"That'll Be the Day..."

I'm still working on my next canvas and things are progressing. I also watched "The Searchers" (1956) last night. No viewing of 50s films would be complete without a western. The genre was huge at the time and few stars were as big as John Wayne. "The Searchers" ranks in the top 15 on most all-time greatest film lists. It's full of typical 1950's western stuff, including brightly colored costumes and lots of Indian war-wooping. The portrail of the Indians is very stereotypical. Still, as a period film it reflects the 50s understanding of the historical epic. The locals are impressive, even if the opening title says "Texas- 1868" and then immediatly shows the bright orange rock formations of Monument Valley Utah. As Westerns go, it does stand out because it departs from the formula a bit. Instead of the lone hero riding in to save the day and riding off into the sunset, we have John Waynes character, who is a bitter old racist bent on revenge. He's the anti-hero we can't quite figure out. Overall, the film is a good one, though still full of the mythical west.