The Closing Scene

The Searchers Final Scene

This scene is the final scene from the film, The Searchers. The scene opens showing the central protagonists riding across the large expansive Western American desert. This gives viewers the idea that the frontier was incredibly open free space, which is an ideology that was also conveyed at the time in which this film was set. It offers the idea of the vast size of the American west, and is a stereotype of the Western genre.

This scene shows Ethan and Marty returning to the village after rescuing Debbie. Debbie is shown in the traditional role of the damsel in distress as she is lifted off of the horse by Ethan and escorted in to the house by the family.

The most interesting aspect of this scene, is the way it ends with Ethan stood in the doorway of the house. Throughout the film Ethan is presented as the 'loner' which is also a convention of the Western genre, and this idea is continued in the way in which this film ends, with him rejecting the opportunity to join a family, instead turning back to his old drifter ways and continue to ride through the desert. The fact this scene is shot through a doorway with the door closing behind him, could also be seen as giving the idea of 'as one door closes, another one opens', which also offers the audience the idea that Ethan is moving on to other opportunities.