Along with STAGECOACH, this is one of my favorite Westerns and one of my favorite films. For people who shy away from Westerns, you should give the better ones a chance. I've found that Hollywood used the Western at times to talk about sensitive topics with a bit of distance like Hollywood does with Sci-Fi nowadays.
The story is simple, Will Kane (Gary Cooper, MEET JOHN DOE) sent Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald, JOHNNY GUITAR) up for murder, but Miller gets out on parole and comes gunning for Kane. It's Kane's wedding day to a Quaker named Amy (Grace Kelly, REAR WINDOW, TO CATCH A THIEF) and she wants to run, but Will knows the killers will just hunt him down and he'll live in fear until that day. Will tries to round up a posse, but for various reasons everyone backs away.
There's a bunch of subplots with the young former deputy, Harvey Pell (Lloyd Bridges, AIRPLANE!), and the hotel owner, Mrs. Helen Ramirez (Katy Jurado, HI-LO COUNTRY). A special note about Jurado. Her performance is magnificent with a power that reminded me of Sidney Poitier in IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT. Her role is an amazingly good part for a Hispanic woman in 1952. She's the only Hispanic woman to ever be nominated for an Oscar (BROKEN LANCE). HIGH NOON is worth seeing just for her.
In addition to Jurado, Cooper gives another iconic performance in a career full of them. He has a nervous sense of duty. You can sense his fear growing as noon approaches. It's this vulnerability that adds to the tension. The beautiful Kelly always had a fitting first name. She brings a grace to every role she plays. Her scenes with Jurado are powerful, really defining the torment she feels inside fighting her religious convictions for non-violence and her love for her husband who is dedicated to doing what was right even if that means engaging in violence.
The film runs in real-time, so when there's only an hour left until the noon train arrives there's only an hour left in the film. This wonderful tension building technique really works when time starts getting thin and we catch clocks marking only a few minutes left. The black & white cinematography is amazing; where single images are allowed to tell the story. The crane shot before the showdown is one of my all-time favorite shots. Cooper's nervousness along with the isolation of the shot is breathtaking.
The film is a masterpiece depicting the sad nature of people when things get rough and what they really think of law and order. Adding an even deeper level to the film, writer Carl Foreman was a blacklisted writer during the Red Scare days. When the going got tough people didn't back him up either.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
