Les Cowboys and The Searchers

In recognition of the 60th anniversary of John Ford’s 1956 film The Searchers, the Museum will screen the iconic western along with a special preview screening of Thomas Bidegain’s Cesar-nominated Les Cowboys, an acclaimed new film that was strongly inspired by The Searchers.

The Searchers, with its startling portrayal of obsession, intolerance, and identity, has proven to be one of the most influential of all westerns. A strikingly modern work, it has influenced countless directors and screenwriters, most famously Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader with Taxi Driver. French screenwriter-turned-director Thomas Bidegain is the latest example; his film Les Cowboys, which was in the main slate of the New York Film Festival, is a decades-long saga spanning pre- to post- 9/11, set in Europe and Afghanistan.