Released: 1956
Cast: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond, Natalie Wood
SUMMARY: Three years after the end of the Civil War, Confederate veteran Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) returns to his brother Aaron’s house in Texas. It seems as though Ethan has also fought in the Mexican revolutionary war, since he has a medal that he gives to his niece Debbie; he also has a large amount of Yankee gold coins. When the men of the town learn that Ethan has returned, he is asked to join the Texas Rangers, but Ethan refuses, to the annoyance of the Reverend Samuel Clayton (Ward Bond), who is also the Captain of the local Rangers. A few days later, cattle are stolen from a neighbor named Lars Jorgenson. Captain Clayton takes his Rangers out to investigate; to keep the family safe, Ethan goes in Aaron’s place. They find the butchered cattle, and realize that the whole thing was just a scheme to cover a Comanche murder raid. When Ethan gets back to Aaron’s house, it has been burned down. Aaron, his wife Martha and his son Ben have been murdered; two daughters, Lucy and Debbie are missing. A quick funeral is held, after which Ethan and the Rangers start after the Comanches.
The men are able to locate the Comanche camp, but Ethan and Captain Clayton disagree on how to attack. When they do enter the camp, they find that it is deserted – the men have left, and later attempt to ambush the Rangers. The Rangers are able to hold off the Comanches, but many of them decide to return home, not wanting to risk their lives on a wild goose chase. The only men who stay with Ethan are Lucy’s fiancé, Brad Jorgenson and Debbie and Lucy’s adopted brother, Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter). As they continue on, Ethan finds Lucy’s body in a canyon; beside himself, Brad charges into the Comanche camp by himself, and is killed. When winter comes, Ethan and Marty are no longer able to track the tribe, and so return to the Jorgenson farm. The Jorgensons have a close relationship with Aaron’s family: in addition to Brad and Lucy, Laurie Jorgenson and Marty have feelings for each other. The Jorgensons have also volunteered to take Debbie if and when she is found. At the Jorgenson farm, Ethan gets a letter from a trader who claims to have knowledge of Debbie. Ethan attempts to leave without Marty, but Marty is able to catch up. The trader, Futterman, tells the two that Debbie was taken by a war chief called Scar. Futterman later attacks Ethan for money, and is killed. While trading with a band of Comanches, Marty mistakenly buys a wife (much to the annoyance of Laurie, who learns of this in a letter). Years pass, and Ethan and Marty track the tribe to New Mexico, where they meet a man who leads them to Scar. They find Debbie (Natalie Wood) living as one of Scar’s wives, but five years of captivity have changed her. She tells Marty and Ethan that she is now a Comanche, and wishes to stay with them. Enraged, Ethan tries to shoot her, but is stopped by Marty, as well as a Comanche arrow. Ethan and Marty escape, but return home. They arrive just as Laurie is about to marry another local man, Charlie McCorry. Charlie and Marty get into a fight that ends with the cancellation of the wedding. Just after the fight, a soldier shows up with news of Scar. The Rangers, including Ethan and Marty, set out to attack the camp. Marty sneaks in ahead of time to rescue Debbie, who now seems eager to go with him. However, the battle then erupts, and Ethan has to chase a fleeing Debbie. When he reaches her, he lifts her up in the air as he did when she was a little girl, which seems to break through her memory. All of the men, and Debbie, then return home. As everyone else goes into the house, Ethan slowly turns around and walks away.
MY TAKE: It’s a pretty typical John Wayne film, in that he plays a tough Western gunslinger with few friends or family, who battles great odds to serve the greater good. It is one of his best roles, as well as one of his best-received films. Ethan is relentless in his pursuit of Debbie, determined to avenge the deaths of his family. The scenery is also pretty epic, as most of it was filmed in Monument Valley, Arizona/Utah. Despite the fact that the men search for five years, the film doesn’t drag, mostly because it skips the monotony the men experience, and only hits the highlights. There’s quite a few funny moments, particularly when Laurie, Mose or Captain Clayton is around, or when Marty and Ethan are arguing. I was surprised to find myself laughing. I was a little uncomfortable with the way the Comanches were portrayed, mostly because of the names they were called and the attitudes toward them. I’m sure this is because the film was made in 1956, when people were much less concerned with political correctness and Native American history. I was born several decades later, when it was taboo to say things like that. Still, it’s a good movie.
RATING: Classic Western.
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