Yeah I don't get adoration of The Searchers and True Grit #1 as great American Cinema. The Searchers is way over long and with True Grit, just OK. There are better John Wayne Westerns. Say what you will about John Wayne and his politics but he is iconic as a western actor. Red River, Rio Bravo, and Stage Coach are far superior to The Searchers as are The Three Cavalry films.

I believe that I could turn off the sound and just look at the composition of any John Ford film. He composed static scenes as if they were paintings. Just look at How Green Was My Valley, especially the wedding scene. The closing scenes of The Searchers as well, which was a paean to a silent Harry Carey western.

I have stated before that I am easy to accept film quality as less than stellar for purposes of entertainment. But I'd like to have the time back I spent on "Tess" and at least three attempts to watch "Gone With The Wind".

Don