I'm so grateful to have another virtual visit with Tom and Dana discussing my favorite film The Searchers! You can hear the episode on Greatest Movies of All Time Website and follow GMOAT on Instagram for much more.
Don't forget you can also read the complete Cinema Legacy Poll in which myself and many other podcasters took part thanks to GMOAT!
Follow the Podcast label for more audio appearance or listen to previous guest spots including:
It's very exciting to be part of other podcast ventures and appearances! After taking part in The Revisionist Almanac Let's Get Spooky Collab last year, it was my turn to take part in The Almanac's 1956 episode. See and Hear as at long last I rectified the award wrongs for The Searchers!
Thank you Andrew for inviting me to take part! With all the terrible things happening recently, it's a comfort to know my voice has meaning – even if it's in a tiny capacity talking about the movies we love.
You can also pick up some @RevAlmanac swag, but my cat photobombed my show and tell attempt!
Follow our Podcast tag for more and revisit previous guest appearances:
Greatest Movies of All Time – Ben-Hur
Making Tarantino – House of Dark Shadows and Frankenstein Must be Destroyed
The Lone Screenplay Nominee – Stand by Me
Kristin Battestella aka Kbatz talks about holiday loot – including new blu-ray releases, books, and Funkos! I get serious, too, about owning multiple differing versions of films and why physical media remains essential in turbulent times.
It's a Christmas Boon that keeps on giving! Kristin Battestella aka Kbatz discovers a box of DVDs from her late father-in-law and chats about the pros & cons of thrift shopping and film viewing in today's troublesome times.
Kristin Battestella aka Kbatz (and her feline co-host) share some thrift CDs and discount DVD finds thanks to Big Lots' unfortunate closing sales – including science fiction classics, comedies, and new television finds! Also, can we bring back special features and more physical media please?!
You can see more Video Critiques and DVD Hauls in our Therefore Review Playlist! Don't forget we are also on Blue Sky and you can see or hear more Podcasts and Video collabs with our handy tags!
Hear or Read More of our Reviews:
If you've been reading our classic film reviews and actor countdowns moonlighting at InSession Film, you may have heard about the new Women InSession film podcast including Yours Truly alongside my fellow female film critics at InSession! 🙋♀️
You can listen to the First Three Episodes of Women InSession wherever you hear your favorite podcasts. This opening trilogy is a bit of a Classic Film dive:
Women InSession Episode 1: Our Top 3 Classics with @Zita Short
Women InSession Episode 2: George Stevens and A Place in the Sun with @ZitaShort and @Amy Thomasson
Women InSession Episode 3: Westerns from a Feminine Perspective with @ZitaShort
We have a fun, new announcement! Beginning this week we have a new podcast to add to the InSession Film family, led by @thereforereview @Zita_Short @filmswithamy @athomasson11 @ShadanLarki and @eRockReviews! pic.twitter.com/w8JzcdDObG
— InSession Film (@InSessionFilm) July 20, 2022
Look for our next Women InSession podcast episodes chatting about everything from Titanic and Kate Winslet to Alfred Hitchcock! Don't forget to read some of our Classic Film essays, too:
Larger than Life Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton Pictures
Stay up to date on the latest from us at InSession Film on Twitter! 🎬
Recently on our Youtube Channel, we've featured a few Thrift Hauls and DVD Unboxings including box sets, television series, blu-rays, even books on film and VHS. Here's a round up of our affordable finds!
It's time for another round up of our Classic Movie Reviews, Essentials Countdowns, and Op-Ed Analysis featured at InSession Film!
Op-Ed: The Elusive Non-Western John Wayne
Op-Ed: Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee Non-Horror Recommendations
Classic Film Review: The Little Foxes
Classic Film Review: Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
Op-Ed: Revisiting Pierce Brosnan as James Bond
Op-Ed: Revisiting Sean Connery as James Bond
Top Ten Essentials: Gerard Butler
Reap the Wild Wind – Ray
Milland (The Lost Weekend),
John Wayne, and Paulette Goddard (The
Great Dictator) mix
shipwrecks, swindlers, and love triangles in this colorful1942 Cecil
B. DeMille (The Ten
Commandments) mid
19th
century high seas adventure. Although sailor slang and nautical terms
will be tough for some audiences without subtitles, schooner
photography, whooshing winds, and thrashing waves invoke the perilous
sea and forgive any obvious matte screens, rear projections, and soft
focusing on the ladies. The underwater
scenes and ye olde diving gear aren't bad, either, but my word that
poor calamari! Cute monkeys and doggies add to the sweet period
frocks, and the two hour plus run time moves fast between the rugged
Key West inquests, stylish Charleston balls, and Victorian steam ship
prizes. The young Wayne should have been a romantic lead more often,
but here he's an angry seaman descending into illegal trade and
reckless diving, shaping some intriguing turnabouts and character
dimensions. Milland starts as a pompous jerk, yet there's a
begrudging respect between the men. Though a progressive,
pants-wearing businesswoman, Goddard's Loxi isn't always likable
thanks to a laid on thick moxie and her playing both boys for her own
gain. Several slaves are portrayed as stereotypically sassy, happy,
and ready to gossip, too, while selling off enemy thugs to a whaling
ship is wrongfully played as humorous. And Susan Hayward (also of the
ill fated The Conqueror with
Wayne) is meant to be
from Cuba? DeMille tried his darnedest for an epic, coastal Gone
with the Wind complete
with a society shocking Scarlet
loving the rogue and making aunts faint. However, this remains a fun
melodramatic tale for the cast and seafaring spectacle.
Tycoon
– South America, railroads, and romance lead to explosions,
mountain tunnels, bridge perils, and an against the clock quest in
this 1947 Technicolor saga. While matte paintings and facades are
cardboard obvious and the sound is very uneven; sweet cars, lovely
cathedral interiors, brightly dressed sophisticated ladies, and suave
men's suits add proper flavor alongside rail carts, dynamite tools,
and mining disasters. Likewise, John Wayne is an honest foreman who
knows his job – when he's not being misbehaving and getting his
contractor bosses in trouble with railroad financier Cedric Hardwicke
(The Ten Commandments) that is. Wayne seems a little older
than the role requires compared to leading lady Laraine Day (Dr.
Kildare), too. However, The Duke knows what he's doing, and the
audience immediately likes his getting the job done right and
standing up to pressuring stockholders or rival engineer Anthony
Quinn (Zorba the Greek). Unfortunately, the love and adventure
mix feels like two separate movies – and building a dangerous
railroad crossing without any fatalities on the job seems just a bit
more important than a runaway date that ends up out of gas near some
Inca ruins at sunset, because of course. Out all night with a girl
and nothing happened but the Hayes Code is going to marry you! The
pace drags thanks to coming and going soap opera styled conflicts,
and Judith Anderson (Rebecca) has nothing to do. Melodramatic
music swells when a woman dares talk back, telling her man she is
wrong and will conform to his lifestyle. WTF? There are cliché
Latino kids, but precious little espanol – eggs
for breakfast? They're huevos!
Although no one is trying on a fake bad accent, the locale doesn't
feel as authentic as it should. The
titular battle of wills hoped for something epic with an overlong
two hour plus time, but the tale should have been woven tighter.
Fortunately, this ditty proves Wayne could be a leading man with
varied character depths, and a dangerous flash flood
raging river finale goes out on top.
Wake of the Red Witch –
Don't worry, I confuse the mid 19th
century high seas adventure of this 1948 John Wayne and Gail Russell
vehicle with Reap the Wild
Wind, too.
Here, The Duke's a crusty
captain imposing the law on his ship but withholding coordinates and
an impressive gold bullion cargo. He's
commanding as always, capable on shore and off, but his rugged
violence crosses the line – and gasp, Duke don't cross the line,
eva!
It's some fine dimension on our heroic image and the erroneous notion
that Wayne only made westerns. Although, this feels like a sea faring
western: two respected men fighting over the local water rights while
a dame's on the line. Ships, girls – they're both called 'she' for
a reason. Of course, the young romance is a bit meh, and the age
difference between 40-year-old Wayne and his not yet bittersweet but
no less angelic Angel
and the Badman co-star
Russell at 24 is apparent. The unneeded narration is a trite
exposition technique slowing the action, and the story that we should
have seen in the first place is mostly all told in two flashbacks.
The soft volume can make the who's stealing from whom rivalry
confusing, but the pretty hoop skirts are always nice to see. There
is some reused footage, but the woodwork, waves, frigates, and sails
set the mood in spite of the black
and white limitation, adding scope and danger to the tense below
decks and double crossings.
It's not Hornblower, and the film constructs are too apparent in the
storytelling, however, sharks, cannons, shipwrecks, early diving
suspense, octopus duels (yes again), giant pearls, and even bigger
man eating seashells complete the adventure. If you like classic
movie melodrama, fun swashbucklers, and John Wayne, this will be a
pleasant little viewing escapade.
Airport
‘77 – An all-star cast –
including Jack Lemmon, Lee Grant, Christopher Lee, James Stewart, Olivia de Havilland,
Joseph Cotten, and George Kennedy – adds even more nostalgia to this entry from
the seventies transportation disaster franchise. Sure, it’s now typical of the
early disaster flicks and we get plenty of those apocalyptic CGI blockbusters
today. There isn’t a lot of character development either, and the equipment,
mechanics, and ideology are out of date, too.
Nonetheless, there’s still a lot of fun here thanks to a unique mix of
airline and aquatic dangers. The search and rescue half of the film feels more
like a documentary or education short on the procedures and peril as one by one
our stars have their moments. It’s strange to see some of these aged stars in
their relative prime as well, but fans of the cast must see all the talent as
they come out to play for this entertaining and often intense action yarn. 
Band
of Brothers – I can’t say how
many times I’ve seen this exceptionally photographed, multi layered, and award
winning 2001 World War II mini series from HBO, Steven Spielberg, and Tom
Hanks. The camerawork is both vivid, colorful,
and intimate whilst also being grainy, old school, hectic, and epic. I’m sure
there must be special effects, but the work is so seamless, it’s unnoticeable.
Various story-telling concepts such as flashbacks and individual narrations are
used to spotlight central characters per episode and this core helps focus the
extensive topics surrounding Easy Company. Of course, everyone and his grandpa
makes appears here, from main cast members Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Scott
Grimes, Donnie Walhberg, Neal McDonough, and David Schwimmer to then unknowns
such as James McAvoy, Simon Pegg, Colin Hanks, Michael Fassbender, Tom Hardy,
and more. Everyone is simply delightful and downright touching as we meet the
cast’s real life counterparts throughout the series. “Bastogne,” “The Breaking Point,” and “The
Last Patrol” are outstanding, as is “Why We Fight.” I don’t like to see
Holocaust material, but you know this is heart-wrenching perfection. There’s
some dramatic license, sure; and language, nudity, and plenty of war gruesome will
keep this one out of the classroom. However, this is perhaps as near-complete a
war diary as one can see, and is there any group more legendary than the 101st?
Wartime audiences might find a viewing difficult, but this show is delightful
for military historians, as are the massive behind the scenes features and a dynamite
blu ray transfer. Though I’d love to see a counter point series on a German
regiment of note someday, the sentiment, action, and rah rah here is near
impossible to beat. 
The
Quiet Man – One never gets tired
of this charming 1952 classic, and there’s no better time than St. Patrick’s
Day to sit back with John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara in director John Ford’s idyllic
ode to Ireland.
The stunning vintage Technicolor scenery, Maureen as Mary Kate and her flaming
red hair bellowing in the wind, the quaint townsfolk and their old fashioned
ways, a bonnet left behind, the courting via a matchmaker, the withheld dowry,
and the brawl to end all brawls. You know you were picturing it all! Excellent support from Victor McLaglen, Barry
Fitzgerarld, and Ward Bond add to the chemistry, tenderness, and spitfire
delights here. Yes, the issues facing 1920 Ireland are never felt onscreen,
but the drama is feel good nonetheless. For those who haven’t seen this one and
think Ford and Wayne are nothing but dusty old cowboys, you better think again!
All the boys in the family young or old
can watch this Irish nostalgia again and again.
The Searchers Is My Favorite Movie of All Time 
My parents might remember it differently, but I quickly became obsessed with all things Indian after seeing The Searchers. My hair was always in braids, I had pipes, drums, rubber tomahawks, and moccasins. Lipstick makes great face paint, and I went through numerous construction paper feather headdresses. Years later, I carried on this tradition by teaching my nieces how to build teepees in the backyard-much to my mother’s dismay. All this imagination and delight from one viewing of an old western!
Ethan Edwards also possesses a bizarre knowledge of the Comanche Indians in The Searchers. He knows which Army agencies the local tribes frequent; he speaks their language and knows their customs. How can he be so knowledgeable yet hate Indians so? Look carefully for a tombstone early in the film detailing the death of Ethan’s mother by a Comanche raid. Is this why he only knows the bad side of a Comanche? All these questions I’ve raised, and The Searchers doesn’t always provide a satisfactory answer. In contrast to some of its heavier and complex motifs, John Ford also makes sure there’s a fair bit of western humor. Mose Harper (Hank Worden, 
He’s one of the stalwart personifications of the American Hero. When John Wayne got the bad guys onscreen in so many World War II pictures like Sands of Iwo Jima and They Were Expendable, so did we. When John Wayne put his own money into the overstuffed and overzealous The Alamo, we still watched. Even when John Wayne supported 
Jeffrey Hunter, however, does stand in John Wayne’s way. For every “That’ll be the day!” from Ethan, we have Martin’s contesting, “Not likely!” Seemingly cast as the young pretty boy most pictures seem to require, Hunter (His Christopher Pike from the original Star Trek pilot is my favorite and I love Sergeant Rutledge) is the idealistic antagonist to Ethan. According to The Searchers’ gospel, part Indian Marty’s thoughts shouldn’t matter against big, white Ethan. Nevertheless, Martin’s quest to stay with Ethan in order to save Debbie from her Uncle’s pathos is essential for the viewer. Hunter is the perfect sidekick to 
as I did the first time I saw The Searchers-you know Debbie when you see her. Likewise, The John Ford Stock Company charms the viewer. Veteran character actor Ward Bond (Sergeant York, 
I don’t suppose there’s much I can say about John Ford that a master of film making, history, or viewing doesn’t already know. From The Iron Horse, Stagecoach, The Grapes of Wrath, and How Green Was My Valley to The Quiet Man, Mister Roberts, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance; John Ford entertained the budding motion picture generation and constructed the essentials of filmmaking that we rely on today. His direction here is harsh and wise. In some ways, The Searchers is not meant to be a pretty and charming picture. Yet, in others ways, how can it not be? Ford’s mastery of cast, cameras, and characters clicks on all cylinders. But of course, the incredible locations and vistas of 
One distinctly unique style of The Searchers is the deliberately minimal use of close ups. I never thought to notice this in other pictures, but it makes absolute sense here. There are only about a dozen medium close-ups, and although those zooms get closer to a characters’ thoughts and feelings, the lack of a true close ups represents the distance still between critical people and the people amid nature. Even when Ford takes his camera as close as we’re going to get, your eye is still drawn to everything else in the frame. There’s the famous zoom where 
Despite its wonderful cast and visuals, The Searchers is not a western where the good guys where white hats and the bad boys are all in black. It’s reflections on racism, Manifest Destiny, and the Confederacy are clear enough to any modern viewer. From the first mention of Ethan’s allegiance to the South to Laurie’s final declaration that a bullet in Debbie’s brain is best, we know this picture says a lot more than most westerns or most of its McCarthy era compatriots. Not only commenting on its story material, The Searchers also says a lot about its time. There are no black actors in sight-and I’m sure if I researched enough I could find out that surely there were real American Indians involved in the production. Nevertheless, you can’t see any of them onscreen. Painted white actors- Scar actor Henry Brandon was born in 
Like other John Ford pictures, The US Cavalry makes an appearance here. Instead of being the hero, however, The Searchers offers a somewhat underhanded treatment of the Army. First the Cavalry and its Indian Agencies interfere with Ethan’s search and provide little help. Later, Lieutenant Greenhill is made out to be a dumb, spoiled boy who doesn’t know what he’s doing-and he and his bugler are the only significant Cavalrymen in the picture. Some viewers think a brief scene in which Captain Clayton has an undisclosed rear end injury is out of place; however, I think he was stuck in the butt with Greenhill’s sword. He’s warned earlier by Clayton to take care with his ‘knife’, and to me the butt wound represents the pain in the backside that Northern interference and reconstruction was to the still proud South. 
Also seeming to rub the wrong way in The Searchers is the juxtaposition of religion and violence. The local reverend is also the ranger captain for goodness sake, and he has no problem shouting Hallelujah after he’s shot a few Indians. Clayton also comments in the opening moments of the film that Debbie still isn’t baptized-does this mean she’s more susceptible to those Injun ways? Before a battle with Scar, Mose erroneously prays, ‘That which we are about to receive, we thank thee, oh Lord.’ Shortly thereafter, Martin has mixed feelings about his first Indian kill, but he quickly gets over it and continues firing. This observance of white hypocrisy parallels the relationship between Ethan and Scar, for both fights to avenge killed family. Ethan constantly refers to evil Bucks, non-human Comanche, scalping-he even shoots the eyes out of a dead Indian so the man will ‘wonder forever between the winds’.
The Searchers’ numerous releases on DVD and now blu-ray; its preserved status with the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry; and its countless placing on numerous Top lists, critics’ choices, and American Film Institute countdowns should give you some indication as to how important this picture is to American cinema. Ranked as the number 1 western and 12th best film of all time by the AFI, you can’t consider yourself a fan of great movies unless you’ve seen this picture. Despite my praise, The Searchers is not a film one watches obsessively like others. It certainly takes more than one viewing to catch all its complexities, but The Searchers also needs time to germ and stew. There has to be time for you to forget, if possible, touching pieces or perhaps change yourself and thus your viewing perceptions. This film should be watched every few years or so and only in a proper viewing format-not cut up with commercials on television. The Searchers must be seen in its entirety every time for full effect-Ford’s epic vision demands it.
