5. Ethan Edwards - The Searchers
Easily one of the most iconic and oft-referenced final shots in cinema history, the closing image of John Ford's classic western The Searchers depicts the departure of protagonist Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) after returning his niece Debbie (Natalie Wood) home following her kidnapping by Comanche Indians earlier in the movie. It's a beautifully framed image, showing the discord between a family life and Edwards' existence out in the wilderness, where he truly belongs. It also perfectly reflects Ford's very similar opening shot, which pulls forward out of a door frame into the gorgeous expanse of Ford's favourite location, Monument Valley. Easily one of Wayne's most memorable portrayals, this shot recognised his status not merely as a hero but also as a tragic figure, and the shot was replicated (albeit without the same meaning) most recently in Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, during the opening scene in which Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) witnesses Shosanna (Mélanie Laurent) escape.
