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I wouldn't call it the greatest Western ever made (that honor belongs to 'Unforgiven') but it certainly could be called
the quintessential Western. This film contains every bit of Western that you could want: romance, comedy, suspense, horror,
drama, gun fights, chases, heartbreak...almost everything. And it's a fantastic film. It's well made. The acting is good,
a little melodramatic at times (like when Ethan tells Martin that he means to kill Debbie) but still good. John Wayne is
as good as ever; he's John Wayne as always, but he's different here as well. The directing is typical John Ford, and so it
is nothing to holler about. John Ford is a good director, but if you've seen even one of his films you tend to know his directing
style. The same goes for John Wayne here-he's good but if you know him you already know his acting style. Wayne does give
a hardened and complex performance to Ethan Edwards; this is also a part of the character, but Mr. Wayne gives him depth and
personality. The characters are great. There isn't one that seems out of place; even Mose has a reason for being there.
There wasn't one that I didn't like, except for perhaps Scar. I wonder if the character of Ethan influenced Clint Eastwood's
Stranger and Man With No Name (and maybe even Josey Wales) in his films. Ethan is an anti-hero, the good bad guy (but not
to extremes; it is John Wayne and John Ford). He lusts for Indian blood and he's rowdy and violent, but we like him: he's
loyal to friends and family, and he loves them. He has a heart and he seeks justice in the violent world in which he lives.
Ethan is the West: he is the essential Western hero. He has no blood ties but Debbie, and even he almost kills her at one
point because that is his job. She's an Indian, of the tribe that killed his family and he must seek revenge. But even though
he has friends and family he can't be with them. He is a part of the West. He belongs there. This is evident both at the
beginning and the end of the film. When we first see Ethan he is emerging from the desert, and when we last see him he is
standing in the doorway of a house, looking in, wanting to go inside. But he can't. He doesn't belong there, so he walks
away alone, back to the desert. It is his job to protect the settlers. He makes the land safe for them and thus brings about
civilization, but he himself does not want to be a part of it. He longs for the freedom of the uninhabited West. To walk
into the house would be to turn against the values and ideals that he stands for, what the West stands for. Ethan belongs
in the West, not civilization: it encroaches upon his freedom and spirit and he doesn't belong there (this is why he never
married Martha). The character and personality of Ethan is so typical of Western men, or at least characters in Western films.
We see it in Clint Eastwood's films and in many of the real Western heroes like Kit Carson. They can't live with civilization
yet they inevitably bring it West. By contrast, if Ethan represents the West, the character of Mose represents civilization.
All he wants is a rocking chair in a warm home somewhere. The rocking chair represents comfort, the comfort of home, and
of course safety. But the West can't be safe without men like Ethan. It's a necessary evil. The freedom and untamed nature
of the West is disappearing, but it can't be helped. Ethan knows this. I read a critique of this film by a critic who felt
that Ethan and Scar were alter-egos. You could argue this; one hates Indians, the other hates whites; both are knowledgable
of the other culture; and both seem to have similar personalities. I don't buy this claim, however, but it is interesting
that despite how much Ethan hates Indians he knows more about their culture than others, perhaps as much as the Comanches
themselves. Ultimately, I think this is part of why he doesn't kill Debbie in the end. Partly it is because she is his only
kin and he simply can't lose her, and even though he has no one and lives a solitary life doesn't mean that she has to. Also,
he understands the Indians, and I think he ultimately sympathises with them. Perhaps you could argue that if he is an alter-ego
of Scar, this is another reason why he spares his neice. This isn't a stereotypical Western; that is, there may
be evil Indians and they may attack whites, but this was a real occurence in the West, even though it wasn't as common as
people think. There also aren't the typical characters found in many Westerns: the sheriff, the hooker with a heart of gold,
and the quirky sidekick. And while prejudice is a theme of this film (look at Ethan), the film is not prejudice against Indians.
Yes, they really wore headresses and rode ponies and lived in teepees. The particular Indian tribe focused upon in this film
truly was as evil as they seem. The Comanches (which are represented here) were just about the worst Indian tribe to come
across in the West. They were notorious for raiding farms and, as here, kidnapping and murdering people. They were a warfaring
tribe and this is noticeable in the film. This film is amazingly more violent than other John Wayne or John Ford films, but
I think it's all the better for it. The comedy balances the sadness in the film nicely. At times the film is dark but the
lightheartedness laced throughout is a nice touch. I was particularly caught by the cinematography. It is simply
the best I have ever seen in any film, ever. It adds to the themes in the film such as freedom and the untamed nature of
the West. The landscape makes the actors seem so small. There is enough focus both on the characters and on the land as
well. But this leads to the one issue I had with the film: there are times when it is obvious that studio sets were used
instead of the land itself. Scenes like those in the Indian camps look like they were filmed on a stage and not outdoors,
and there are other times in the film as well when this is blatantly obvious. But for the most part this isn't a problem;
it's just that when it is it's a big problem. This film is fantastic, equally hysterical and heartbreaking. Very
few other Westerns so clearly depict the themes and values of the West and it's characters. I loved it. It's a sad film,
in that in the film you can see the dying of the West way before 'Unforgiven' or 'Dances With Wolves' were even glimmers in
the minds of directors. It's a grand, sweeping film; another film that everyone should see before they die.
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