Principal cast
John Wayne as Ethan Edwards, Jeffrey Hunter as Martin Pawley, Vera Miles as Laurie Jorgensen, Ward Bond as Rev. Capt. Samuel Johnston Clayton, and Natalie Wood as Debbie Edwards
Film 94 of 244 on the Screen Path
The Searchers
He had to find her... he had to find her...
About the film
The Searchers at a glance.
Screen Path places this 1956 film at stop 94 in one curated journey through cinema. The learning experience adds context before you watch and deeper analysis after.
As a Civil War veteran spends years searching for a young niece captured by Indians, his motivation becomes increasingly questionable.
Key craft credits
Winton C. Hoch (director of photography), Jack Murray (editor), Max Steiner (original music composer), Frank S. Nugent (screenplay), and Frank Hotaling (art direction)
- Director
- John Ford
- Release
- 1956-05-16
- Runtime
- 119 minutes
- Genres
- Western
- Country
- United States
- Quiz
- 50 questions
The Screen Path journey
Before. After. Remember.
The featured film is watched outside Screen Path. The app provides the learning experience around it: a guide, an analysis, and a quiz with explanations.
01
Before you watch
Start with a spoiler-free video guide to the context and filmmaking choices worth noticing.
Spoiler-free02
After the film
Return after watching for a deeper video analysis of craft, meaning, and legacy.
Contains spoilers03
Quiz yourself
Answer 50 questions with clear rationales designed to make the ideas stick.
50 questions in this journeyWant to try a complete journey on the web? The Citizen Kane page includes the spoiler-free guide, after-film analysis, and a sample quiz.
Try Citizen Kane →Film data and images provided by TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.