| The story opens showing a mean-looking
cowboy, waiting on his horse on a hill outside of the town, soon
two more menacing looking characters meet him there, and they
ride through town together to the other side and wait for the
12 noon train at the train station.
Meanwhile, in Hadleyville, the
soon to be retiring sheriff, Marshall Will Kane (Gary Cooper)
marries his Quaker bride, Amy (Grace Kelly) in a ceremony in
front of a judge and a group of happy friends. Soon after, Kane
gets a phone call that a criminal, Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald)
who originally had been convicted to hang, had just been pardoned
from a life sentence by a source in the northern part of the
state, and was on his way back down to seek revenge on Kane,
the man who had brought him to justice in the first place. A
concerned friend, who had seen Miller's gang waiting at the
train station, reported this to Kane and friends, who immediately
put Kane and his new wife on a wagon to leave town as they had
planned, to avoid Miller and his gang who would try to kill
Kane.
However, after leaving town, Kane
changes his mind and turns the wagon around and goes back to
town because he feels responsible to take care of this menace,
as the new sheriff won't arrive until the next day and he knows
that these men would just hunt them down anyway. Amy is horrified,
as she doesn't believe in violence and doesn't understand why
he must come back, when he isn't even the sheriff anymore. When
she can't get him to change his mind, she makes plans to leave
on the noon train.
However, since the Miller gang,
a scary bunch of rattlesnake like characters were waiting at
the train station, she decides to wait at the town hotel, where
she eventually meets Helen Ramirez (Katy Jurado) an old girl
friend of at least 3 men in town and Ken Miller. She plans to
leave town to avoid Miller and they plan to leave together,
but not before Helen tells Amy an important moral truth to consider.
Despite asking everyone in the
saloon to a nearby church, Kane can get no one to help him fight
the Miller gang. People who want to join the fight are dissuaded
by arguments by those who are afraid of risking their lives,
who don't feel this is their battle, who feel the idiots who
turned Miller loose should come down and take care of this mess,
and those who feel that the investors who plan to put money
in the town won't do so if there is a big gun battle there.
So, the consensus is that if Kane just leaves, there will be
no trouble from the Miller gang. Kane knows better.
So, at 11:55 AM, while Ken Miller
is being met by his boys at the station, Kane is in the Sheriff's
office, writing out his last will and testament, and then goes
outside to wait for the inevitable confrontation. Sure enough
at 12 noon sharp, Miller and his sleazy co-horts stroll into
the deserted streets, looking for Kane.
Meanwhile, just before the train
pulls out, Amy hears a gun shot, and she jumps off the train,
and runs toward town, to find not her new husband, but one of
Miller's henchmen dead in the street.
A suspenseful cat and mouse game
ensues, to the exciting conclusion. Integrity and doing what
is right overcomes overwhelming evil and cowardice, but at a
price paid by Kane, his wife and the town.
"High Noon" screenplay, by the
brilliant Carl Forman was based on a story, "The Tin Star"
by John W. Cunningham. This story of morality, integrity and
duty was nominated for the Oscar in screen writing, and was
considered the summit of his career. Carl was black-listed soon
after by the House Committee of Un-American Activities because
of his past associations.
Producer Stanley Kramer and Carl
Foreman, who had worked on previous socially conscious films
together, came together to do "High Noon," a timeless film which
examines the best and the worst of human nature in society,
perhaps mirroring their own times, and ours as well, as human
beings haven't changed a bit, having the same weaknesses and
strengths.
Director Fred Zinnemann, who received
an Oscar nomination, does a terrific job putting the audience
in Kane's shoes, telling the story through Kane's point of view,
as he is continuously turned down when he asks the people of
the town for help in the upcoming battle ahead. The last hour,
between 11:00 AM and 12:00 PM is in real time. It seems as if
the audience is standing right beside Kane as he experiences
one disappointment after another, the events leading up to the
climatic shoot-out, and the last gun battle, with its twists,
turns, and the surprise help Kane gets from the least likely
person, which probably saves his life and future.
Zinnemann's direction and a fine,
talented cast of actors and actresses all working together breathes
life into this classic western which has inspired many other
films, both dramatic and comedic in nature.
Gary Cooper gave a terrific performance
as the duty-bound, brave soon-to-be-retired lawman willing to
stay and do the right thing, and not succumb to overwhelming
pressure to act otherwise. His facial expressions and physical
ability to show the audience what he is feeling is very effective.
Cooper won the Best Actor Oscar.
Grace Kelly is perfectly cast as
the new Quaker bride, Amy Kane who has a big struggle within
herself between her strong faith and belief in non-violence
and the love and loyalty for "her man."
Katy Jurado gives a strong performance
as Helen Ramirez, who is an influential influence with a vital
message for Amy.
It was a bit of a shock, but still
entertaining to see both Henry Morgan (Sam Fuller) and Lloyd
Bridges (Deputy Harvey Pell) play such cowardly, self-centered
characters, unwilling to back up Kane despite past friendship
with him.
The villains are well-portrayed
in non-verbal ways by Lee Van Clef (Jack Colby), Robert Wilke
(James Pierce), Ben Miller (Shelby Wooley) and Ian MacDonald,
who plays the vengeful king pen Ken Miller.
Lee Van Clef's mostly non-verbal
portrayal of Jack Colby was the role that brought him much notice
and acclaim, and launched his career in playing "memorably villainous
characters" in many films to come.
Robert Wilke's portrayal of the
dastardly James Pierce, also was a big catalyst that propelled
his career of playing menacing villains into higher quality
films and resulted in his prolific work in television.
While "High Noon" is not rated,
it is a great film for family viewing, because it explores the
timeless conflict human beings must face; the choice of doing
what is right, despite how hard or unpopular it is, or choosing
what is perceived to be the best thing for oneself, or one's
own.
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