High Noon
| High Noon | |
|---|---|
| File:High Noon poster.jpg Film poster | |
| Directed by | Fred Zinnemann |
| Written by | John W. Cunningham (Story) Carl Foreman (Screenplay) |
| Produced by | Stanley Kramer Carl Foreman |
| Starring | Gary Cooper Thomas Mitchell Lloyd Bridges Katy Jurado Grace Kelly |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release dates | July 7, 1952 (Sweden) |
Running time | 85 min |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $750,000 USD (est.) |
High Noon is a 1952 western film which tells the story of a town marshal who is forced to face a gang of killers by himself.
The movie was written by John W. Cunningham (story) and Carl Foreman, based on a pulp short story, The Tin Star. It was directed by Fred Zinnemann, a controversial choice, since the producers were uncertain that an Austrian Jew would be able to direct the quintessential American genre: the Western[citation needed]. Zinnemann himself was highly influenced by the books of Karl May, which he had read as a child. Writer Carl Foreman was also the producer of the film, but he was uncredited as he had been blacklisted by the MPAA after having been summoned to appear before the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
Plot
Will Kane (Gary Cooper), the marshal of Hadleyville, has just married pacifist Quaker Amy (Grace Kelly) and turned in his badge, preparing to move away, when the town hears that Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald), a man he had sent to the gallows, has been pardoned. Miller is due to arrive on the noon train and his gang is waiting for him at the station. The worried townspeople encourage Kane to leave to defuse Miller's desire for revenge.
Kane and his wife leave town; however, Kane has a crisis of conscience and turns back. He reclaims his badge and tries to swear in deputies to back him up against Miller and his three gang members, but as time goes on, it becomes clear that no one is willing to get involved. Many want Kane to go away, hoping that with him gone, the Miller gang will not cause any trouble. Even his deputy, Harvey Pell (Lloyd Bridges), refuses to help. Only his implied former lover, Helen Ramírez (Katy Jurado), supports him, but there is little she can do to help. His wife threatens to leave on the noon train without him if he stays, but he stubbornly refuses to give in.
In the end, Kane faces the four gunmen by himself. He shoots down two of Miller's men. Amy chooses her husband's life over her religious beliefs and kills the third by shooting him in the back. Miller then takes her hostage and offers to trade her for Kane. Kane agrees, coming out into the open. Amy, however, struggles with Miller, clawing his face. Kane shoots and kills Miller. In front of the townspeople who have come out of hiding, he then contemptuously throws his marshal's star in the dirt and leaves town with his wife. Template:Endspoiler
Analysis
High Noon, often described as an "existential Western", is generally praised, although it was somewhat controversial upon its release in 1952. Cooper's character is betrayed by all the "good" men in town who won't take up arms for a just cause. Carl Foreman stated the film was intended as an allegory of the contemporary failure of intellectuals to combat the rise of McCarthyism, as well as how people in Hollywood had remained silent while their peers were blacklisted. Ironically, the film has also been embraced by conservatives who admire its emphasis on duty and courage.
High Noon transpires virtually in real-time, in contrast to traditional westerns such as The Searchers. In another departure from the norm, there is little action until the final 10 minutes. The only exception is a fistfight between Kane and his former deputy, Harvey Pell. The film's tension derives mainly from Kane’s desperation, aided by skillful editing and strong character portrayal. The frequent shots of various clocks with the hands approaching noon and still shots of those involved, heighten the tension.
Another effective technique is the crane shot, just before the final gunfight. The shot backs up and rises, and we see Will totally alone and isolated on the street. The entire town has deserted him.
The director intended to capture the atmosphere of old Civil War photographs, with an austere gray sky as a backdrop. (This effect results from the fact that early film emulsions were most sensitive to blue and ultraviolet light; Zinneman's attempts to reproduce this effect in the film were one of the reasons he strongly opposed its proposed colorization). Despite the constraints of a limited budget ($750,000) and only 32 days to film, he was able to obtain this.[1]
Reception and awards
Upon its release, the film was criticized by many filmgoers, as the film, which was considered to be a western did not contain accepted western archetypes such as chases, violence and action. Rather, it contained emotional and moralistic dialogue throughout most of the film except the last few minutes where the action scenes take place.[2]
High Noon is consistently on the Internet Movie Database's list of top 250 films, was #33 on American Film Institute's 100 Years, 100 Movies[3], and has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
The film was ranked #20 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills[4] and #27 on their 100 Years... 100 Cheers countdown lists.[5] The Will Kane character was ranked #5 in the top 50 screen heroes in the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains list.[6]
The movie won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Gary Cooper), Best Film Editing, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (Dimitri Tiomkin), and Best Music, Song (Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington for "Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin'", sung by Tex Ritter). It was nominated for Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Writing, Screenplay.
Mexican actress Katy Jurado won the Golden Globe as Best Supporting Actress for her role of Helen Ramirez becoming the first Mexican actress ever to receive such an award.
Remakes
- A made-for-TV sequel, High Noon Part II: The Return Of Will Kane (produced in 1980, 28 years after the original movie was released), featured Lee Majors in the Cooper role.
- The 1980 science fiction film Outland borrowed from the story of High Noon for its plot. The movie starred Sean Connery.
- The Miami Vice episode "The Afternoon Plane" borrowed both plot and characters directly from the movie.
- In 2000, High Noon was entirely re-worked for cable television with Tom Skerritt in the lead role.
Cast
- Gary Cooper as Marshal Will Kane. There was some controversy over the casting of Cooper in the lead role. Although he had already won an Oscar for his performance in Sergeant York, he was considered too old for the part, and was, at fifty, nearly thirty years older than co-star Kelly.
- Grace Kelly as Amy (Fowler) Kane
- Katy Jurado as Helen Ramirez
- Lloyd Bridges as Deputy Sheriff Harvey Pell
- Ian MacDonald as Frank Miller
- Thomas Mitchell as Mayor Jonas Henderson
- Otto Kruger as Judge Percy Mettrick
- Lon Chaney Jr. as Martin Howe (as Lon Chaney)
- Harry Morgan as Sam Fuller (as Henry Morgan)
- Eve McVeagh as Mildred Fuller
- Morgan Farley as Dr. Mahin, Minister
- Harry Shannon as Cooper
- Lee Van Cleef as Jack Colby
- Robert J. Wilke as Pierce (as Robert Wilke)
- Sheb Wooley as Ben Miller
- Jack Elam as Charlie the Drunkard (uncredited)
Trivia
- High Noon is the film most requested for viewing by American Presidents.[7]
- John Wayne strongly disliked the film because he knew it was an allegory for blacklisting, which he and his best friend Ward Bond had actively supported. He later teamed up with director Howard Hawks to make Rio Bravo as a right-wing response. In his controversial Playboy interview from May 1971, Wayne stated he considered High Noon "the most un-American thing I’ve ever seen in my whole life"[7] and went on to say he would never regret having helped blacklist liberal screenwriter Carl Foreman from Hollywood.
Polish Solidarity Citizens' Committee election poster for elections of 1989.
- High Noon was an inspiration for the election poster of the Solidarity movement in Poland. The poster featuring Gary Cooper became an inspiration for the Polish people and a Polish cultural symbol. Lech Wałęsa wrote: Under the headline "At High Noon" runs the red Solidarity banner and the date--June 4, 1989--of the poll. It was a simple but effective gimmick that, at the time, was misunderstood by the Communists. They, in fact, tried to ridicule the freedom movement in Poland as an invention of the "Wild" West, especially the U.S. But the poster had the opposite impact: Cowboys in Western clothes had become a powerful symbol for Poles. Cowboys fight for justice, fight against evil, and fight for freedom, both physical and spiritual. Solidarity trounced the Communists in that election, paving the way for a democratic government in Poland. It is always so touching when people bring this poster up to me to autograph it. They have cherished it for so many years and it has become the emblem of the battle that we all fought together.[8]
- If the movie is paused at the end, where Will Kane's sheriff's badge is lying in the sand, a couple of other stars are visible lying next to it, partly buried. This is because the crew forgot to remove the stars from previous takes. [citation needed]
- The ending of Dirty Harry was meant as a homage to High Noon.
- In the film Die Hard, Alan Rickman's character Hans Gruber mocks Bruce Willis, saying "Still the cowboy, Mr. McClane? Americans, all alike. Well, this time John Wayne does not walk off into the sunset with Grace Kelly." Willis responds, "That was Gary Cooper, asshole."
- Two computer games based on the movie were made in the 1980's, High Noon and Kane.
- The town scenes were filmed in Columbia State Park
References
- ^ "High Noon - Box office / business." IMDb. 15 Mar 2007.
- ^ The Making of High Noon, hosted by Leonard Maltin, 1992. Available on the Region 1 DVD from Artisan Entertainment.
- ^ http://www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/movies.aspx
- ^ http://www.afi.com/Docs/tvevents/pdf/thrills100.pdf
- ^ http://www.afi.com/docs/tvevents/pdf/cheers100.pdf
- ^ "AFI's 100 years...100 heroes & villains."
- ^ a b Manfred Weidhorn. "High Noon." Bright Lights Film Journal. February 2005. Accessed 15 March 2007.
- ^ Lech Walesa. "In Solidarity." The Wall Street Journal. 11 June 2004. Accessed 15 March 2007.