A picture that I want to like, High Noon was directed by Fred Zinnemann, who also directed one of my most favorite pictures, The Day of The Jackal. Derived from the story "The Tin Star," by Carl Foreman, High Noon tells the story of Sheriff Will Kane (Gary Cooper) who bravely defends the town against evil yet is deserted by the townsfolk at the moment he needs help the most.
High Noon uses a lot of symbolism – clocks are shown repeatedly throughout, constantly reinforcing the showdown that was coming when ex-convict Miller, who Coop put away five years before, got to town on the noon train. Similarly, shots of the train tracks disappearing into the distance while Miller’s gang members await for his arrival. Finally, the wailing tiresome twang of Tex Ritter’s voice as he endlessly repeats "Do not forsake me oh my darling," the background music for the whole film. Puh-lease!! I know it emphasizes Kane’s loneliness, but it is a little grating after the twentieth loop.
Along with Winchester ’73, High Noon attempted to deconstruct the Western and bring it into the gray area occupied by film noir where there are no real good guys or bad guys and today’s friend is tomorrow’s enemy. Unfortunately, these two films, while dragging the Western, kicking and screaming, into a more adult, well-rounded depiction of reality failed through the use of less than believable actors as leads and poorly chosen supporting casts. At least Winchester ‘73 had an interesting story! High Noon, however, has only the thinnest of plots and cardboard characters, that are true to life, but somehow come off as cliches due to the wooden performances and the uninspired direction. Gary Cooper certainly had his moments as an actor, particularly as Sergeant York which I consider his finest hour, but hairy-chested Will Kane is just a little bit beyond his range. The supporting cast, including Grace Kelly as Will’s wife who is leaving him are almost totally wasted. Katy Jurado as the rejected lover is about the only true to life character in the movie.
The directing and editing, while very competent, is also very obviously self-satisfied and self-congratulatory, with a look-at-me! adolescence that frankly repels me.
High Noon snagged four Oscars, including Best Actor for Gary Cooper. Given the times, with the obviously left-leaning Hollywood establishment under pressure from Congress, it is plain that this was a transparent snub at the McCarthy witch hunts, showing the "poor picked-on sheriff (Hollywood) deserted by the ungrateful old townsmen (America)." In my opinion there is nothing in High Noon that would rate an Oscar, but then I seldom agree with the Academy. If you haven’t seen High Noon, why don’t you watch it and see if you agree with me?
There are many good Westerns available for your viewing pleasure. I recommend The Wild Bunch, Rio Bravo, The Shootist, The Searchers, Red River, They Died With Their Boots On, The Cowboys, Only the Valiant, and Son of the Morning Star for starters. Happy viewing!
Gary Cooper won the Oscar for Best Actor in this classic tale of an aging lawman who stands alone to defend a town of righteous cowards in one of the ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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