High Noon (B or 3/4 stars)
Western classic 'High Noon' (directed by Fred Zinnemann) stars 51 yr. old Gary Cooper as Will Kane, a beleaguered sheriff about to retire & depart on his honeymoon with his pacifist Quaker bride, Amy (23 yr. old Grace Kelly). But Will's momentary happiness is short-lived when he is told at 10:40a.m. that the Miller gang (led by Ian McDonald) he had arrested some time ago have been released from prison. They are due to arrive on the 12:00p.m. train, and are looking to exact revenge. Amy pleads with Will to leave town with her & forget the Millers, but that's not his M.O. Protecting his town of Hadleyburg has always been & IS his primary duty. But when Will asks for deputies to help fend off the evil Millers, shockingly, virtually nobody will stand by his side!
People like Deputy Harvey Pell (Lloyd Bridges) want the vacant sheriff position & lives with Will's ex-mistress (beautiful Katy Jurado) -- he ain't helping out. Will's mentor, Martin (Lon Chaney Jr.), can't help; as he is ill & unable to wield a gun. Even Will's new wife Amy deserts him (not wanting to see his near-certain demise). All the while, the clock ticks away & High Noon fast approaches. The townspeople cowardly leave their sheriff to face the music alone. Conflicted, nervous, but proud ... Will Kane walks into the center of town, preparing himself (and himself alone) for his ultimate showdown with the murderous Millers.
I'm sorry to say that I was mildly disappointed with this, my 1st viewing of 'High Noon'. It's certainly not a bad film, but I don't feel it warrants the status it has as an iconic Western; or just an iconic movie, period. Now, I enjoyed the opening segment. I enjoyed the last 5-10 minutes or so. And I was entranced by Katy Jurado's performance as Helen Ramirez, a headstrong woman who must make some decisions & make 'em fast. I also loved a moment near the end when Gary Cooper tosses his sheriff's star into the dirt out of disgust. I felt disgusted for him, too. But I'm afraid that my adoration ends with all of that.
Visually, I think that 'High Noon' looks rather cheap. The black-&-white cinematography is grainy (something that the director apparently didn't like, either). The camerawork is fine, if unimaginative. The town design is okay. Gary Cooper's Will Kane is a hero. But he's also weary, ill-humored, & depressed that his town deserts him -- that's one sad-sack hero for ya. Cooper has his moments. But overall, I would not have awarded him Best Actor at the Academy Awards that year. There wasn't much back story/complexity to the role - and that goes for most of the characters & the script. Sure, we know that the Millers are "bad", that Amy is a "Quaker", & that Will used to be with Helen Ramirez. But I would have liked some flourish/depth to those characters. Maybe we could have seen a scene or two of the Millers in action. Maybe we could have seen just one moment of levity btwn. Will & Helen; or even with his new bride, Amy. But there wasn't any of that.
Thematically, 'High Noon' can be viewed as an attack on the McCarthy witch hunts. Or it also can be viewed/enjoyed simply for its concise depiction of heroism & self-sacrifice. One other quick note, John Wayne - King of the Western - was so appalled at the notion of a Western marshal having to beg for help from his townsfolk that he & director Howard Hawks made Rio Bravo in 1959 as a direct rebuttal to this earlier film. For what it's worth, I wasn't crazy about that Western, either {haha}. 'High Noon' went on to win 4(!) Academy Awards: Cooper's afformentioned win, editing (I respect that), musical score (its okay), & song (redundant in its theme). Funny enough, Katy Jurado missed out on a Best Supporting Actress nomination, and I thought she was clearly the best aspect of the film. 'High Noon' can be viewed for its psychological undertones, political message, or simply as a 'decent' entertainment. I just expected it to be better than decent.
People like Deputy Harvey Pell (Lloyd Bridges) want the vacant sheriff position & lives with Will's ex-mistress (beautiful Katy Jurado) -- he ain't helping out. Will's mentor, Martin (Lon Chaney Jr.), can't help; as he is ill & unable to wield a gun. Even Will's new wife Amy deserts him (not wanting to see his near-certain demise). All the while, the clock ticks away & High Noon fast approaches. The townspeople cowardly leave their sheriff to face the music alone. Conflicted, nervous, but proud ... Will Kane walks into the center of town, preparing himself (and himself alone) for his ultimate showdown with the murderous Millers.
I'm sorry to say that I was mildly disappointed with this, my 1st viewing of 'High Noon'. It's certainly not a bad film, but I don't feel it warrants the status it has as an iconic Western; or just an iconic movie, period. Now, I enjoyed the opening segment. I enjoyed the last 5-10 minutes or so. And I was entranced by Katy Jurado's performance as Helen Ramirez, a headstrong woman who must make some decisions & make 'em fast. I also loved a moment near the end when Gary Cooper tosses his sheriff's star into the dirt out of disgust. I felt disgusted for him, too. But I'm afraid that my adoration ends with all of that.
Visually, I think that 'High Noon' looks rather cheap. The black-&-white cinematography is grainy (something that the director apparently didn't like, either). The camerawork is fine, if unimaginative. The town design is okay. Gary Cooper's Will Kane is a hero. But he's also weary, ill-humored, & depressed that his town deserts him -- that's one sad-sack hero for ya. Cooper has his moments. But overall, I would not have awarded him Best Actor at the Academy Awards that year. There wasn't much back story/complexity to the role - and that goes for most of the characters & the script. Sure, we know that the Millers are "bad", that Amy is a "Quaker", & that Will used to be with Helen Ramirez. But I would have liked some flourish/depth to those characters. Maybe we could have seen a scene or two of the Millers in action. Maybe we could have seen just one moment of levity btwn. Will & Helen; or even with his new bride, Amy. But there wasn't any of that.
Thematically, 'High Noon' can be viewed as an attack on the McCarthy witch hunts. Or it also can be viewed/enjoyed simply for its concise depiction of heroism & self-sacrifice. One other quick note, John Wayne - King of the Western - was so appalled at the notion of a Western marshal having to beg for help from his townsfolk that he & director Howard Hawks made Rio Bravo in 1959 as a direct rebuttal to this earlier film. For what it's worth, I wasn't crazy about that Western, either {haha}. 'High Noon' went on to win 4(!) Academy Awards: Cooper's afformentioned win, editing (I respect that), musical score (its okay), & song (redundant in its theme). Funny enough, Katy Jurado missed out on a Best Supporting Actress nomination, and I thought she was clearly the best aspect of the film. 'High Noon' can be viewed for its psychological undertones, political message, or simply as a 'decent' entertainment. I just expected it to be better than decent.