(CNN) -- "The Searchers" may be the greatest movie Western, and that reputation has only grown since its 1956 premiere. It boasted three major reasons for its stellar reputation: actor John Wayne, director John Ford and the spectacular location shooting in Monument Valley, Arizona. But perhaps the key ingredient to its success lies in the foundation of all creative endeavors: the story. "The Searchers" is a mix of truth and legend, obsession and violence -- played out on the rim of a growing nation. A young white girl is abducted by warring Indians and assimilated into the tribe, while a vengeful uncle launches a years-long quest to find her. Modern directors like Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas have sung the film's praises and borrowed its themes of racial hatred, obsession and redemption.
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Glenn Frankel's new book reveals the true story behind the film "The Searchers"
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The author chronicles the life of the young girl at the center of the tale, Cynthia Ann Parker
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The classic John Wayne Western has inspired modern directors like Scorsese, Spielberg, Lucas
By the early 1950s, the @placeholder had become a deeply embedded film genre.