Of all the great Westerns produced by Hollywood during John Wayne’s time in the industry, with and without the actor, one stands out as his all-time favorite. The researchersone of several westerns that John Wayne made in the 1950s, it has been recognized as one of the actor’s greatest and best contributions to the genre. And apparently this is a notion shared by Wayne himself.
The researchers was among the products of John Wayne’s long and storied working relationship with John Ford. With Wayne as star and Ford as director, the pair collaborated on several films, starting with Diligence in 1939 and ending with Donovan’s Reef in 1963. The two films ended an impressive list of films, mainly westerns. Their partnership seemed to reach its peak in the 1950s, when they had several hits together. A tremendous part of this success has resulted The Researchers.
John Wayne Thought The Searchers Was The Best Western Movie Ever Made
It wasn’t just his favorite of his own westerns
John Wayne’s high regard for The researchers was revealed in 1977 when he spoke to The People’s Almanac. The magazine asked John Wayne to offer his picks for the five best films ever made. In response, Wayne came up with Gone with the Wind, A man for all seasons, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The quiet manand The Researchers. When putting together his list, Wayne notably included two of his own films (The researchers and The quiet man). There’s a lot to discern from Wayne’s choices, and one of the most interesting details is that The researchers it was the only Western of his five favorites.
Considering all this, Wayne had dozens of excellent entries to choose from, so the actor opted to The researchers like the best western It speaks volumes about how much he valued his work on the film and his vision for the film as a whole.
A big part of what makes this so notable is the immense work John Wayne has put in as a Western star. Over the years, his performances have yielded a series of hits in the genre, including Diligence, The man who shot Liberty Valance, True courage, Rio Bravo, Rio Vermelho, and The cowboys. Considering all this, Wayne had dozens of excellent entries to choose from, so the actor opted to The researchers like the best western It speaks volumes about how much he valued his work on the film and his vision for the film as a whole.
The Searchers is one of John Wayne’s best westerns
It’s easy to understand why John Wayne loved the researchers
When looking back The researchersIt’s not hard to understand his appreciation for the film. He made excellent use of Wayne’s talents and screen presence, using them to create one of the most nuanced characters of his career through Ethan Edwards, a former Confederate soldier on a long and desperate quest to find a woman kidnapped by Comanches, whom he hates. passionately. His approach to the character of Wayne and his war with the Comanches makes The researchers considerably darker and more violent than his usual work, but still compelling.
It is worth noting that John Wayne is not alone in his opinion about The researchers. As a Western with enduring popularity and an 87% score on Rotten Tomatoes The researchers has a long-standing reputation as an excellent entry into the Western genre, with its influence on filmmakers like Martin Scorsese serving as a testament to its quality.