many ways it seems I'm seeing it for the very first time now on... Read more
Published 3 months ago by RKBB
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfection
A perfect blu ray of a perfect film. It never occurred to me that The Searchers could have ever looked this good. Replace your DVD.
Published 3 months ago by Daniel
4.0 out of 5 stars old western
good western dvd and was ok and if you like old western films with john wayne then it is worth buying
Published 3 months ago by mpe
5.0 out of 5 stars Super DVD
Already had this DVD but it seems to have gone missing so bought another as it is so good! It is certainly one to have in your collection.
Published 3 months ago by Mrs. Marion Mallabar
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant blu ray: 'The Searchers' revealled
Just to add to the many articulate reviews here, but I must add that the blu ray version of this film [which I have seen many times and have on DVD] in 'The Westerns Collection'... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr. Christopher Ball
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