The Searchers (1956)

The film takes place in 1868, in Texas, years after the end of the Civil War. Ethan Edwards, a lonely war veteran, tries to find one of his nieces who was kidnapped by a group of comanches. Together with his adopted half-breed brother, Martin, the two embark on a dangerous search. This film directed by John Ford starring John Wayne and Natalie Wood was a hit of its time, being named as an exponent of the american western genre by the American Film Institute.