J_D said:
You got the plot right, but John Wayne's character in "The Searchers" is an ex-Rebel cavalry officer named Ethan Edwards.
The IMDB plot summary is pretty good:
"Ethan Edwards, returned from the Civil War to the Texas ranch of his brother, hopes to find a home with his family and to be near the woman he obviously but secretly loves. But a Comanche raid destroys these plans, and Ethan sets out, along with his half-breed nephew Martin, on a years-long journey to find the niece kidnapped by the Indians under Chief Scar. But as the quest goes on, Martin begins to realize that his uncle's hatred for the Indians is beginning to spill over onto his now-assimilated niece. Martin becomes uncertain whether Ethan plans to rescue Debbie...or kill her."
His unrepentant Rebel background is mentioned several times. I believe he initially shows up in a uniform jacket, but I might be wrong.
"The Searchers" is, IMHO, the best Western ever made.
- George Lucas is certainly a fan: he did an homage to one scene in the original Stars Wars (Episode IV) and another for Episode II.
* IMDB says the Searchers is the 11th most popular Western. It's in the top grouping in pretty much any list of top Westerns (the best according to Entertainment Weekly, for example). IMBD also says:
- John Wayne considered it his best work and named his son Ethan after the role.
- The song playing as John Wayne approaches at the beginning of the film is a slow version of "The Bonnie Blue Flag", which along with "Dixie" were the two "anthems" of the Confederacy.
- The medal Ethan Edwards gives to Debbie is not a Confederate or Union Army medal. It is a French medal awarded to mercenary soldiers who fought between 1865 and 1867 for the Emperor Maximilian of Mexico. This medal implies Ethan served in the French Mexican Expedition during his mysterious three year absence and also explains his fluency in Spanish.
If anybody cares: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Searchers_(film)
