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The John Wayne Classic That Inspired Martin Scorsese – My Blog

Martin Scorsese revealed his passion for “The Searchers” early in his career. In his first feature film, 1969’s “Who’s That Knocking at My Door,” the main character, J.R. (Harvey Keitel, playing something of a Scorsese avatar), spots a pretty girl reading a French magazine, and uses that to make small talk. After all, he recognizes the man on the cover: John Wayne. He gets especially excited talking about one John Wayne movie, “The Searchers,” a western that he talks about at length. When the punk gangsters of 1973’s “Mean Streets” con some kids out of twenty bucks, they drive out to go see “The Searchers.” Even “Taxi Driver” draws heavily from it.

“The Searchers” was a western that came late in the career of director John Ford, whose movies were markedly different from what Scorsese would go on to make. Their big open skies and cheery Irish-Americana were directly opposed to Scorsese’s gritty, urban, rock-and-roll-scored crime movies. Where Ford found freedom in the dazzling beauty of Arizona’s Monument Valley, Scorsese made cinematic poetry out of the dimly lit tenements in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. But both filmmakers used their movies to explore similar ideas of America: a society of immigrants, a society built on violence.
The evolution of John Wayne
Fresh-faced John Wayne in Stagecoach

“The Searchers” played to Scorsese as an evolution, or even a culmination, of earlier movies that Ford had made with John Wayne. Before he paid attention to who got the director’s credit, his focus was on the movie stars. John Wayne, gun-toting, slow-talking western hero, led the charge. Going to these movies repeatedly, Scorsese “began to realize what a director did … translate ideas into images.” 
Ford and Wayne had had a complicated artistic relationship stretching back decades, to when Ford hired the UCLA grad as a prop manager in the late 1920s and then refused to cast him in anything until 1939’s “Stagecoach.” Over the decades, their working relationship became the stuff of legend, directly influencing Scorsese’s own long-term collaborations with Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio. Wayne led many Ford projects, shining in westerns as the tough-but-tender face of white manifest destiny in 19th century Indian Territory. It wasn’t until “The Searchers” that the tender side of the equation was totally scraped off, leaving only a violent man who refuses redemption.
In his “Personal Journey Through American Movies,” Scorsese notes the frightening nature of the shift, next to Wayne’s portrayal of the sweet outlaw Ringo Kid in “Stagecoach” and the genial old Cavalry officer in “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.” There was something to be said for the honesty of “The Searchers’” approach.
Unsettling charactersWarner Bros.
Harry Carey, Jr. and John Wayne in The Searchers
Once they were making movies, it didn’t take long for Scorsese and most of his New Hollywood peers to strip “The Searchers” for parts. Nevertheless, the imagery of its opening moments, as Ethan Edwards (Wayne) rides into his brother’s Texas farmstead, retains its power. The lazy pace of the cutting, as the family goes onto the porch to meet with this lonely figure, does little to suggest the doom on the horizon.
Edwards departs the next morning with Sam Clayton (Ward Bond, another Ford regular) and nephew Martin (Jeffrey Hunter) on a routine search for their neighbors’ cattle, and he returns to see the farmstead burned down by Comanche. His family has been killed. But he and Martin have reason to believe that little Debbie (Natalie Wood), implied to be Ethan’s daughter, is still alive, in the camp of Comanche Chief Cicatriz, or Scar (Henry Brandon). Martin and Ethan go on to spend the next seven years seeking out Debbie, finding worthless clue after worthless clue before they eventually make contact.
With a premise like that, the movie could have been a simple western potboiler with good white men going up against bad Native Americans. Indeed, that was how it was received by much of the public on its release, with the New York Times’ review calling it “a rip-snorting western.” But it complicates that premise from the beginning, as Ethan continually belittles his partner Martin for being “one-eighth Comanche.” Scorsese would go on to call Ethan “one of the most unsettling [characters] in American cinema.”
Ethan’s violent nature — from his fighting for the Confederacy years before, to his shooting out the eyes of a dead Comanche so his spirit is left to “wander between the winds” — is far from heroic, and more in line with Travis Bickle, the racist, homicidal protagonist of Scorsese’s 1976 film “Taxi Driver.”
Men in exile
Harvey Keitel and Zina Bethune discussing The Searchers in Who's that Knocking At My Door
When Quentin Tarantino asked Scorsese about the “Who’s That Knocking At My Door” scene in 2019, he said he “had to do it.” As the characters talk about “The Searchers,” J.R. gets most excited about a scene that comes near the end of it, where Ethan meets with Cicatriz. J.R. notes that Cicatriz is a nasty figure, but that John Wayne is too, euphemistically referring to the same realization that Scorsese had. In “The Searchers,” the scene is tense, a cross-cultural exchange between men who protect their home and men who invade it, told from the perspective of the invader. It’s a scene that’s found its way into many Scorsese movies, from “Gangs of New York” to “Casino” to “Silence.”
Even more Scorsese movies borrow from “The Searchers’” eternal ending: Ethan, having rescued Debbie, returns home, but stays back at the doorway. The implication of exile reverberates throughout many of Scorsese’s movies, in the nightclub routine of “Raging Bull” and “Wolf of Wall Street’s” infinite, dead-eyed seminars. But it’s the character of Ethan Edwards, unsettling, unfit for society, and deliberately, challengingly unsympathetic, that influenced Scorsese the most.

Entertainment

Woman Attempting To Sleep With One Person From Every Country Shares The Worst Nationality In Bed

A woman has opened up about her sexual escapades and which country had the best (and worst) lovers

An adult entertainer who has slept with men from all over the world has spilled the tea on her worst and best lovers (so far).

Adult entertainer Coco Bae has slept with men from over 40 countries and counting.

Some of these include America, Canada, the UK, Israel, Australia, Haiti, and Coco wants to eventually cover all 195 countries.

As her mission continues, the adult star has been ‘collecting flags’ from each nationality she’s slept with to keep track of her sexual escapades.

“My rules are to count the country on his passport, not where the dude happens to be living at the time of our encounter,” she said.

Listing off the countries she’s ‘visited’ (if you get me), Coco went on to tell PerthNow:

“I’ve had men from America, Canada, the UK, Israel, Australia, Haiti, El Salvador, Holland, Norway, Greece, France, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Ireland, Belize, Djibouti, Nicaragua, Italy, Guatemala, Switzerland and Argentina.”

“And then Honduras, Costa Rica, Thailand, Russia, Columbia? I’m not sure. Albania, Brazil. India, Spain, Peru, Lebanon, Algeria, Croatia, Serbia. Armenia, Scotland, Ukraine and New Zealand.” Impressive.

Coco also answered the question on everyone’s minds: which countries have so far been the best and worst in bed?

According to the adult star, Latinos are the most ‘intense’ in bed.

“My lovers from Brazil were the most enjoyable to be with,” she said.

“They were just up for having fun, whichever way it happens.”

Coco also revealed that men from more conservative countries are quite experimental when it comes to sex.

“Many of the conservative cultures enjoy the most ‘out there’ acts. For example, I have come across many Arab and Indian dudes who really like booty action in various forms,” said Coco.

As for the worst country in bed, apparently her most boring partners have been from Germany.

While they weren’t the best, Coco did praise German men being eager to please and how they apparently ask for feedback.

She also chatted to Australian radio hosts Kyle and Jackie O, where she shared what her experiences with Aussie men has been like.

“Australian men need to step it up a little bit,” she shared.

“You’re just not putting in any effort. And you need to wash your hands.”

Speaking of how much she loves a tradesman – a popular vocation in Australia – Coco encouraged guys to make sure they ‘scrub behind their fingernails’.

A fair point, if you ask me.

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Entertainment

Kanye West Shares Provocative Video Of Wife Bianca In Bed And Fans Can’t Stop Pointing Out How Big It Is

It’s pretty common for Kanye West to post photos of his wife, Bianca Censori, and for fans to go wild over them.

The ‘Golddigger’ rapper has shared a lot of pictures and videos of his Australian wife.

These range from her daring, barely-there outfits to her strange, all-in-one body stockings.

Kanye is also known for making bold comments to get attention, like speaking out against critics.

Recently, the couple has stirred up even more buzz with a new social media post.

They shared a video from their bedroom, and there’s one detail that fans just can’t stop talking about.

On Instagram, Kanye posted a video showing Bianca lying on a bed surrounded by pillows.

She was dressed in all white, including white heels and a tight-fitting outfit.

It looked like she was on her phone, not paying much attention to Kanye, who was breathing heavily behind the camera.

The fans overlooked Bianca’s outfit and focused on the enormous size of the bed she was on.

It looked twice the size of a Super King bed, with enough room for more than five pillows.

One fan commented, “Bed can fit 5 [families] with 6 individuals.”

Another added, “It’s gotta be a nightmare trying to find a fitted sheet for that!”

A third fan mentioned that the huge bed resembled the one from Kanye’s 2016 music video for ‘Famous’.

Kanye soon deleted the video without giving any reason.

Even though the video is no longer available, Kanye is no stranger to sharing provocative content featuring his wife, whether in revealing outfits or suggestive poses.

Bianca seems to be on board with her husband’s posts.

However, not everyone is thrilled, especially her father, who has previously voiced his concerns about the content.

According to a source speaking to DailyMail.com, Bianca’s father, Leo, has asked Kanye to meet with him to talk about the explicit content being shared.

The source said, “Kanye has been invited to go to Australia, and Bianca is hesitant to allow this to happen because she knows how her father will react.”

“Her dad still plans to have a sit-down with Kanye, and Leo will not be intimidated by Kanye’s power or control. No one is expecting this to be all rainbows and family portraits.”

Despite this, Bianca is reportedly more than happy to go along with her husband’s ideas.

An insider told PageSix, “People are confusing Bianca’s creativity. She is a phenomenal personality, a phenomenal actor, who can entertain the public.”

“She’s a performance artist. Bianca is as much a performer as Ye is.”

Bianca and Kanye have been married since 2022, following Kanye’s high-profile split and divorce from his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian. Kanye has four children with Kim: North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm.

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Singer turns 58, people barely recognize Samantha Fox

If you are someone who was attuned to the celebrity scene in the 1980s, then you might remember Samantha Fox. She started out as a model, and by the end, her career had led to her becoming a musician.

While she was incredibly famous at one point, she is not in the mainstream these days. She was at one point the most photographed woman in the UK.

Keep reading to learn more about it.

From days when she was a staple on page 3 to then becoming a globally recognized music star, Samantha Fox is still loved by millions around the world. She was born in North London on April 15, 1966. She was born to parents were Carole Fox and Patrick Fox. She had a younger sister named Vanessa, who sadly passed away in 2023.

Her mother, Carole Ann was an actress, and father, John Patrick was a carpenter. They were married from 1965 to 1988. Her mother passed away 2013, while her father passed in 2000.

Samantha Fox began her career when she entered a modeling competition when she was 16 years old. Her mother entered her in the Sunday People’s ‘Face and Shape of 1983’ competition. She ended up being one of the finalists, and the photographer was impressed by her ‘unusual’ proportions and natural beauty.

He said, “face of a child and the body of a woman”, and told her to do some topless shots. She agreed, and that lead to her becoming a regular Page 3 girl in The Sun newspaper from 1983 to 1986.

In the 1980s, she was one of the most photographed people in the UK, and in 1986, she began her music career.

She debuted with her single Touch Me (I Want Your Body) which helped her shoot to fame. She then released more songs like Naughty Girls and more all of which only increased her celebrity. In her personal life, she had her fair share of problems, including a legal battle with her father over mismanagement of her earnings.

Despite all of the issues in her personal life, she wanted to make sure she still released music throughout it. She was always a big advocate for the LGBTQIA+, having married Linda Olsen in 2022. Now at 58 years old, she is still busy in her career.

Over the years she has had several transformations. Her talent has helped her persevere and reinvent herself. Samantha Fox initially started out as a model with a provocative image.

She remained active in the 1980s and 1990s. Apart from her music, she has made appearances in films and TV shows. She also participated in reality TV over the years.

Her father oversaw her career until she found out that he had taken more than £1 million from her income. She decided to pursue legal action against him in 1991. She won the lawsuit in 1995 and received a settlement of £363,000. The two of them never reconciled and he passed away in 2000.

In 1988, she received a nomination for Best British Female Artist at the Brit Awards. She collaborated with other artists which include the legends Freddie Mercury. She is even working on music now, releasing her latest album in 2023 produced by Ian Masterson.

She married her Norwegian wife, Linda Olsen in 2022 in a ceremony in Essex. The couple had been engaged since February 2020. They met at a concert and Olsen was a fan of the singer. They now live together in East London with Olsen’s son Adam and their two pet cats.

Before marrying Olsen, the singer had dated many people which included men and women. She dated the infamous Peter Foster in the 1980s but did not accept his proposal. She publicly came out as gay in 2003. At the time she made her relationship with then-manager Myra Stratton public. The couple were together for 16 years until Stratton passed due to cancer in 2015.

Samantha Fox later revealed she knew she was gay but did not want to admit it because of the stigma surrounding it.

Fox has said that she knew she was gay before meeting Stratton, but she was afraid to admit it because of the stigma and the pressure from the media.

She described herself as a “very happy woman” who is “very much in love” with Olsen.

It is wonderful to see how Samatha Fox is doing these days. Share this with other fans of the singer so they can see what she has been up to.

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