Thursday, April 12, 2012

The Searchers Part Two

Ethan Edwards is an angry man. He is enraged about the attacks and the crimes committed against his family and his community. He has no faith in the law enforcement (the Texas Rangers) or the government (The Army). He has to take the matters into his own hands. He is a loner with a gun. A vigilante if you will. Someone who feels that he has to step in to restore the peace of his community. He feels that he knows best. He is paranoid. Angry. Vengeful.

Racist? Perhaps but he bases his hate of a group on the crimes committed against his family and his community. He gets along more or less with harmless Indians like the "wife" that Martin collects along the way. But he is suspicious of every one of those "people" he meets because he knows what they have done and continue to do.

Is he wrong? Well his family was wiped out and his nieces carried off. Does he have reason to hate? Is he right to take the matter into his own hands regardless of the effect it would have on him and his life and those around him.

Ethan Edwards saw crime all around him and he took his gun in his hand and took a stand.

Ethan Edwards is George Zimmerman?

7 comments:

ricpic said...

"Mommy, can I grow up to lynch whitey?"

"Whitey nex', chile. Foist we be lynchin' duh White-Hispanic, den we be movin' on up to duh real fun!"

The Dude said...

They were pretty harsh to the young guy's Indian wife. Couldn't believe the kicked down the hill scene.

Trooper York said...

John Ford was not a gentlemen.

He has lots of woman bashing in many of his films. They are mostly for comic effect but the fact that he thinks they are funny is kind of telling don't ya think?

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Italian men generally don't act that way to women. Italian women believe in vendettas.

Ford wasn't Italian.

blake said...

Glad to finally get your take on this, Troop.

Next up: Unforgiven!

chickelit said...

EBL said...
Italian men generally don't act that way to women. Italian women believe in vendettas.

Thst's kinda why I'm letting Sergio Leone school my son on westerns right now.

rcocean said...

Ford seemed to think "Knock about humor" was funny in general. Seems like every Ford film has a funny fist-fight.

Some of which are actually funny.