High Noon (1952) * * * *

 

Directed by:  Fred Zinnemann

 

Starring:  Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Katy Jurado, Lloyd Bridges, Thomas Mitchell, Ian McDonald, Lee Van Cleef

 

High Noon tells its story in almost real time.     As the deadline of noon approaches, the tension tightens around the hero Will Kane (Cooper) like a noose.    It also tightens around the entire movie.    The clock moves forward ominously and soon Kane will be forced to battle four deadly gunfighters alone.     The movie depends considerably on the star power of Gary Cooper (who won his second Best Actor Oscar for this role) and its plot which is simple to describe, but raises implications and questions far beyond its Western milieu.

 

The story wasn't really new even in 1952, but it is irresistibly dramatic.     A marshal in a tiny Western town retires and marries a much younger Quaker bride (Kelly).    He is prepared to go off into the sunset when word gets to him of the impending arrival of a criminal he arrested and was sentenced to hang.     The criminal, named Frank Miller (McDonald), is released on a legal technicality and warns the town he will be arriving on the noon train to have a showdown with Kane.

 

Kane, as a retired marshal, no longer has any professional or legal reason to battle Miller and his gang that awaits him at the train station.    But, this does not prevent him from postponing his departure, forcing his new bride to go on without him.     Kane feels Miller will destroy the town and come after him anyway, so in his mind, he has no option but to fight.      The townsfolk question his intelligence, but surely not his courage.      Is it courage or is it stupidity to fight seemingly insurmountable odds?     Especially for a town unwilling to fight alongside him.      High Noon becomes more than just a shoot-'em-up Western because it doesn't pass judgment on those unwilling to risk their lives.    It invites thought to the viewer.    What would you do in that situation?  

 

Their reasons are myriad.     For Deputy Marshal Pell (Bridges), he is sore Kane did not recommend him as his replacement.     For other people, it is as simple as self-preservation or practicality.     For others, like Kane's new bride, she has seen too many loved ones die in gunfights.    She keenly observes how, in a gunfight, you can be on the right side and still die.     She doesn't have the stomach to see another loved one go down in a blaze of glory.     Kane remains steadfast.     He makes no promises to anyone for their help, but even he is stunned when noon comes and he is being stalked by Miller's gang while everyone else ducks for cover.     Kane was a well-respected lawman, but when the chips are down, respect goes out the window.

 

As much as others question Kane's sanity, we do not.    Kane makes a choice that many of us would never make.    He is not a blowhard forever espousing principles, duty, honor, and courage.     He believes in a greater purpose, even if it means protecting a town that is unwilling to stand by him and make this ultimate sacrifice.    This choice isn't really a choice at all.     It is something ingrained in him.     What would you do?     The movie poses that question.    Many would likely choose to fight another day and no one would blame them.  

 

Cooper carries every bit of the tension in his face and posture.     He never reaches for effect.     Cooper is able to convey the gravity of the situation without any wasted motion or emotion.     A lesser actor may have thrown in unnecessary emotional outbursts just in case we didn't get how bad this situation is for him.      A lesser director would have pushed for them.     Director Zinnemann, who would win two Oscars for Best Director of his own in 1953 and 1966, plays to Cooper's strengths and doesn't mess with them.     High Noon is efficient, lean filmmaking and efficient, lean acting by Cooper.     Let everyone else make the speeches.    He has a fight to win.

 

High Noon came under scrutiny by John Wayne, who felt Will Kane was wimpy because he asked people for help and was ultimately aided in his fight by his bride.    From what I've read about Wayne, he was a heavy proponent of the macho mentality which leads people into situations they can't escape from.     In a movie, machismo occurs without consequences.     In real life, not so much.   But even a Will Kane knows when battling four deadly criminals in a fight for blood, you need all the help you can get.