Searchers, The

Based on Alan LeMay's novel, John Wayne and director John Ford forged an indelible saga of the frontier and the men and women who challenged it. Ethan Edwards (Wayne) is an ex-Confederate who sets out to find his niece (Wood), captured by the Comanches who massacred his family. He won't surrender to hunger, thirst, the elements or loneliness. In his obsessive quest, Ethan discovers something unexpected: his own humanity. One of the most influential movies ever made, The Searchers is a "brilliant fusing of editing, camerawork and performance."