Searchers, The (Blu-ray)

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But it's not just a straightforward narrative. Ford had a wonderful way of balancing a strong narrative with that cinematic lyricism and humor-in this case provided mostly by Mose Harper (Hand Worden), who plays a pioneer who's mentally challenged. What's interesting, though, is that through Mose and the white women who were recovered by cavalry after spending years with Indians, Ford explores degrees of insanity and creates a resonant tapestry that makes Ethan's own brand of insanity less "out there." The West is a hard place, and if the isolation doesn't do things to you, then hardships or horrendous things that you witness will.

Ward Bond, another Ford favorite, is in his element as the Reverend/Captain Samuel Clayton, while Harry Carey, Jr. and Jeff Hunter provide youthful (and inexperienced) foils as one of the girl's boyfriends and a boy who was raised as their brother. There's a lot going on in "The Searchers," and seeing it again after not watching for a while just impressed me how much depth and complexity Ford manages to impart in his Westerns. I have always preferred "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" of the Ford classics, but now that "The Searchers" is out in Blu-ray, I may have to side with John Wayne. It's an awfully impressive film in Hi-Def. The only flaws, really, are a couple of inexplicable attitude 180s pulled by Ethan and niece Debbie (Natalie Wood). Other than that, it's hard to find anything to criticize.

Video:
What can I say? I'm astounded that a 1956 film produced in VistaVision could look so spectacular on Hi-Def and actually be an improvement over all the previous SD releases. If you like this movie, you'll probably have to own both the ultimate boxed set for all the extras and a Hi-Def version for the sheer pleasure of it. The 1.78:1 aspect ratio fills out the whole widescreen television area, and the 1080p picture (transferred using VC-1 technology) makes the film look 20 years younger. There's so little grain and so much detail, with great color saturation, that it's amazing. The box proclaims that the new Hi-Def transfer was made from restored VistaVision, and the effort paid off.

Audio:
Obviously, the VistaVision source master was a whole lot more to work with than the Mono soundtrack, and while the sound is clear and naturally balanced, it's still Mono. Language and subtitle options are English, French, and Spanish. There's nothing in the sound to blow you away, but nothing that detracts from the glorious video either.

Extras:
Director and Ford biographer Peter Bogdanovich provides a really solid and intelligent commentary track for the film that's introduced by Wayne's son (and "Searcher's" co-star) Patrick. The commentary is crammed full of insights and information and shared with enthusiasm by an obvious admirer.

A new short feature on "The Searchers": An Appreciation gives us Scorsese and two other directors reminiscing mostly about their own first encounter with the film. Personally, I would have preferred it if they had gone less down nostalgia lane and more in the direction of a true appreciation.

There are Behind the Cameras segments from the 1956 television series based on the film, with character interviews and segments--none of which relate pointedly enough to the classic Ford film--and the theatrical trailer. But the best non-commentary feature is a 1998 documentary narrated by John Milius, one of the "nostalgic lane" directors. Here, in edition to the story of John Ford and Monument Valley, we get some astounding footage of such things as Ford seeing the valley from the air for the first time and the director and Wayne rumbling through this desolate territory in cars, one of which gets stuck during a river crossing. The documentary is letterboxed so that it plays in 1.33:1 ratio.

Bottom Line:
"The Searchers" isn't just a classic Western. It's a classic American film that has as much complexity, beauty, and resonance as any great work of art. And it looks utterly fantastic in Blu-ray.

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