THE SEARCHERS

John Ford's "The Searchers" (1956) is in my opinion, along with Sergio Leone's "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" the greatest Western ever made. John Ford's camera work and eye for scenery is breathtaking. The script and pacing of this movie is top notch, and there is never a wasted moment. John Wayne's acting in this film is possibly his best performance ever. "The Searchers" truly raises the western to the status of myth. It has a movie whose influence is wide ranging. Just watch the original Star Wars and you will note those vast desert landscapes of Tattooine. You may also note some plot similarities, but I digress. Without any further ado, let's get on with the review.

The Searchers takes place a few years after the Civil War, as America is ever expanding into the west, further into the desert. The lurking wild west danger of Indians attacking a a ranch and home has never seemed so ominous. Anyway, Ethan Edwards, played by John Wayne finally makes his way back home after fighting in The Civil War. He has had a very shady and questionable past. Everything is peaceful, with a joyful and bittersweet reunion taking place. Soon we get word of Indians killing some livestock at a neighboring ranch. The men go out on horseback to investigate, but it is a diversion. That evening, under an eerie red sunset, the Indians kill everyone that was still in Ethan's family's house and burn their home to the ground. They kidnap the two daughters of the family, Lucy and Debbie. All of this is done off camera, so the actual horrific events are left to the imagination. All you see is the Indian Chief named Scar, and an ominous shadow as the Indians surround the ranch.

Ethan and his nephew Martin Pawley swear revenge and they begin a years long quest to find the two girls and to kill the Indian Chief responsible. The story grandly and leisurely unfolds. This is truly a mythic story of a quest and an epic revenge tale all rolled up in one against the harshly beautiful backdrop of the desert. How their adventure unfolds is something you will need to see for yourself. John Ford has the knack of making such a long quest entertaining and all of the events unfold with a comfortable ease, but there is always an underlying tension. John Wayne as Ethan becomes so obsessed with killing the Commanche tribe and it's leader Scar it is frightening. The look in his eyes alone is enough to make you shudder. His character grows darker and darker as the movie progresses. Do they ever find the two girls? And at what emotional costs? This movie has one of the most powerful endings in cinema. They just don't make them like this anymore.

"The Searchers" has so much depth to it, and so much visually to look at it is overwhelming yet simple at the same time. John Ford uses symbolism to great effect. The symbol of the doorway is a great example. The movie starts with a camera shooting through a doorway. Many scenes start and end this way and the movie ends looking out through a doorway. The them song by Stan Jones is also an excellent recurring theme.
The lyrics go as follows:

"What makes a man to wander?
What makes a man to roam?
What makes a man leave bed and board
And turn his back on home?
Ride away, ride away, ride away

A man will search his heart and soul
Go searchin' way out there
His peace of mind he knows he'll find
But where, oh Lord, Lord where?
Ride away, ride away, ride away".

The tune is has a depressive, slightly ominous tone to it, and fits the violent quest that unfolds in this movie.

Another fine point in this movie is of course John Ford's cinematography. His eye brings the beautiful desert landscapes to life and makes watching them as interesting as watching the characters and the story unfold. I highly recommend this movie. It's hard for me to put how good "The Searchers" is into words. All I can say is if you haven't seen this one, drop everything and rent/buy it now. And if you have seen, well watch it again. I never grow tired of this film.

BASKET CASE 2

Frank Henenlotter's "Basket Case 2". Anybody out there familiar with Henenlotter's work? HIs movies are darkly humorous, twisted, macabre, and oddly human. I love his work.


"Basket Case" is about Duane and his deformed Siamese twin Belial. They were seperated when Duane was a teenager because Belial was just too grotesque. He was attached to Duane's side and is nothing more than a grossly deformed head with two arms coming out of each side and what appears to be a mutated spinal cord growing from the back of his head. The doctors who seperated the two threw Belial in the trash but Duane rescued him and let him live in a picnic basket. They swore revenge on Belial's would be murderers and eventually killed everyone involved in the surgery.

Belial and Duane share a psychic bond: they share thoughts and communicate without speaking. Duane seeks female companionship but Belial is jealous because he cannot experience these things because of his appearance. Eventually the two get into a fight and wind up throwing each other out of the window of their apartment. They fall to their death on the streets of New York...or do they?

Enter 'Basket Case 2". It picks up right where the first one left off and finds Duane and Belial being rescued and taken to a hospital. They are also being investigated for multiple murders and are the center of media attention. Needing to get out of the spotlight, they escape from the hospital and are rescued by the leader of a commune for the grossly deformed. The commune takes them in and Duane and Belial are right at home. The inhabitants of this refuge are a sight. They give George Lucas' creatures in the Mos Eisley Cantina in Star Wars a run for their money. They are very creatively designed.

Things are going well for Duane and Belial. Belial finds love in a female that looks just like him...there is a sex scene between Belial and his companion that will blow your mind. But things cannot stay peaceful forever....there is a pesky female reporter that has to have their story. If the media finds where they are, everyone is in trouble....cultist communes with mutant abominations are not exactly legal.....So everyone vows to defend their secrecy and soon all hell breaks loose and a gory bloodbath ensues as they defend themselves against the media.Eventually there is no more threat from the media.


Eventually there is no more threat from the media. Everyone is at peace. Belial is happy, but Duane is not...he is tired of being considered a freak and wants to lead a normal life. He is in love with a woman at the commune who appears to be normal....or is she? Watch as Duane hovers on the brink of insanity.....

What happens next? Well, you have to watch the movie.

"Basket Case 2" is a well made movie. The acting, the effects, the production, and the script are all good. If you've seen the first "Basket Case" you will be shocked at how good this movie looks. The first one was grimy, dark and surreal, partly due to budget issues. The second one is much easier on the eye but still conveys the same mood.

You don't have to watch the first one to understand the sequel, as you find out what you need to know in flashbacks. I would recommend you see the first one, because you will be hooked on Henenlotter after watching "Basket Case 2" and you'll want to see everything he's ever made. I just can't get enough of Duane and Belial. There is a "Basket Case 3" out there but it is next to impossible to find and I'm dying to see it.

Highly recommended.