.jpg)
Film: High Noon
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Country: USA
Released: July 1952
Runtime: 85 minutes
Genre: Western
Studio: United Artists
Influenced: Sidney Lumet, Clint Eastwood, Tarantino, Kelly Reichardt, Paul Greengrass
High Noon is taut and perfectly paced – right from the opening song, with its refrain of "do not forsake me, oh my darling", the scene is set. This is a film about looking for solidarity in times of trouble and, even when it's not found, still standing your ground. Having an iconic theme song was a novelty for westerns at the time (Dimitri Tiomkin's score won him an Oscar), an innovation that would be one of the many reasons for High Noon's lasting influence on the genre. Another groundbreaking element of the film was its use of real-time storytelling. There had been some real-time cinematic precursors, such as Hitchcock's Rope (1948), but no film had previously used it so effectively to build tension, suspense and immediacy, with the audience living through the events of the film and the feeling of the clock ticking in the same 85-minute timeframe experienced by the characters.
Based on John Cunningham's 1947 short story The Tin Star, High Noon's script was written by Carl Foreman and the plot revolves around a sheriff named Will Kane (played by Gary Cooper) who is preparing to retire and leave the small town of Hadleyville with his new bride (Grace Kelly). However, just as they are about to leave, news arrives that a dangerous outlaw, Frank Miller (Ian McDonald), has been released from prison and is heading to Hadleyville with his sidekicks (including a first starring role for Lee Van Cleef as Colby) on the noon train to seek revenge on Kane. This sets up a tense and dramatic confrontation between Kane and Miller that keeps us on the edge of our seats throughout.
High Noon has been widely interpreted as a commentary on the McCarthy era and the blacklisting of suspected Communists in Hollywood. The film's director, Fred Zinnemann, and screenwriter, Carl Foreman, were both targeted by the House Un-American Activities Committee for their alleged Communist sympathies, and High Noon has been seen as a response to that persecution. Apparently, John Wayne was initially offered the lead role, but refused because he thought the film was an allegory about Hollywood blacklisting, which he supported. Ironically, Wayne ended up agreeing to pick up Cooper's Best Actor award for this film at the 1953 Oscars.
High Noon's main theme of individual courage and standing up for what is right in the face of opposition is timeless and a key reason why the film continues to resonate with audiences today. On top of that, the film's technical innovations – such as real-time storytelling, telephoto lens long shots, dreamlike multiple exposures and use of the clock motif to create suspense – have elevated the film to the top tier of American westerns. High Noon also has some great cameo roles, such as Katy Jurado (her performance made her the first Latin American actress to win a Golden Globe) as the former flame of Kane and Thomas Mitchell (of Stagecoach fame) as the town's mayor.
By making his own stand with High Noon, Fred Zinnemann would go on to have a prestigious career in Hollywood, directing classic films such as From Here To Eternity (1953), A Man For All Seasons (1966) and Day Of The Jackal (1973). But High Noon remains his finest moment in the sun.
Comments