I watched “The Searchers” last night. This John Ford movie, from 1956, is frequently called the best Western of all time. What makes it so good?

Primarily, John Wayne. Nee Marion Robert Morrison, this giant man cemented himself as an American legend with this role. Although he didn’t win an Oscar until his 1969 performance in “True Grit,” his acting as a rugged Texican is superb. One of his most famous lines is, “That’ll be the day.” Repeated throughout the film, it inspired Buddy Holly to write  a song by the same name.

The movie is also superb because of the temporal space it occupies. At the outset, we watch little Debbie play with her doll. By the end of the movie, about ten years later, she is a beautiful brunette (Natalie Wood), from who we are ashamed to desire an incestuous scene (since she’s John’s niece and Martin’s “sister”).

The setting is the beautiful red sands of Monument Valley in Northern Arizona and Southern Utah. And although today it may evoke the horrid occurrences of Indian exploitation, it is fascinating to watch the costumes and the hostility between the innocent, vengeful settlers and the bloodthirsty natives.

All in all, this is a movie that you gotta see. Next up is Stagecoach.