“The Searchers” Film Response Paper

“The Searchers” Film Response Paper Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Course Name/Number Instructor’s Name Due Date Visual Representation of Native People in “The Searchers” The visual representation of Native Americans and Whites differ significantly in John Ford’s film, “The Searchers.” The Native Americans are portrayed as savages; this is achieved mainly through the mise en scène. As depicted in the film, the Native Americans adorn themselves with primitive clothing, are half clothed, they place feathers on their heads, they wear traditional handmade jewelry, paint tribal marks on their bodies, live in tepees, and are stoic and silent most of the time. To viewers, they are not depicted as people with unique personalities and features. Instead, their depiction is that of standard stereotypical attributes and images associated with Native American culture. In the film, the Whites are portrayed as victims. There is a tragic scene in the film that shows the aftermath of a tribe that has been completely butchered. In this scene, the Whites are depicted as civilized individuals who have to deal with the savages. They are fully dressed in elegant attire. No paint or feathers can be spotted on them. As depicted in the film, they are not a mass of people, but individuals with a life and a story. The same is not done with the Native Americans; the film portrays them as savages, while the Whites are portrayed as heroes and actual people. The negative depiction of Native Americans is first seen in the film when Clayton pays a visit to Ethan’s family and makes it known that he suspects that Native Americans are responsible for the cattle killings. After forming a search party in aims of finding the missing cattle, they find the missing cattle, which are all slaughtered. They conclude that the cattle were not killed for food by the Comanche, but as a strategy to lure them out in the open so that they could raid their farms. Here, Native Americans are depicted as individuals who breathe murderous threats and are ready to take what is not rightfully theirs. In another scene in the film, during their search, the searchers find and open a Comanche grave. One of the searchers suddenly stands up and aims a rock at the deceased Native American. What is most shocking in this scene is when Ethan draws his gun and says “Why don’t you finish the job?” (The Searchers), and proceeds to fire two shots at the already buried Comanche’s face. This is a very racist, controversial, and negative scene that shows that the Comanche’s lives are worthless. This film shows that the life of a Native American is meaningless, even in death, a...