High Noon

Plot synopsis:
The movie opens with outlaws Jack Colby (Lee Van Cleef), Ben Miller (Sheb Wooley), and Jim Pierce (Robert Wilke) meeting up on horseback and riding into the small town of Hadleyville on a Sunday morning. As church bells ring out, the townspeople eye the notorious gang warily. Meanwhile, Marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper) and pacifist Quaker Amy Fowler (Grace Kelly) are getting married at the Justice of the Peace office. The three outlaws ride through town and settle in outside the train depot to await the noon arrival of gang leader Frank Miller.Marshal Kane and his radiant bride are congratulated by the town mayor (Thomas Mitchell) and the retired Marshal (Lon Chaney, Jr.), and Kane reluctantly hangs up his star per his wife's wishes. Just then a telegram arrives announcing the pardon of Frank Miller, who Kane had arrested and sent to prison for murder years earlier. The station master declares that Miller is coming on the noon train. Along with the arrival of the other three outlaws, it is obvious that the Miller gang is reuniting to come after Kane and the judge who sentenced Miller. Kane and Amy are quickly hustled out of town in hopes of avoiding bloodshed. Once out on the open road, Kane suddenly turns his buckboard around and tells a bewildered Amy that he can't run from his past. Besides, the new Marshal won't arrive until the following day and the town will be defenseless. Back in town, the world-weary judge who sentenced Miller to prison is packing up his office and getting out of town. He advises Kane to do the same.Kane's hot-headed young deputy, Harvey Pell (Lloyd Bridges), who was passed over for the Marshal's job, presses Kane to turn over the reins to him and get out of town. Kane declines. Complicating things is the fact that Deputy Pell has taken up with saloon owner Helen Ramirez (Katy Jurado), a former lover of both Kane and Frank Miller. With Miller coming back, Helen Ramirez decides to sell the saloon and leave town. Determined not to be a widow, Amy Fowler also buys a ticket on the departing noon train.At the train depot, Ben Miller grows impatient and rides in to pay a visit to the town saloon, where he is welcomed like a returning hero. As Miller leaves, he runs straight into Kane and they exchange glares. Kane enters the unfriendly confines of the saloon to ask for volunteers and overhears the surly bartender speculating he will soon be shot dead. An angry Kane knocks him to the floor. The jeering saloon patrons rebuff Kane and he leaves empty handed. Kane then pays a visit to the packed church and interrupts the sermon to ask for help. A heated debate erupts among the parishioners, and a lesson in civics follows as a few brave citizens stand up for Kane and the rest find excuses to avoid conflict. The realization that he may be fighting alone begins to dawn on Kane. A visit to the retired and cynical former Marshal only produces another rejection.Meanwhile, Amy drops in on a surprised Helen Ramirez, searching for an answer to Kane's stubborn refusal to leave. Amy thinks her husband is staying because of Ramirez. Ramirez sets her straight. In a moment of weakness, Kane goes to the livery stable and thinks about saddling his horse and leaving. Deputy Pell sees him and follows him in, pressuring him to leave. When Kane resists, Harvey slugs him. A desperate fistfight ensues, which Kane wins. Kane goes to the barber's office to clean up and hears the undertaker building a coffin.Back at the Marshal's office, the one man who has volunteered to stand with Kane backs out when he discovers they will be alone. After the man leaves, Kane makes out his will and leaves it in a desk drawer. The clock ticks down the last seconds before noon. Suddenly, the shrill whistle of the approaching train sounds. The three outlaws lace up their gunbelts as the train nears. In a heartwrenching scene, Kane steps out onto the street just as Amy and Helen Ramirez drive by on their way to the station. Amy looks away, but Helen doesn't. Just as the two women arrive at the station, Frank Miller steps off the train, makes eye contact with Helen, and turns away to strap on a gun belt. In an iconic scene, the camera goes wide to reveal Marshal Kane all alone on the deserted streets.The Miller gang walks into town, where Kane is waiting. Kane catches a break when foolish Ben Miller smashes a shop window to steal a hat. Kane circles behind the gang on their blind side and calls out. When they whirl around, Kane drops Ben Miller. Amy hears the gunshot as the train pulls out and jumps off. She runs into town to find Ben Miller dead in the street. Kane is soon caught in a crossfire and takes refuge in the hayloft of the livery stable. Colby rushes the stable, only to be gunned down by Kane. The remaining two outlaws set fire to the stables and prepare to shoot Kane as he is smoked out. Kane drives the frantic horses out, concealing himself Indian-style in the midst of the fleeing horses. He escapes, but not without getting shot off his horse. The wounded Kane holes up in a small store as Miller and Pierce pour shots Into the building. Pierce stops to reload in front of the Marshal's office across the street and is suddenly shot in the back at close range. As he collapses, Amy is revealed behind the shattered window, gun in hand. Frank Miller realizes what has happened and takes Amy hostage, using her as a shield to approach Kane's position. Miller calls Kane out, threatening to kill Amy unless he shows himself. Kane lowers his gun and steps out. Knowing that Miller is about to kill her husband, Amy spins around and claws Miller's face as he throws her down. Marshal Kane quickly takes aim and kills Miller. As the townspeople flood into the street, Kane's wagon is driven up so the couple can resume their wedding journey. Will Kane surveys the ungrateful townspeople scornfully and drops his tin star into the dust.

Tags: murder, revenge, suspenseful, atmospheric, violence

Review:
No matter how bravely we act, nor how much we want to think heroically of ourselves, 90% of us would cower in the shadows when the time came to do what Will Kane does in this movie.On his wedding day, dependable lawman Will Kane (Gary Cooper) has just handed in his badge and is preparing to leave town with his bride Amy (Grace Kelly) when he receives devastating news.
As time ticks unstoppably towards noon, Kane gradually realises that if he's going to stop Miller and his boys, he's going to have to do it alone!Cooper's performance is extremely powerful and he received a thoroughly deserved Oscar for it.
Gary Cooper's greatest role, at 50, as the newly-married sheriff, Will Kane, left to fend for himself against his returning enemies, abandoned by the town he remains loyal to, and played out in real time through its 90 minute running time.Ably supported by Grace Kelly as his pacifist Quaker wife, who discovers love and right triumphs over long-held preconceptions; Katy Jurado as Kane's former mistress, a fiery Latino type; and Lloyd Bridges as the feisty deputy; Cooper runs away with the acting honours.
The rest of the movie is a study in character: will he stand his ground when his entire world crumbles around him?It is puzzling that Howard Hawks, John Wayne, and others thought of High Noon as un-American.
If the town had stood by the Marshal, we would have seen, at best, an excellent Western like Rio Bravo, but not a masterpiece like High Noon.
On the day of his wedding with Amy (Grace Kelly) and simultaneous retirement of the position of Marshal, Will Kane (Gary Cooper) receives a telegram advising that the criminal Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald) had been released from the prison.
Having less one hour and half to organize his defense, Kane tries to organize a posse but sees every citizen turns back to him, in a cowardly way and he stands alone against the killers."High Noon" is a low-budget western with a tense and suspenseful storyline.
The tension is built in real time and Gary Cooper has an outstanding performance in the role of a Marshal moved by his duty to protect the town that does not deserve him.
When the time comes, Grace does the right thing.Like his rival in western films, John Wayne, Gary Cooper had one of the great faces for movie closeups.
I don't think High Noon would have attained the classic status it has without that song.Another great performance in the film is Lon Chaney, Jr. as the former town marshal, old and cynical, who'd like to help Cooper out, but at his age and health realizes he'd be more of a hindrance.
But stripped of its novelty after a first viewing and the fact that its gimmicks have been ransacked countless times by other movies over the years, there isn't much to revisit.I suspect Gary Cooper's acclaim in this role came from people who were tickled to see an iconic movie actor playing an iconic movie type, rather than because he created a flesh-and-blood human being that anybody really cared about.
Movies like "High Noon" are necessary, because they introduce new ways of doing things and add new phrases to film language.
And Then It Happened.A telegram reaches him to let him know that Frank Miller, an outlaw killer whom Kane thought was to be hanged, has been pardoned and will arrive at the Hadleyville train station at high noon.
One of the best parts of the movie is where Pell tries to allay his guilt by trying to get Kane to run away; if Kane won't fight, Pell thinks his own cowardice will feel more excusable.Grace Kelly, in her first major role, is quite good as a woman whose Quaker religion compels her to pacifism, and cannot understand her husband's need to meet violence with violence.
Still, whatever its flaws as an allegory, HIGH NOON is one heck of a great western and a great story.Fred Zinneman did a very good job on directing the movie, with one exception.
In the end the result is NOBODY stood by him in his hour of need, in spite of the fact that many in the town owed their lives and fortunes to Kaine cleaning up the town.The best device in this movie - added after a preview called the film dull - is the constant showing of the clock, ticking away the precious minutes Kaine has.
The so-called "climatic" end of the movie was the feared Frank Miller getting his face scratched out by a woman (Grace Kelly) right before Cooper shot him.
(For instance, Yankees are invading in the 1860s, and heroically, a Quaker family comes to its senses to do the honorable thing.) Naturally I don't aim to judge a movie by its ideology, but this is the kind of movie that asks to be so judged; and while I'm not a Quaker myself, I can't help groan at every reformulation.* Look, Mr. Cooper: If nobody wants to be your deputy in the entire durned town; and the only people this notorious murderer aims to be gunning for are you and your judge pal; and the judge pal early off decided to hit the road: Then what makes you a hero for sticking around?
But, Mr. Cooper stepping on his badge; generally being dispirited about his duties and about the town that didn't want him to help them -- why can't Coop just let the people live their lives as they please, 'stead of begging for help to serve his pride?Coop, indeed, "...a man too proud to run away." Only everything in HIGH NOON indicates the audience ought to admire this stubborn pride..
But it's really a movie in love with its gimmick--the film is presented in real time with the action taking place in just under ninety minutes--and Zinneman's constant close-ups of clocks in just about every locale becomes distracting and obvious.
I defy anyone to see these movies and think HIGH NOON is more enjoyable, exciting, or involving: WINCHESTER '73, THE NAKED SPUR, BEND OF THE RIVER, THE MAN FROM LARAMIE, THE TALL T, RIDE LONESOME, SEVEN MEN FROM NOW, COMANCHE STATION, THE SEARCHERS, THE WILD BUNCH, MAN OF THE WEST (and this one stars Cooper!), RUN OF THE ARROW, SHANE, SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON.....
Definitive western throughout the history of the cinema, "High Noon" works on so many levels because of the second-to-none screenplay, the subtle direction, and Gary Cooper's (Oscar-winning) greatest performance.
High Noon is a rather short western about Marshall Will Kane's (Oscar-winner Gary Cooper) day in the office as he fights to protect his town.
There are old icons of Hollywood in new and old roles (including good old Thomas Mitchell, who was in both films, and Lon Chaney Jr.), and the photography and music are interwoven and masterful even as they are in service to the director's high goals.Watch, even, as the stagecoach is racing out of town with our two romantic leads, played by Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly (an unlikely but well cast pair).
And of course it's the repeating, almost droning rhythm of the theme song, sung and played by legend Tex Ritter, that defines the movie in our memories.Clocks are a major character of sorts, because the movie is shot essentially real time, and as the first clock shows about quarter to eleven, we know there is just over an hour until, yes, high noon.
The tension is increased by depicting events in real time, with frequent shots of clock faces emphasising the passing of time between 10.40 am, when Kane first learns of Miller's impending return, and noon."High Noon" was nominated for seven Oscars and won four, including "Best Actor" for Cooper and two ("Best Score" and "Best Song") for Tiomkin, but lost out on "Best Director", "Best Screenplay" and "Best Picture", something which has been blamed on the political controversy surrounding it, although it may also have had something to do with the Academy's traditional snobbery about Westerns.
What we have here,in High Noon is the classic western,with a masterfully placed element of suspense.There are many ingredients you can use to create suspense,and one of the best of them is time.Filmed in almost real time,High Noon has to be the most uniquely made western ever.Gary Cooper gives us a more realistic hero.He very successfully proves that even the best of heroes can be afraid,because,after all,he is as human as the rest of us.What I also loved is the continuous playing of the movie's theme song,very faintly in the background as hero walked alone in the street.There are many debates as to the greatest western ever,and even I have trouble settling the matter in my own mind,but rest assured that High Noon should rank near the top on anyone's list.Classic!.
Meanwhile, that "big hand is movin' along, nearin' high noon"...The time element is critical to the film, as the movie plot (where Kane has from 10:45 to 11:45 AM available to him) coincides exactly with an hour of real time.
Clocks are everywhere in the town and frequently show the minutes ticking away, as the tension dramatically builds to the arrival of the four Miller hoodlums on that noon train.Grace Kelly, the late lovely lady and princess of Monaco, plays Amy, his blonde bride and "fair haired beauty".
I always feel like saddling up a horse and trotting nonchalantly along while singing it.However, apart from the dramatically done time element, this movie is made by Gary Cooper conveying masterfully the dilemma, conflict, and especially the personal integrity of the marshal, Will Kane, who is forced to stand alone against danger and evil, deserted by everyone including his new bride.
Both bring their respective films to life with background on the personalities involved and the times in which they were made."High Noon" opens as Will Kane (Gary Cooper) is about to leave town after marrying Amy Fowler (Grace Kelly), his young Quaker bride, and retiring as town marshal.
Well all I can say is that it's way over rated and extremely dated.There are supposed to be political undertones regarding the McCarthy era but you'd have to dig for them.Sorry, I know Cooper won an academy award for this film and I like him as an actor but the movie is just not that good..
In the town itself, Marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper) has just been wed to his beloved Amy (Grace Kelly) and about to begin the honeymoon when he gets news of Frank Miller's return.
Kane's high moral standards compel him to stick around for the confrontation, but will he be able to rally the town around him to clean up the streets once again?There are two reasons why I consider this movie to be a cinematic classic:First, it is actually a very complex film in terms of thematic material.
The lack of battles and shootings wasn't a problem for me as I liked the story driven approach in this film - there is a great deal of time spent on developing characters and we also learn a lot about the characters in this town (there are those that seem to side with Miller and those that side with Kane but these people have their own reasons for not wanting to help him).
As mentioned, this wasn't a problem for me as I enjoyed the story and found that I cared for Kane and his cause - the very fact that he was prepared to take on Miller and his gang with or without anyone's help made it all the better as far as I was concerned.High Noon is a solid western which may disappoint some people as it isn't as action packed or humorous as some of the westerns that have followed it.
Will Kane (Gary Cooper) is a retiring lawman all set to leave the town of Hadleyville with his new bride Amy (Grace Kelly).
Which is not bad considering there's no gun-play here until the last five minutes of its 85 minute running time.What makes High Noon so significant is that it's not a big movie in terms of production.
High points in this film are the way it was filmed in real time, Fred Zinnemann's direction and the fact that it was held to only 84 minutes.High Noon has none of the greatness of westerns like Shane and The Wild Bunch and doesn't even come close to a mediocre one like Unforgiven.
The 'High Noon" movie is a western story of a man who had too much pride to run.
Not the conventional John Wayne good guy proving to be higher than all, but a movie that portrays what life really is; you can't do everything by yourself you need the help of others.High Noon stars Gary Cooper and it was a subject of controversy at its time of release, with people deeming the protagonist behavior as un-American.
High Noon is not filled with the regular violence, shooting, riding and chase that most western films are known for except for the ending that is where the shooting finally took place.The movie plot is about the battle of a man, who had to carry the load of a town alone.
Will Kane (Gary Cooper) is the marshal of Hadleyville and he just got married to a pacifist Quaker Amy Fowler (Grace Kelly) and he planned to turn in his badge and go on a honey moon with his wife and start life elsewhere.But things changed when he learnt that the train that is coming to take him out of Hadleyville at 12pm is bring along with it Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald), who has been a form of a terrorist to the towns folks and a criminal which Kane took down a while back.Frank Miller had been sentenced to death by hanging but was pardoned, so he was riding back to the town where he got convicted to strike the cord of revenge on Kane.Kane now picks up the badge and decides to stay till Miller comes around so as to see what his plans are, because waiting for Miller's arrival is 3 of his gang men which Kane saw as a sign of upcoming trouble.The movie is about the difficulty Kane faced trying to raise a team of deputies to help face Miller and his boys should in case trouble arises.High Noon won 4 Academy Awards which included Best Actor in a Leading Role for Gary Cooper which was received for him by John Wayne who disliked the film, and has been noted to have said that his movie Rio Bravo was done as a response to High Noon.The movie director Fred Zinnermann who is known for his attention details, has won two Academy Awards for directing for the movies From Here to Eternity and A Man for All Seasons.High Noon is not your conventional westerns but it is a classic all the way, so there is no reason to see what AFI calls the 2nd best western movie.www.lagsreviews.com.
If you see Lee Van Cleef at the beginning and suspect a final duel for a showdown you're in the wrong place: this is a very American film, in both plot and theme.Marshall Will Kane (Gary Cooper)has been married for less than 10 minutes when he receives news that a killer he sent to jail is coming back for his revenge, his posse already waiting for his train.
What gives "High Noon" great thematic depth is its portrayal of human nature, as exemplified both in the character of Marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper), and in the people of an Old West town whom he's trying to protect.
Thus the film plays out almost in real time, with that great ticking clock plot device that other films like 3:10 TO YUMA would also utilise to ratchet up the suspense.The cast has some interesting supporting players in the forms of a youthful Grace Kelly, a cameoing Lon Chaney Jr., and Lee Van Cleef, who makes for a more imposing villain than the main bad guy.
The High Noon is a western classic that stars Gary Cooper as Hadleyville's marshal Will Kane, about to retire from office and go on his honey moon with his Quaker bride Amy. But Kane's happiness is quickly shortened when he is informed that the Miller gang is due on a train at noon.
Also worthy of note were; Lloyd Bridges as the ambitious Deputy Marshal Harvey Pell, Katy Jurado as Helen Ramírez, Grace Kelly as Amy Fowler Kane, Lon Chaney Jr. as Martin Howe, Harry Morgan as Sam Fuller, Ian MacDonald as Frank Miller and not forgetting, in his first ever big screen role, Lee Van Cleef as Jack Colby.Told in real time, it's quite an interesting and enthralling film.
In fact, writer Carl Foreman was one of the blacklisted figures in Hollywood.Gary Cooper, who was suffering from a painful ulcer during the 28 days it took to shoot High Noon, plays one of the great Western heroes Will Kane.
Gary Cooper is Marshal Will Kane a man who just married a Quaker woman Amy Fowler (Grace Kelly).
High Noon (1952) **** (out of 4) One of the all time greats dealing with a Marshal (Gary Cooper) who must leave his bride (Grace Kelly) behind on their wedding day when he learns that a former enemy and his gang are going to arrive in town with plans to kill him.
High Noon, which takes place entirely in the fictional small town of Hadleyville, is shot in real time; every minute on the clock is a minute on film, with a lot of cross cutting.
Zinnemann, High Noon is a drama that has many elements of a western movie (the whole Wild West setting) and its story tells us about a lonesome marshal (Gary Cooper) whose friends turned their backs on him when troubles arose.