The Searchers is a 1956 western film directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne as the main protagonist in Ethan Edwards, a civilian film. War veteran who embarks on a long and arduous journey to rescue his kidnapped niece from the Comanche tribe who kidnapped her. Directed by one of the most iconic western directors of the era, The Searchers incorporates several hallmarks of the common western trope: a remote and desolate setting, the individualism and sometimes aloof nature of the protagonist, with the Indians unequivocally serving as “bad guys”. throughout the film, and the overall theme of an individual journey to resolve the problems encountered. Set in Monument Valley, not only an iconic but highly sought-after setting for many westerns, The Searchers is almost a stereotypical western due to many features derived from the classic western trope. However, what sets this film apart from others and, coincidentally, what makes it so comparable to the spaghetti western The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, are the techniques used in the creation of this film. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, a spaghetti western directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood as the "good guy", Lee Van Cleef as the "bad guy" and Eli Wallach as the "bad guy", is released 10 years ago. later in 1966, and follows these three men and their quest to find a stash of Confederate gold in the midst of the ongoing Civil War. Although it is also a western, set in a similar time and context to The Searchers, the fact that this film was made by Italian director Sergio Leone, who primarily wanted this film stands out from other classic westerns, challenged several stereotypes and characteristics. it is commonly found in American westerns of the period. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay However, after watching these two westerns, it is difficult not to notice some of the same techniques used by Ford and Leone to express differences and even partially contrasting messages, and it is clear that despite the existence of many similar techniques in the filming of these two films, the context in which each of the directors uses these techniques, such as setting, camera angles, focus and music, is what develops. the somewhat contrasting messages of these two films. Both films, given that they fell into the category of westerns, were designed to display some of the same themes and messages, which was made very clear through Ford and Leone's use of certain cinematic techniques. According to Michael Cloyne, author of "The Crowded Prairie," the Westerns that were mass-produced at the time, both in America and Italy, were designed to cater to the dominant idea of ​​the strong man. As sexist as it may be, it was widely adopted during the 1950s and 1960s and beyond, to the point where even presidents publicly supported actors like John Wayne and took other public actions to make clear their affinity with the western genre and its ideal of a cowboy. Thus, it is this level of praise and approval of this archetype that prompted the creation of these dominant figures of Blondie in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Ethan in The Searchers. Thus, the active and intentional choices made by Ford and Leone were, quite clearly, to further romanticize this archetype. From the beginning of these two films, the setting is quite consistent and uniform, as is the determination of the characters themselves. For The Searchers, almost the entire film,except for a few interior scenes, is filmed in Monument Valley, where its iconic arches and endless dry sand populate the screen around the actors. In The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, although the setting is a bit more dynamic, with the characters covering a lot of ground over the course of the film, the characteristics of the setting are still the same: dry, desolate, lifeless, and seemingly endless. In the series of scenes where Tuco forces Blondie to wander the desert without food or water, it is made abundantly clear to the audience not only that the harsh environment takes its toll on the characters, as is also shown by Clint's exaggerated makeup Eastwood, but even more so the courage and strength of these characters, especially Blondie, to overcome it. In both of these films, the setting may seem like the obvious choice due to the precedent set by the many westerns that preceded these films, but it was more than that. By establishing this setting as a harsh and unforgiving land, Ford and Leone implicitly create this image of these protagonists in the audience's mind, an image of strength, will, and an abundance of bravery. While it's not immediately clear to the audience themselves, especially amid a more demanding plot, Ford and Leone push the idea of ​​the fearless cowboy who conquers all, an idea that audiences of the era would instinctively accept and appreciate. However, the differences in making and watching the film begin to become apparent with some of the other choices Ford and Leone made when creating their respective films, and most notably where they deviated from one another. 'other in terms of musical accompaniment. In The Searchers, the film begins and ends with Ethan framed on a doorway, seemingly very far away, and both scenes are appropriately accompanied by a sort of dark-sounding melodic song that is established as the main melody of the film. From this opening scene itself, Ford's choice of music was established to set the tone for the film to come. As the film progresses, particularly during the scenes where Ethan and Marty are in the desert searching almost helplessly for Debbie, songs such as "Gather at the River" and "Skip to my Lou", which are played when Laurie receives a letter. return of Marty saying he wouldn't come back for Christmas. Throughout this film, the musical score accompanies the visual aspects of the film itself by creating and sending a message to the audience about the fruitless nature of their true search and the futility of Ethan and Marty's journey. Thus, the music is always relatively dark and slow in order to bring the audience to sympathize with the struggles of these protagonists in an environment as harsh as that of this western. However, in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, a completely different music point is pushed towards the audience with its radically different musical choice. Ennio Morricone, the composer of the music for this film, worked with Sergio Leone to convey a very different message to the audience through the musical accompaniment throughout the film. The first and most important aspect of this musical score is the film's main musical theme, "Fugo a cavallo", which plays after every introduction at the beginning of the film and also during every critical or tense scene throughout the rest of the film. . Not only is this theme music much louder and more positive than the main theme music of The Searchers, but its frequency and its use by Leone to replace the usual plot or dialogue expected in its place makes it almost comical to listen to by the audience. Unlike Ford's use of theme music in The Searchers, Leone manages to use this whistling theme song to ridicule.