"High Noon" was better than "Rio Bravo"

I should have defined it, apologies for that. And yes please! By all means give me pointers! :) And I won't post in the comment section anymore, no worries. On to the good stuff! The AFI = The American Film Institute IMDb = The Internet Movie Database (website) Blacklisting = People in the film industry being denied employment because they were suspected of being Communist (during the McCarthy era) My argument: I believe that while both "High Noon" and "Rio Bravo" were two extremely good movies, "High Noon" was ‘better' in several respects. 1. Better actors/acting, mainly Gary Cooper being better than John Wayne. While "Rio Bravo" had a very strong cast, "High Noon" simply outclassed it almost entirely with regards to the cast. For example, let us compare and contrast the lead actors: Gary Cooper had an acting career that lasted from 1925 until just before his death in 1961. He received five Academy Award nominations for Best Actor, winning twice for "Sergeant York" and you guessed it, "High Noon". He also received an Honorary Award in 1961 for his motion picture achievements. On the American Film Institute's list of Top 25 Male Actors ("AFI's 100 Years…100 Stars"), Cooper ranks 11th. His performances in "High Noon", "The Pride of the Yankees" and "Sergeant York" made the AFI's 100 Years…100 Heroes and Villains (all as heroes) with his role as Will Kane in "High Noon" ranking 5th. John Wayne is the biggest box office draw of all time, starring in 142 movies usually typecast in Westerns. He was nominated for Best Actor three times and won once for his performance in "True Grit". He received no Honorary Academy Award. He is also on the AFI's Top 25 Male Actors, but at 13th –two behind Cooper. His performance as Rooster Cogburn in "True Grit" made the 100 Years…100 Heroes and Villains as the 36th best hero, placing behind Cooper's worst performance on that list (35. Alvin C. York in "Sergeant York"). As for the rest of the cast, "High Noon" had much more depth. Though "Rio Bravo" featured icon Dean Martin and the famous Walter Brennan, "High Noon" sported the likes of Grace Kelly (who later became the Princess of Monaco!) and Thomas Mitchell. Even the smaller roles in "High Noon" had better actors, the best example being Lee Van Cleef as Jack Colby, one of the four villains. Van Cleef later became renowned as a classic Western villain, famously being the villain in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly". Thus "High Noon" had better actors and casting, as well as better acting. This is evidenced by Gary Cooper winning Best Actor for his role as Will Kane, when John Wayne was not even nominated for his role as John Chance. 2. "High Noon" receiving more recognition and accolades than "Rio Bravo". "High Noon" was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won four of them: -Best Actor in a Leading Role (Gary Cooper) -Best Film Editing -Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -Best Music, Song It was nominated for but did not win Best Director, Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay. It is also widely recognized by the AFI: American Film Institute recognition •1998 AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies -- #33 •2001 AFI's 100 Years…100 Thrills -- #20 •2003 AFI's 100 Years…100 Heroes and Villains: •Will Kane, hero #5 •2004 AFI's 100 Years…100 Songs: •"High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin')" -- #25 •2005 AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores -- #10 •2006 AFI's 100 Years…100 Cheers -- #27 •2007 AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) -- #27 •2008 AFI's 10 Top 10 Westerns -- #2 (of all time!) "Rio Bravo" on the other hand, was not nominated for any Academy Awards and has not been recognized by the AFI in any of its lists. Finally, possibly the best piece of evidence, is that "High Noon" was selected for preservation in the United States Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" in 1989 (the year the Registry was made). "Rio Bravo", however, has yet to be included in this exclusive group of films. Thus, "High Noon" was much more recognized than "Rio Bravo" in the film community and received numerous awards while the latter won none. 3. "High Noon" had a much larger cultural impact than "Rio Bravo" and more accurately portrayed society and the values represented by a leader. "High Noon" is often viewed as an allegory for the blacklisting of people in the film industry during the McCarthy era. Many interpret Marshal Will Kane's lone stand against the villains as heroically standing up to blacklisting when the rest of the townspeople (allegorically representing Hollywood people) were too afraid to fight it. However, the film eventually gained respect from even the conservatives and anti-Communists. It is the film most requested for viewing by U.S. Presidents: --Ronald Reagan, a conservative and fervent anti-Communist, said he appreciated the film because the main character had a strong dedication to duty, law, and the well being of the town despite the refusal of the townspeople to help. --Dwight Eisenhower loved the film and frequently screened it in the White House. --Bill Clinton cited "High Noon" as his favorite film and screened it a record 17 times at the White House. "Rio Bravo" (made by John Wayne) though still a masterpiece of American cinema, never had such an effect. On a side note, John Wayne actively supported blacklisting so he did not appreciate the critique of McCarthyism. "Rio Bravo" was made by John Wayne as a conservative response to "High Noon" because he stated the latter was the most "un-American thing I've ever seen in my whole life". This is in reference to the townspeople in "High Noon" refusing to help the Marshal because of their fear of the villains. In "Rio Bravo" the sheriff is in a very similar situation except he is surrounded by allies: his deputy, a young gunslinger, an old man, a Mexican innkeeper, the innkeeper's wife and an attractive young woman. The Sheriff repeatedly turns down aid from others because they are not "professionals". The portrayal in "High Noon" is much more realistic because Marshal Will Kane represents a true leader: one who stands up courageously to defend his society and the interests of his people even when his constituents don't think he is doing so. Though quaint, the "Rio Bravo" portrayal of this situation is much too idealistic. Everyone in the society is courageous and willing to fight off the dangerous villains even when the Sheriff does not want them to. Realistically, they would be afraid and look to their leader to save them because he has the courage they do not--which is why he is the Sheriff in the first place! Sheriff John Chance is a bad portrayal of a leader because even when basically everyone offers him help of any kind, he is pigheaded enough to say that they are not qualified enough to help him fight off the villains. Thus "High Noon" had a much larger legacy and impact than "Rio Bravo" and also is more accurate in its portrayal of society and the values represented by a leader. Note this: I will now be scrambling to finish up my numerous college applications by 1/1/12 so I might give my response last minute...sorry if that happens, but I hope you understand.