The Searchers USA HD DVD Review

[The News Bot]

It’s funny how John Ford’s darkest-themed Western is also his most colourfully vibrant. The Searchers, from 1956, continued Ford’s ongoing collaboration with the Duke, himself, John Wayne – his cinematic counterpart in much the same way that John Carpenter used to use Kurt Russell – and saw both celebrated filmmakers seek out something different from their standard fare. The resulting classic is not only their most visually splendid and incandescent, but one of the entire genre’s deepest and most emotionally complex character studies. The Western’s Golden Era was typified by cliché and a formula that modern audiences can ...
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[High_Def DVD]

Wow, that was great, gotta fetch me one

[Donnacha]

Great review - I actually watched this at the weekend and yes it looks great for such an old film. I was pleased with myself for spotting some of the moments that other films have reference, e.g Attack of The Clones and the Magnificent Seven.

I enjoyed it, and I also thought the slapstick comedy aspects let it down, whereas some of it was more subtle and worked better. Taken in context and for when this was released it probably was very different and darker to what audiences were used to at the time. But once I've watched the extras I'll be putting it up for trade.

[iain1970]

I've been underwhelmed by HD DVD so far, I thought a 37 inch TV and the 360 add on might not be doing the format justice.

The Searchers has blown me away though and dispelled any doubts I had. This is one of my favourite films, but I've only ever seen it on TV or the old 4:3 DVD release. The quality of picture in the HD DVD is fantastic. It really is like seeing a new film in the cinema. I'd recommend anyone who likes the film to purchase the HD DVD or the Blu Ray disc.