1. English 299C: Film as Narrative Art Mr. Kelley

3. THE SEARCHERS (JOHN FORD, 1956)

5. It’s the tragedy of a loner. He’s the man who came back from the Civil War, probably went over to Mexico, became a bandit, probably fought for Juarez or Maximilian—probably Maximilian, because of the medal. He was just a plain loner—could never really be a part of the family. John Ford, on The Searchers

7. Points to Consider: Where has Ethan been at the beginning of the film? Where is he at the end? Do these points have significance?

9. What is Ethan’s relationship with his family? What sort of man is Ethan?

11. Consider point of view in the film. With whom is the audience made to identify? Is this identification ever broken?

13. Is Ethan a “pure” hero, or is he flawed, like other characters we have studied—Walter Neff, Charles Foster Kane, and L. B. Jefferies, for instance? Does Scar parallel Ethan in any way? What does Scar seem to represent to Ethan on an unconscious level?

14. How does Ethan regard his missing niece? Are his feelings echoed in the community in any way? What is the function of the episode with Look? Does she parallel another character?

16. What is Ethan’s spiritual, or psychological, condition throughout the film? Do the incidents in the film constitute a therapeutic experience in any way? What does the ending suggest?

18. Selected Filmography of John Ford The Informer (1935) Stagecoach (1939) The Grapes of Wrath (1940) My Darling Clementine (1946) The Fugitive (1947) Fort Apache (1948) She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

19. Selected Ford Filmography (Continued) Rio Grande (1950) Wagonmaster (1950) The Quiet Man (1952) The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)