Quentin Tarantinohas admitted that he isn’t a fan of John Wayne’s seminal westernThe Searchers, but that hasn’t stopped him from borrowing its most iconic shot. Tarantino tends to wear his cinematic influences on his sleeve.Tarantino borrowed some of his most iconic scenesfrom other movies. The opening shot ofJackie Brownis taken fromThe Graduate; the Ezekiel 25:17 speech inPulp Fictionis taken fromKarate Kiba; and the ear-cutting torture scene inReservoir Dogsis taken from the originalDjango.
But not all the movies referenced in the Tarantino oeuvre are counted among his personal favorites. There are plenty ofpoorly received movies that Tarantino loves, and plenty of highly acclaimed movies that Tarantino dislikes.The Searchersis an example of the latter;it’s been hailed as a groundbreaking masterpiece, but Q.T. isn’t a fan.
Quentin Tarantino’s Comments On John Wayne’s The Searchers Explained
Tarantino Always Thought The Searchers Was “Mundane”
In an interview withDeadlineto promote his book of film criticism,Cinema Speculation, Tarantino was asked aboutThe Searchers, which is mentioned several times throughout the book. Tarantino was quick to clarify that the only reasonThe Searcherscomes up so much is because it was a huge influence on the “movie brat” generation that the book focuses on. Tarantino pointed out that he’s personally “never liked” the John Ford-directed classic. He’s always felt thatThe Searchersis “kind of mundane.”
Tarantino pointed out that he’s personally “never liked” the John Ford-directed classic. He’s always felt that The Searchers is “kind of mundane.”
He likes Wayne’s lead character, Ethan Edwards. Ethan is one of the most interesting, three-dimensional roles of Wayne’s career; it challenged his typical straightforward hero archetype with some ahead-of-its-time moral ambiguity. Butdespite enjoying Wayne’s darker, grittier performance in this role, Tarantino “never cared for the movie.”He added that he doesn’t enjoy many westerns from that era — althoughTarantino is on record praisingRio Bravo, released just three years later (and also starring Wayne), as one of his favorites.
Quentin Tarantino Was Influenced By The Searchers, Despite Not Liking It
Tarantino Has Copied The Famous Doorway Shot A Couple Of Times
Despite dislikingThe Searchers, Tarantino has copied its most iconic shot —the bookending images of Wayne framed in the doorway, looking in at a peaceful life he’ll never get to enjoy— in two of his own movies. InKill Bill: Volume 2, the Bride is framed like Wayne in the doorway of the wedding chapel. And inInglourious Basterds, Col. Hans Landa is framed in the doorway as he watches Shosanna Dreyfus flee from the dairy farm.
10 Movies You Didn’t Know Were Inspired By John Wayne’s The Searchers
John Wayne’s classic western The Searchers is one of the most influential movies ever made, having inspired everything from Star Wars to Taxi Driver.
The influence ofThe Searcherson Tarantino’s work is a kind of trickle-down effect. So many of his favorite filmmakers (including the movie brats chronicled in his book) were massively influenced by and indebted toThe Searchersand other Ford movies. Tarantino may not likeThe Searchersas a movie, but he definitely likes one shot from it.
