Cinematography

The rugged western landscape as predominantly depicted in the movie The Searchers aligns with Ethan Edwards’ character of being a terrestrial being who is strong, self-reliant, sometimes harsh, but practical, dedicated and dependable. In this film, Ethan Edwards is the main character and supposedly the ‘hero’, but at times, he is presented to be not really a straight, good guy as in the time when he wanted to shoot at his own niece for not wanting to be rescued from the Indian tribe. In this portrayal, Edwards, who is portrayed by John Wayne, is shown as a fallible human being who is also capable of making mistakes. In this film, it is noticeable that a lot of open desert landscapes with rugged terrains and rock formations are displayed, which is parallel to the traits of the protagonist’s character – unpredictable, sometimes inconsiderate, and at times even brutal. He had previous personal issues of vengeance against the Indians, and this was aggravated when his brother’s family was murdered, and his two nieces were taken captive.

In like manner, the widely acclaimed cinematographic strategy of using rugged landscapes in this film also brings to focus the importance given to land and territorial boundaries during that time. It is quite noticeable that special effects, special framings, angles or shots were not yet popular in those days, and only regular long shots, up to medium close-up shots were used. Since the setting of the movie is after the civil war and during a time when the relationship between the Americans and the Indians was strained and filled with tension, these issues were brought to fore with emphasis on racism (by Edwards against his adopted half-breed nephew and Indians in general) and colonial prejudices. The emphasis on the predominantly brown, rugged terrains which comprises a major portion of this film, focuses on the beauty and repulsiveness of nature which appends a kind of humanness into the plot, pointing to the fact that...