The Searchers – Sequence Analysis Essay Example

The subsequent scene returns to a medium close up of Ethan’s face where his expression turns to rage.

From there the scene returns to a low angle shot of Ethan and Mose where Ethan proceeds to pull out his rifle and sling the rifle cover to the ground and Ethan and Mose ride toward the homestead. With Ethan and Mose riding ahead the scene cuts back to Marty stumbling the last bit to the top of the hill where he gets to see the destruction. This is another medium close up and Marty’s expression is clear disbelief in what has happened. A few scenes later Ethan finds Martha’s dress and looks toward a doorway. There is another traditional cut and the camera is placed inside he doorway looking back at Ethan.

This setting shows Ethan’s profile holding the dress and portrays the realization that Martha is dead. Ethan walks toward the doorway and kneels inside with his head down. The film does not show Martha but rather leaves the interpretation to what has happened to the audience. Again the scene cuts to Marty, leaning on a post with his arm covering his eyes and hiding his tears. Marty see’s Ethan coming from the room and he stumbles toward Ethan. Ethan calls Marty a boy and will not allow him into the room to see Martha.

Marty struggles to get past Ethan and Ethan punches Marty in the face to keep in from entering. The way the scene is portrayed you get the feeling that even Marty does not want to go into the room. In the following scene Ethan hears a dog

barking and the scene cuts to a long shot of the family dog sitting in front of two headstones. Which could possibly symbolize the death of Lucy and Debbie, but the dog bark gives a presence of hope. In an establishing shot Ethan races toward the dog and when he gets there the camera angle changes.

The camera points down and only shows Ethan’s feet as he reaches down to find a blanket and doll. Ethan picks the doll up and walks away with the dog following and barking. The lighting in this shot is dark and gloomy and gives the impression there is no hope in finding the girls. The scene changes with a dissolve cut as Ethan walks away into a funeral. The last shot in this passage is a long shot, which shows a group of people standing on top of a hill singing in continuity. This funeral is for Aaron, Martha and their son.

In the last shot you see horses and a carriage that look to be foreshadowing into a search for the girls. Editing throughout this passage consist primarily of the traditional cut where one shot ends and another instantly begins. There is only one instance of another type of cut, which is a lap dissolve cut in the final scene. The final scene of the funeral where there is a dissolve cut is also an eyeline match. The traditional cuts use throughout the movie gives an illusion of continuity in this passage. The establishing shot is also used a lot in this passage.

In-between the two scenes where you see Ethan and Marty’s expression to

the devastation the Comanche caused there is an establishing shot of the homestead burning. The mise-en-scene is most importantly shown through setting. The setting is in post civil war Texas where settlers are pushing into the heartland of the Comanche in west Texas. The Searchers is “western” movie where the natural landscape is symbolic in many ways. The practice of typecasting is a mise-en-scene characteristic and is used for Ethan’s character as John Wayne plays his role. The lighting in the passage is mostly done with natural ighting, as is the case with most western style movies. The use of cinematography throughout this passage connects with the overall narrative of the film. The use of cinematography in this passage is used to show the harshness of the situation that Ethan and Marty are in. Throughout the narrative there is a continued use of cinematography to show the struggle that Ethan and Marty are in psychologically and physically. The harsh landscape and how it is portrayed with lighting, camera angle’s and shot length are key examples in how cinematography is used in The Searchers.

Psychological characterization is a huge part of this clip being analyzed and in the entire movie. To really get into the characters psychological state the clip being analyzed use’s medium close up shots that highlight the face of the actor. The lighting in these scenes highlight the actors face and dull the background so the focus is on the face. This passage exemplifies the beginning of the plot in The Searchers and sets the narrative of the film by using mise-en-scene, editing and cinematography to create the overall thematic message of

the film.