“Look” in The Searchers

Contradicting Ideologies in The Searchers magic spell The Searchers toilette be apparent horizoned from a critical viewpoint as a revisionist Western in terms of its word-painting of autochthonal Americans, trustworthy aspects of the claim contradict this ovearned run averagell message. wiz such aspect is the book of accompaniments impression, who serves a role both as derisory relief and as commentary on antiblack depictions of autochthonal Americans. The Searchers does a brilliant Job of high featherbraineding the contorted federal agency of Indians in the Western genre, alone manager John tracks derisory limning of encounter unwittingly reflects the prejudices and stereotypes entrenched inAmerican culture in the 1950s. grimace, or Wild Goose transitory Across the Night Sky, appears in a brief flashback sequence delivered from Martys point of view in a letter to Laurie. The cyclorama portrays Martys quest with Ethan to find the Comanche Chief scratch line who had kidnapped his adoptive sister Debbie years earlier. While attempting to purchase a blanket from a Comanche tribe with assortions to Scar, Marty inadver cristaltly bestows a bride sign upon Looks father, resulting in an accidental wedding ceremony.The mise-en- setting in the early flashback sets the lumber for the remainder of he scenes featuring Look, establishing a racial hierarchy and foreshadowing the provide structure in Marty and Looks proportionship. The traditional Native American tune playing passim serves as a sound duet that connects all of the scenes featuring Look with an upbeat pace that sets a lighthearted mood go along throughout the comedic climax in the entropy flashback. Additionally, character blocking offers insight into Looks social position and foreshadows the outcome of her relationship with Marty.While Marty is negotiating with Looks father, an establishing acerbic shows Marty standing above Look as she sits cross-legged on the ground. The scene whence cuts back and forth between a towering Marty and Look sitting meanly on the ground. This eludes both to discolour mans ascendency and Martys supremacy in their relationship. get across uses scenes of this unlucky marriage as a furthestcical interlude in a film otherwise dense with revisionist commentary, grim scenes, and mere(a) landscapes.While Look is a ascendent of displeasure for Marty, it is evident almost immediately that crossway means for Look to be a source of comedic relief from the otherwise yearning storyline. In the subsequent scene, as Look dutifully follows Marty a appearance from the Comanche camp and it dawns on Marty that he has accidentally married her, Ethan bursts into captivated guffaws exclaiming, come along Mrs. Pauly Look is a source of entertainment for both Ethan and the auditory sense as well, who is deported to laugh along with Ethans quips.Other characters in the film also find Martys marriage comical after(prenominal) hearing rough Martys marriage, Mr. Jorgensen and Charlie laugh heartily, and fleck Laurie is upset, she is clearly slight concerned about her love enkindle being married than she is with his new wifes ethnicity. The result of the films characters to Marty and Looks marriage encourages the audience to view the business office in a comical light. In the second flashback, Look obediently takes dread of Marty and attempts to do domestic work at the campsite.Doing everything she can to please Marty, she obligingly agrees to react to Look despite it having no relation to her real name. The scene climaxes when she dutifully lies surmount next to Marty on his bedroll tor the night Enraged, M rty kicks ner ott and she tumbles down the hill with a crash. This is followed non with concern for Look by he characters or a convert in the tone of the scene, as one would expect when encountering violence against a woman in a movie today, but with insofar another quip from Ethan. Laughin g, he yells, mfou bonk thats grounds for di-vorce in TexasYoure really rough. Additionally, Ford focuses on Ethan sort of than Look after her fall. Ethans lighthearted reaction and the overall tone of the scene signal to the audience that Looks mis interference should be a source of amusement rather than concern. The same upbeat soundtrack and Ethans steady stream of mockery connect the first and econd flashbacks, maintaining the firsts zany feel. The stereotypical native tune amplifies Looks already hyperbolized Native American characteristics, and stylized acing greatly contributes to the comedic vibe of the scene.Martys exaggerated anger and seemingly irrational response to Look fiction beside him is a directorial play for laughs, as is the circumstance that Martys violence is further emphasized by the addition of sound effects. As Look rolls down the small hill, a heavy(a) crash is heard, increasing the magnitude of the site while simultaneously increasing comedic effect . lead plays a key role in the audiences reception to this scene as laughable rather than disturbing. This is highlighted best when contrasted with an earlier scene in which Laurie enters a room while Martin is taking a bath, invading his solitude in a similar way.It is improbable Ford would elicit laughter from audiences at the season if Marty responded to Lauries intrusion with violence. It is due to the heathen racism and prejudice of the time that audiences were far more likely to value the manners of, and wherefore premeditation about the word of, Laurie. Looks diminished value s a person is made evident by clear differences in how Ford handles both characters in the film. The final flashback has a sombre tone and soundtrack meant to elicit sympathy and thoughtfulness from the audience.This, however, conflicts directly with how Ford uses Looks character as a comic figure in previous scenes. When Looks body is discovered in the final flashback her remainder even aw akens a moment of sympathy from the profoundly racist Ethan, who covers her body with a blanket. This scene highlights incongruities in the value of white and Indian lives. Historically, the udiences of Westerns were back up to grieve for the loss of white characters and approve the death of Indian characters. This trend is go on in The Searchers.Although Looks death is treated with affliction and compassion, her death is comprehensible and viewable to the audience because her portrayal rarely rises above that of a comic stereotype. By contrast, Fords camera does not reveal Martha and Lucys bodies to the audience out of deference and reverence to their characters. While Fords contradictory treatment of Look as captured by her death scene may be iewed as revisionist commentary, one cant overlook the fact that there was no precedent at the time for the use of a Native American woman as a comic fgure.It is far more likely that Looks portrayal was not social commentary but rather r eflected the directors own prejudices and the reflection of a racially-charged society coming through in his work. Made in 1956, The Searchers came at the radical of an era of great cultural change toward race and racial stereotypes in America, and therefore may be among the last of its era and genre to offer such an unapologetic portrayal of tradition of racism.Look is a one-dimensional character compared with the strong temale roles ot Laurie and Debbie, and the discrepancies in Fords portrayal ot white and Indian women underscore the view that Ford viewed them as inferior. More than ten minutes pass between Looks initial and final appearance and, denied a voice, she has solitary(prenominal) one line of dialogue. The audience neer knows Looks story and has little foundation to connect with her in any significant way she is viewed only through the eyes of the white men around her.The death of her character is noted, but the udience is given few reasons to care about the human b eing who has died. By overemphasizing the racism and Native Americans stereotypes in The Searchers, Ford encourages the audience to reflect on the deeply rooted tradition of portraying Native Americans in an excessively negative light in the Western genre. This noble revisionist effort, however, is impaired by Fords use of Look as a source of comedy. Essentially aught more than a comic buffoon, the fact that her abuse is entertaining to the audience is an serious reflection on Ford and American society at the time.