Once in a while my summer reading list occasions a book that ignites a few of my passions. OK, my Gallup strength array doesn't place CONTEXT, that is, the past, even in my top twenty five personal strengths. I'm a futurist all the way. But, in alignment with the other mysterious aspects of me, history is one of my true passions. Reading history, especially about the leaders of the American colonial period and World War II are specialties that keep me glued to a book, or my e-book before bed every night.
Once in a while a book about the settling of the west gets downloaded to my Nook. So, last year I read Lonesome Dove, The Real Deadwood, and a couple of other cowboy tales that told a good story in a historical setting.
As a boomer, I'm with Chaplain Joel Harris as a fan of The Duke, Marion Morrison, the cowboy known more popularly as John Wayne. His movies, especially the westerns, are a collage of historical documentary, social commentary about good guys and bad guys, legends of nation's western movement, and legend, cowboys, indians, and The Duke himself. Of all of this films, my personal favorite was The Searchers, circa 1956, the John Ford directed classic, considered by many the best western film ever. it was the first motion picture I ever saw, shown at The Fox Theatre, Greenville, SC, in 1956, with my dad, The Chester, when I was all of seven years old. Watching it every day wouldn't be a stretch for me.
So, on a recent trip to Grenville dad showed me a Wall Street Journal article about Glenn Frankel's recent novel, The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend (Bloomsbury USA, New York, 2013). It is the story behind the movie The Searchers, both a historical account of the real captivity narrative dating to 1836, and the eventual making of the movie by Director Ford and a brilliant cast.
Screen writers and movie directors often play license with the novels they depict in film. The eventual film, The Searchers, is based on Alan LeMay's novel by the same name, published in 1954. LeMay's book is a fictional replay of the abduction of Cynthia Ann Parker by a Comamche raiding party in 1836. The novel depicts the harsh realities of Texas at that time, the brutal savagery of American Indians and their constant warfare with settlers, ranchers, and the United States Cavalry. Racial and sexual tensions weave through the narrative and LeMay's treatment is definitely negative. But, the book is thought to be an honest representation of the times.
The movie The Searchers was filmed in Monument Valley, perhaps one of hte most beautiful western venues, located on the Arizona-Utah border. It was a primitive site that demoanded much of the cast and crew. It wasn't a box office block buster at the time. But, modern critics rate it as the best of John Ford's great films, Wayne's greatet performance as an actor, the launching of several careers, and the best of the western genre in history.
Frankel's book informs. The story of Cynthia Ann Parker, her American family, and later her Indian family, including eventual Chief of the Comanche nation Quanah Parker, is stark, honest, and inspiring. The historical aspects of the book include much about the final days of the Indian culture in Texas, and several chapters about thte making of the movie.
It's a great read, and a book that I highly recommend. If you're searching for good book that combines history, drama, shooting, love, family, commentary, and good old cowbody stuff, The Searchers is a good find.
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