Customer Reviews

High Noon

5 star:		(81)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

That was the verdict of Harry Cohn, by all accounts one of Hollywood's most charming, sensitive and civilized human beings. He kept a picture of Mussolini on his office wall. This is a truly beautiful film. I play it every now and then, when I'm feeling low and the going gets tough. It has some of the tautest, leanest, most economical dialogue ever written. Young punk Harvey: "I'm going, and I won't be back". Magnificent Katy Jurado: "Good". The Mayor: "You should leave, Kane. It'll be better for you --- and better for us". Cooper: "Thanks". Every second tells, every minute counts, every shot tells a story, every expression conveys a world in this unsurpassable, unforgettable, piece of junk. I'll soon be 70 years old, and I must have first seen this film when it first came out. Every time I watch it, I see something new. The gun and holster that Herb --- "Go home to your kids, Herb" --- hangs on the sheriff's coat-peg when he folds his cards: put to exemplary use an hour later. The secondary characters, written and played to perfection, creating a complete cross-section of the citizenry of anywhere. The timing, the pacing, the heat, the Tiomkin music off the steppe, the monochrome: need I continue? If this was a piece of junk, what was the rest of the Tinseltown output? A pile of horse manure?

It's half past ten in a little western town, and the local marshall of law, Mr. Kane (Gary Cooper) just got married to a gorgeous Quaker girl (Grace Kelly, always a sight for sore eyes). Mr Kane will now retire as a marshall, and head to a new and peaceful life. Or will he? At the telegraph station the postmaster gets a cable stating that a dangerous bandit (Frank Miller) will arrive in the twelve o'clock train. At the train depot, three of Miller's gunmen are wating for him. When he arrives, they will seek revenge against the one man that tried, unsuccessfully, to convict Miller of a capital crime: Mr Kane himself.

During these 90 minutes, Gary Cooper will try to get help from the local population, old friends, and a man who wants to be the next sheriff (Lloyd Bridges). But it will not be an easy task. Add to that the fact that his brand new wife abhorres violence, and threatens to leave him less than two hours after the marriage - in fact she says she'll leave in the train that brings the outlaw Miller to town.

People think this is a western classic. Wrong. "High noon" is surely a classic, but not a western. It only happens to be set in the old west. To say the truth, "High noon" is more like a thriller with a Hitchcockian feeling to it. The western setting (violence, lack of respect for the laws, gunfights, dry and sun-scorched landscape, etc.) is present to add to the mounting tension and suspense that grow with each shot depicting the face of a clock and the relentless passage of time towards noon and the train arrival.

What makes this movie great is the seemingly dead-end situation, the great dialogues, and very good acting by Gary Cooper (which earned him an Oscar, when the Academy Awards were not given for political reasons), Grace Kelly, Lloyd Bridges, among others (and Lee Van Cleef, the infamous "Angel Eyes" from "The good, the bad and the ugly" - he doesn't say a word, but those eyes are surely creepy).

I will not give "High noon" five stars because I felt the script could be a little more developed. The ending is too rushed and kind of unsatisfying. But this is an excellent movie nonetheless. And, I say it again, this is not a "western" in the common sense of the genre.

Grade 8.0/10

"High Noon" is the classic western movie about a marshall facing down four badmen alone after the townsmen refuse to help him. Although it has a western setting, it could have easily been most any other locale because the psychological and social aspects are the important themes, not the old West, or riding horses. Made during the time of McCarthy and the Communist witch hunt, many have read political undertones into the movie.

A seemingly unusual cast includes Gary Cooper ("Sergeant York", "Pride of the Yankees") as the good-guy out-going marshall, Grace Kelly ("Rear Window") as his new wife, Lloyd Bridges ("Sea Hunt", "Airplane") as the deputy, Lee Van Cleef (the "bad" of "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly") as one silent badguy, Lon Chaney ("The Wolfman"), and Henry Morgan ("MASH").

The movie proceeds in nearly real time - it starts about 10:30 AM and ends shortly after noon - and clocks are increasingly prominent in nearly every scene. The leader of the badmen, Frank Miller, who was sent to prison by the marshall under a death sentence but was released, is now coming to town on the noon train to kill marshall Kane. Three of his friends are waiting at the station to greet and assist him in killing the marshall. That same morning, Kane is getting married to a violence-abhoring Quaker woman and is going to give up being marshall because of it. After learning Frank Miller is coming to town, the wife convinces Cane to essentially skip town and they leave, but the marshall gets his sense of duty back and returns to town. He and his wife argue, and she is determined to leave on the noon train. The judge also packs his things and leaves town. The marshall's deputy also quits. Kane goes around town trying to organize a posse, but only one capable man volunteers (the other is a one-eyed drunk) but he subsequently backs out.

Cane is forced to face the men alone. I won't spoil the ending.

At a time when movies (even bad ones) were being made in color, "High Noon" was shot in black-and-white, trying to get an unglamorous look to it modeled after Matthew Brady's photographs of the civil war, and succeeds. There is no beautiful sky and clouds, or cactus and sunsets. It is great cinematography however. Oscars for Best Actor, Editing, Song and Score.

Reasonably-priced DVD picture and sound are good. It has an average commentary by daughter of actor, son of singer, son of writer and son of director. Also has a short documentary, a fair behind-the-scenes, and a 5-plus minute radio interview with singer Tex Ritter.

As a high school student, I was taught how to write a screenplay through the first 5 minutes of this film. I never forgot how to do it either! It's simple storytelling, really. This is a classic story of one man forced to take care of unfinished business without any help. It's a story of good and evil. And it's a story of what happens when people don't help each other. Gary Cooper is awesome as the Marshall who must fight alone. Grace Kelly is beautiful in this movie. Though it may seem ugly to watch, the director, Fred Zimmerman and his Cinematographer shot this film without any special lenses or adjustments, making this movie an outstanding piece of work and possibly the greatest western ever made!

The film is hands down my favorite western and features many of the genre conventions, but also brings many progressive sensibilities to the genre. It is primarily a psychological western, not the shoot um ups that reigned in the past. What makes high noon such a masterpiece is the incredible perfection of its craft. It is truly one of the most tightly constructed films ever made. Not a single frame is wasted in the telling of its story and its conveying of mood. The film should be mandatory viewing for budding filmmakers, so they can learn the importance of lean, fat free editing. Kurosawa said he only shot footage so he could edit and high noon is truly a brilliant example of the power of concise editing. Many films today love to draw out their endings with multiple resolutions, high noon proves the power of speed and simplicity in its powerful closing scene.

The high noon dvd is presented in full frame format since the film was not shot in widescreen. Picture is amazing for a film that is over 50 years old. Contrast and sharpness are gorgeous and the print is one of the best of a film of this age. Sharpness is truly stunning. Shimmering and flicker is present on some objects and there are occasional tiny spots on the image. The spots were so small and infrequent i didn't even notice them ever until a second viewing. Shimmering on trees is present quite a bit especially if you have a cheaper dvd player. These are minor points, because i was stunned at the beauty of the tranfer.

Sound is presented in regular and enchanced audio. Regular sometimes has cooper's dialogue a little low. Enchanced has more kick, but they may have toyed with the original mix. A commentary is including with relatives of the cast and crew. I didn't listen to all of it, it is presented in a group conversational manner.

Extras are interesting with a informative leonard maltin backstory on the film. I'm not a maltin fan and find his narration annoying, but he points out intriguing notes on the film's production. The best part is oncamera interviews from several years ago with zinneman and other real cast/crew member. Zinneman tells a great story about how the train ran over the camera when they were shooting the railroad track shots. Also another weird note is that the cinematography floyd crosby is david crosby's father! David is interviewed about his dad's work. A new series of interviews are collected with the surviving children of the cast/crew in the "behind" doc. Cooper's daughter is very obviously reading a teleprompt and i quit watching at that point. There is a radio show with tex ritter, he talks about having never played the bad guy and being in 80 westerns. I didn't finish the show.

The movie is by my money the best western ever made because of its extraordinary concise editing and fat free storytelling. The dvd is great with knock out picture for a film over 50 years old and a good documentary on the making of.

I'm not a big western fan, but I love this movie. It is probably one of the best westerns out there. I love the story line and the cinematogrpahy. I also love the fact that it is shot real time. the time that passes in the movie is about the time that passes in the story.

I saw this at age 8 when it was a brand-new, my-gosh piece of controversy. In fact, I saw it six times and the house was packed at each showing. Many powerful images have stayed in my head since then, and they are just as impressive today. Recall that the "controversy" behind this classic was its timing at the height of McCarthy's Red scare; the writers and directors, their creativity stymied by myopic thinking and fears of the day, pulled quite a stunt; the hero Will Kane marches to a different drummer in the face of a skittish and conformist environment. Politics aside, of course, this is just a rattling good movie. It started a new trend, which in those days was referred to as the "adult" Western, which in turn meant it dealt with ideas, principles, real-world emotions, not just horses and guns. Take it as an allegory of 50's culture or as a great Western, it works either way. Even its presentation style was a rule-breaker: starts with Tex Ritter droning "Do Not Forsake Me O My Darlin'" in the background, after which every Hollywood Western had to have a Western singer in the credits (unfortunately, it was usually a near-screaming, echo-chambered Frankie Lane with a blaring symphony orchestra backup! Good grief). The 1952 masterpiece was followed by countless imitations -- and how many Eastwood movies feature High Noon-style confrontations ? It's a landmark film so well done, it defies imitation. The DVD print is quite good, but the "digitized" sound is awful, as usual (turn it off, play it in the original mono). Catch the fight scene with Cooper and Bridges, and the scenes with skillful Katy Jurado and her competing suitors; it doesn't get any more real than this, and veteran director Zinnemann outdoes himself here. Every performance is tight and right-on. And note: the action occurs in real time. You can synchronize your wrist watch to the brief glances at the clocks on the walls. And dig that camera work; black and white was an art in those days, and has become a lost art since. A stirring, original, and unique work in every way. Some good features on the Collectors Edition.

This is a very difficult film to review, most of us have seen it, and likely more than once. The best thing to try and do here is justifying the purchase. For one thing it's a clean digitized version from the original negative. Not all DVDs are, many to the regret of buyers. It has a lot of extra's, interviews and making of specials. It's often fun to watch a good film again, after we know all the "inside stuff".

What makes this film so watchable for repeat viewings? This movie plays to our emotions, on so many different levels. It's reaffirmation of a man, doing his duty as a man. Much like the patriot, who fights for God and country! To watch it again, is to once again reaffirm your own manliness and resolve. It's a study of different male natures, and raw motivations. Those who would join the fight if they were to benefit. Friends, who are there for you until circumstances look a bit too dire. The naïve young boy, who would enter the fight without knowing the consequences. To the political arm of the town who tried to convince Kane to run, knowing the trouble would likely follow him, and pass them by.

The women in the story are just as interesting. You have the Pure young Quaker wife, (who's religious convictions would normally preclude violence of any kind) reluctantly coming to grips with reality of the situation. You have the scarlet woman, who recognizes the rare value of Kane's heroic nature. They've had an obvious relationship in the past, but likely she could never meet him on equal grounds of morality. The wives who hide out in the church, and help squelch any male support from the townsmen. Their motivation is simple enough, they know someone will likely get shot, and they'd rather their men did not participate.

This particular edition is not released yet as I write this, so I haven't confirmed this. I do believe one of the commentaries (some which have aired on TV before) mentions the unlikely case this could have happened at the time presented in the film. If I recall, they explained that most towns of this type were full of ex-civil war vets, who would have had no qualms what-so-ever about taking up guns, to help the Marshall. This may be true, but it's not the point of the film. In the end, Kane drops his tin star in the dirt, and appears to turn his back on the town in disgust. I had some thoughts about that, but always believed that his disgust was not over the betrayal of the town. I thought he believed that the town betrayed themselves, and was disgusted with the thought of it.

I did wonder one more thing at the end of the movie. Since Kane's' wife jumped off the train, just as it was leaving the station, how did she get all her luggage back, and loaded up in that wagon right after the gunfight? The airlines could use baggage handlers that good!

Strangely this amazon entry claims the dvd hasn't been released, but its been around for a year. Another entry lists it as out of stock, perhaps that explains it.

The film is hands down my favorite western and features many of the genre conventions, but also brings many progressive sensibilities to the genre. It is primarily a psychological western, not the shoot um ups that reigned in the past. What makes high noon such a masterpiece is the incredible perfection of its craft. It is truly one of the most tightly constructed films ever made. Not a single frame is wasted in the telling of its story and its conveying of mood. The film should be mandatory viewing for budding filmmakers, so they can learn the importance of lean, fat free editing. Kurosawa said he only shot footage so he could edit and high noon is truly a brilliant example of the power of concise editing. Many films today love to draw out their endings with multiple resolutions, high noon proves the power of speed and simplicity in its powerful closing scene.

The high noon dvd is presented in full frame format since the film was not shot in widescreen. Picture is amazing for a film that is over 50 years old. Contrast and sharpness are gorgeous and the print is one of the best of a film of this age. Sharpness is truly stunning. Shimmering and flicker is present on some objects and there are occasional tiny spots on the image. The spots were so small and infrequent i didn't even notice them ever until a second viewing. Shimmering on trees is present quite a bit especially if you have a cheaper dvd player. These are minor points, because i was stunned at the beauty of the tranfer.

Sound is presented in regular and enchanced audio. Regular sometimes has cooper's dialogue a little low. Enchanced has more kick, but they may have toyed with the original mix. A commentary is including with relatives of the cast and crew. I didn't listen to all of it, it is presented in a group conversational manner.

Extras are interesting with a informative leonard maltin backstory on the film. I'm not a maltin fan and find his narration annoying, but he points out intriguing notes on the film's production. The best part is oncamera interviews from several years ago with zinneman and other real cast/crew member. Zinneman tells a great story about how the train ran over the camera when they were shooting the railroad track shots. Also another weird note is that the cinematography floyd crosby is david crosby's father! David is interviewed about his dad's work. A new series of interviews are collected with the surviving children of the cast/crew in the "behind" doc. Cooper's daughter is very obviously reading a teleprompt and i quit watching at that point. There is a radio show with tex ritter, he talks about having never played the bad guy and being in 80 westerns. I didn't finish the show.

The movie is by my money the best western ever made because of its extraordinary concise editing and fat free storytelling. The dvd is great with knock out picture for a film over 50 years old and a good documentary on the making of.

Wow! I couldn't believe all the high ratings this movie got. Yes, the song is catchy, Cooper is the all-american western hero and Grace Kelley is lovely - BUT nothing happens from the time the bad guys arrive to the final showdown - about 70 minutes. Its just talk. And folks, we're not talking about great dialogue here. Want to see Gary Cooper beg and whine for someone to save him for 70 minutes? I didn't.

So why the high ratings? It was the first liberal western. Full of talk and no action. And this was the first western to show the old pioneers not fighting Indians, or putting down the bad guys, but as a bunch of greedy cowards who turn their back on old coop when he needs them.

Had it been made 10 years later, Kramer would have shown the townspeople kicking some poor native-american or sneering at some noble black cowboy (played by sidney poitier).