High Noon (1952)

HIGH NOON (1952)

By Joe Martinez - ****

One of the most influential westerns of all time, High Noon is one of the most atypical, original films of the genre ever made. Strongly directed by Fred Zinneman it avoids most of its clichés from the traditional western, which is one of the main reasons why it is considered by many to be a prototype for the future subgenre they call “Revisionist”.  The movie stars long-time box-office star Gary Cooper delivering a groundbreaking Oscar® winning performance as the brave Marshal Will Kane who just married Quaker converted young lady Amy Fowler which was portrayed by Grace Kelly in the role that jumpstarted her star-making four-year film career before it came to an end after becoming Princess of Monaco. The marriage between the not yet former marshal and pacifist bride doesn’t go well due to an unjust pardoning of mean, violent outlaw Frank Miller (Ian McDonald) with a brother of his and two more goons (one of them played by future Man With No Name co-star Lee Van Cleef in a non-speaking role) waiting for their leader at Hadleyville’s train station. Carl Foreman’s gripping screenplay was based on one of those stories published by then popular magazine “The Saturday Evening Post” this one called “The Tin Star” and written by John W. Cunningham.

Additional elements to the film’s plot are especially those concerning Kane’s attempt to stop the Millers and the gang which becomes far more risky just because Hadleyville’s citizens turn out to be mostly cowardly, including the town’s judge, mayor, among others not wanting to help Kane. Even Kane’s own deputy Marshal, Harvey Pell (a fascinating portrayal by Jeff’s father Lloyd Bridges) refuses to help but for a different reason, he is an immature person overcome by jealousy because Kane was never interested in promoting him to full Marshal, possibly to due to his childish behavior. The movie won four academy awards including the one I mentioned before, Gary Cooper (his second) for best actor, film editing, musical score outstandingly composed by the great Dmitri Tiomkin, and even it’s wonderfully memorable song “Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darlin’” sung by John’s father ex-singing cowboy film star Tex Ritter. The awards were well given, especially because the song makes this film an extremely powerful motion picture worth identifying with its complex tone.

What really surprises me with this film is that Floyd Crosby’s (the father of 60s musician, David) cinematography was not even nominated and that is unfair because “High Noon” happens to be one of the finest Black & White films ever photographed. Thankfully, the film editing is another well-deserving Oscar® win because it happens to tell High Noon in real time. This concept was seldom used in other films and sometimes we do need a good number of films told like this in a while. That’s what makes High Noon an important motion picture, the fact that the takes were shot making the film absolutely realistic.

The results of High Noon are all terrifically excellent. It is by far one of the finest westerns ever made with compelling performances by the entire cast of the picture and especially brilliant film editing. Zinneman’s dark tone for this film gives us an edgy feeling about Carl Foreman’s brilliant writing over the danger that Marshall Kane has to face on account of the town’s cowardly citizens plus his jealous deputy Marshall. It’s an exuberant milestone that’ll thrill viewers to the very end.