3. The Searchers
When Orson Welles was asked who were the three greatest directors of all time, he replied emphatically, "John Ford, John Ford and John Ford." The toughest job was to decide which John Ford film should be on the list, whether it should be the one that defined the genre in "Stagecoach" or the moralistic tale of "The Man who Shot Liberty Valance". But, without the doubt, his greatest contribution to cinema is the expansive film, "The Searchers". As the years went on in John Ford's career, there is a distinct mood change, from the simple heroes versus the bad guy to the moral grey area of cynicism. "The Searchers" is the height of that, in its dark tale of a two men on a journey to retrieve a little girl. Touching upon themes such as racism, this western version of "Moby Dick" (except this time the whale is a Native American) is perhaps the greatest Western of all time. There could be no better choice for a first color film on the list as this is perhaps one of the most beautiful films ever shot. In its wide landscape, David Lean has said to have watched this numerous times in preparing for "Lawrence of Arabia". "The Searchers" have also be cited as an influence on films such as the revisionist western "There Will be Blood" and even "Star Wars". The most iconic shot is of John Wayne standing at the doorway, frame within frame, which has been echoed numerous times in "Kill Bill" and the aforementioned "There Will be Blood".