The Searchers

It’s said that Martin Scorsese watches this THE SEARCHERS—widely regarded as the supreme masterpiece of John Ford, cinema’s poet of the Wild West—at least once a year, and it’s easy to see why. This sweeping, uncompromising frontier epic stars John Wayne as Ethan Edwards, a former Confederate soldier who embarks on a relentless journey across some of the most ravishing and majestic vistas ever captured on film to find his niece, who was abducted by Comanches years earlier. As one of the last great classic Westerns, it reflects a time when the West was viewed through a romantic lens, with clearly defined heroes and villains. Yet its enduring influence lies in Ford’s ability to make us wrestle with the complexities and contradictions of our national character—its racism, violence, and individualism contrasted with its pursuit of equality, order, and community. Don’t miss this staggering big screen restoration of the film that it’s nearly impossible to imagine American cinema without.

An introduction by a SCAD faculty member precedes the screening.

Tickets, part of SCAD Cinema Circle: Goes West, are free for SCAD Card holders; $5 for students, seniors, and military; and $8 for the general public.