asleal You know the definition of character, right? It is what a person will do when they think no one is looking (or cares for that matter)! John Wayne said it best (Not in reference to this movie), "A man's got to do what a man's got to do"! That's what this movie is all about, a man's character, a good character, no, a great character! Good pitted against evil, the ultimate western. The irony, as always, is that "Good" has to be more violent, more ruthless, and more determined than any evil force or forces confronted....in our daily lives. Bravo for "High Noon"!

Mark Turner I've talked before about the resurgence in classic movies making their way to blu-ray format. It's a treat for movie fans and students of film to finally see these films in the most pristine condition possible. One company that's been releasing films this way, everything from schlock drive-in films to full blown top notch older blockbusters, is Olive Films. Most of their releases have been simple, the title alone with few to no extras. Now they've decided to add their name to the list of companies that handle the classics they have the right to in full blown fashion with their Signature Series. These movies offer the cleanest prints possible as well as some extras thrown in. It's a pure pleasure to see these this way and Olive has kicked it off with one of the all-time classics, HIGH NOON. If you've never seen the film the plot on the surface is fairly simple. The sheriff of a small western town, Will Kane (Gary Cooper) is taking off his badge and getting married to Amy (Grace Kelly), a Quaker who doesn't believe in violence or his carrying a gun. But immediately after their marriage and before they can leave word reaches Kane that Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald) has been pardoned from prison and Miller's gang is waiting at the train station for his arrival on the noon train to arrive. Kane straps his guns on again against the protests of Amy who says she will leave him if he does. What follows is Kane's attempt to get the town people to rally behind him to take on the gang. But no one does, leaving him to stand alone against the four men. So that's a long paragraph but sums up the surface story being told here. What it doesn't tell is the story that lies underneath it all and one that Hollywood reacted to. The reality is that beneath that surface was the story of screenwriter Carl Foreman who wrote the screenplay and the problems he faced with the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). While most think of Sen. Eugene McCarthy and the word McCarthyism with these activities he actually came into the situation later and investigated politicians as opposed to Hollywood. HUAC was investigating the influence of Communism in the world of entertainment and looking to find out just who was a Communist. They put aside the fact that many were registered as such during WWII when Russia was our ally. Instead rather than seek out any true saboteurs of traitors they labeled anyone connected to the Communist Party as such. Foreman had registered as a Communist years before and only remained involved with them for a year before leaving. But he didn't like the tactics used by HUAC to ferret out people they felt were traitors. HUAC offered two alternatives. You either provided them with names of anyone else you associated with the Party or you were basically run out of the business or worse imprisoned. Foreman stood up to these methods by admitting his being a member for a single year but refusing to name names. He ended up leaving the country for England. Now the story of HIGH NOON might seem about a sheriff against an outlaw. But in truth the parable is telling the story of a man standing up for what is right and finding that no one will stand with him. The worst examples of western folk hate him for sending Miller to prison and taming their town, the result of which was their inability to do what they pleased. But then the upstanding members of the community don't back him either. They claim he was paid to handle things, that they will find themselves looking bad before politicians or that this isn't their fight. In the end he finds himself alone taking on the problems the world has placed in front of him, the same situation Foreman found himself in with his fellow writers, producers and studio members. No one stood with him. That is the real story behind HIGH NOON. Olive has done a spectacular job with this release. I've never seen the print of this film look so vibrant, something that many won't understand since the film is in black and white. But never fear black and white films. It is the story that matters not the flash of color. And if you are one of the few who've started down the 4k trail it is indeed a 4k master. They've also put together an impressive collection of short featurettes that add to the enjoyment of the film and its background. Included are: A Ticking Clock - Academy Award nominee Mark Goldblatt on the editing of High Noon; A Stanley Kramer Production - Michael Schlesinger on the eminent producer of High Noon; Imitation of Life: The Blacklist History of High Noon - with historian Larry Ceplair and blacklisted screenwriter Walter Bernstein; Ulcers and Oscars: The Production History of High Noon - a visual essay with rarely seen archival elements, narrated by Anton Yelchin; Uncitizened Kane - an original essay by Sight and Sound editor Nick James; and finally the theatrical trailer. None of these is overlong and actually add to the enjoyment of the movie you can discover after your first viewing. With the quality on hand with this release it makes me look forward to future Olive Films Signature Series releases. My guess is that all other film fans will feel the same way. And at a list price on amazon of $16.99 it makes it a value not to be beaten.

Leofwine_draca HIGH NOON is a western classic that doesn't seem to have aged a day since first release. It works well both as a suspenseful adventure film and as a piece of social commentary in which the subtext explores the tendency of the general population not to get involved in dangerous matters. The film's positing as an allegory of the Communist witch hunts only makes it more interesting.In any case, this is a slim, minimalist piece of film-making which feels clean, fresh, and unmuddled. Gary Cooper is the retiring marshall of a small town which is about to be visited by a murderous outlaw who Cooper previously sent to prison. He's coming in on the twelve noon train, swearing vengeance. 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 whole film is about the build up to a rattling climax which is one of the best western showdowns I've seen. HIGH NOON is a film that doesn't disappoint and I wish I hadn't waited so long before watching it.

calvinnme ...a quote from Men in Black that applies here if it ever applied anywhere.Gary Cooper plays marshal Will Kaine, who turns in his star immediately after he marries Amy, a Quaker girl (Grace Kelly). Upsetting the celebration is the news that killer Frank Miller is due on the noon train and his first order of business is to kill Kaine, a man who Kaine helped send to prison five years ago and swore blood vengeance at the time. The three members of his gang are waiting at the depot. Miller escaped hanging, got a long sentence, and some knuckleheads on the parole board have turned him loose. At first Kaine is with the popular sentiment - Run!. But then he realizes that Miller will lay waste to the town if he isn't there - the new marshal isn't due in until the next day - plus Miller will hunt him down wherever he is - Kaine will always be looking over his shoulder.He goes around looking for deputies to help him make his stand. Oh, everybody talks about what a good job Kaine did, but nobody stands up for him. They have all kinds of excuses. That a shootout will cause investors from the east and north to think their town is just another shoot em up town, that if Will isn't there Miller will just leave etc. 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. And he is a human hero - because you can tell dying is on his mind, running is on his mind, but in the end he stays to face his enemies. The scene towards the end, with him standing in the middle of a dusty abandoned main street as the camera pulls back just to show how alone Kaine is in this battle is iconic.Where is his wife you might ask? With a ticket in hand to get on the next train out. At least Grace Kelly's character has a reason for her pacifism - her newly found Quaker faith. What she fails to realize is that unless you are willing to be a slave you have to be strong enough that you can afford pacifism.There are some great performances here. There is Lon Chaney as the old sheriff who Will goes to for help. The old sheriff has the best excuse of all - he is just too old for this. Will would be looking after him instead of himself. Then there is Lloyd Bridges as one of the most unlikeable characters in film history. He's Kane's ex-deputy Harvey Pell and he is a weasel without the cuteness factor. He is tired of living in Kaine's shadow, just a little jealous that Kaine had Harvey's girl before he had her, very resentful that Kaine would not recommend him to be the new marshal. But here is his chance - if Kaine runs, Kaine is no better than he is. That is why he beats Will up trying to put him on a horse towards the end of the film. He doesn't want Will to live, he wants him to run, to somehow prove he is a coward.And you have to love the townspeople thinking that this will just "all go away" if everybody hides. The first act of the foursome of gunslingers when they hit town is not to kill Kaine, but to smash a store window and take a woman's bonnet that one of the killers fancies - an act of theft. They'll be stealing more than stuff by nightfall if nobody stops them.Highly recommended.