As I began watching THE SEARCHERS, I was immediately focused on how AWFUL the acting is.  It is so stagey and lines are so poorly delivered, it felt like an elementary school play.  I thought to myself, this is going to be a BIG disappointment...and this movie is in the top 20 of AFI's 100 greatest films of all time.  However, I was won over, by the infectious, saturated technicolor, the wonderful direction by the legendary John Ford, the complex, racially charged story, and even John Wayne.  I think John Wayne is one of the worst actors ever...and this movie did not change my mind, but he has an oddly attractive quality that makes him enjoyable.  Not only that, but the man can do stuntwork, ride horses, and gunsling in ways that make him see ultimately authentic.  In the end...I got why people herald this film as a masterpiece.