Film Review
High Noon is arguably the greatest of the
classic Hollywood westerns, the most
compelling, most perfectly constructed and lyrical offering in a
surprisingly diverse genre. Screenwriter Carl Foreman intended it
to be an allegory of contemporary politics in America, particularly the
over-zealous hounding of left-wing sympathisers by McCarthyist anti-Red
fanatics. Foreman was himself suspected of Communist allegiances
and was brought before the House Un-American Activities Committee
(HUAC) whilst working on this film, shortly before he was
blacklisted. Despite director Fred Zinnemann's claims to the
contrary, when the film was released it was seen in some quarters as a
direct attack on the HUAC and traditional conservative American values,
openly reviled by such high-profile Hollywood notables as John Wayne
and Howard Hawks.
Whatever the politics of the film,
High
Noon is a superlative piece of cinema, a masterfully composed
mixture of psychological drama, action film and morality tale which
manages to encapsulate the essence of the western genre within its
compact 85 minute runtime. Dialogue is sparse, so that most
of the drama is told through images, and the climactic shootout is
played out almost as a silent film. Cinema experiences as
nail-bitingly tense, visually rich and dramatically focused as this are
hard to come by, which explains why the film is so highly regarded.
Although, at 50, some considered him to be too old for the
leading role, Gary Cooper turns in what is probably his greatest
performance. Who else could portray, with such conviction and
pathos, the inner anguish of a man who can find no one to fight along
side him and take a stand against evil? The actor was
in very poor shape when he made the film (a bleeding stomach ulcer made
the action scenes particularly painful for him), but this adds to the
reality of his portrayal of a man who, rejected by all, appears
destined to walk down a solitary lane that can only end in his own
grave.
Floyd Crosby's subtly expressionistic photography and Fred Zinnemann's
economical but effective direction bring a cold realism to the drama,
whilst the slick editing gradually builds the tension to an almost
unbearable pitch as the film inches, second by second, towards its gory
climax. It helps that the duration of the film matches the
duration of the story - this adds to the tightly claustrophobic mood
and a sense of inescapable doom. The film's striking lyrical
quality is emboldened by its haunting ballad,
Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin'
(composed by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington) which went on to
become a hit record. No surprise then that the film was favoured
at the 1953 Oscars - it won awards in four categories: Best Actor (Cooper, obviously), Best Editing.
Best Score and Best Song.
High Noon is probably the most frequently referenced western,
emulated and spoofed so often that the film itself almost appears to be
a cliché, and for a good reason. This is the apotheosis of
the genre at its best, a simple good-versus-evil morality play recast
to brilliant effect in the most potent art-form of the Twentieth
Century. It is not hard to see why Bill Clinton rates this as his
favourite film. There are times when a man's gotta do what a
man's gotta do. Although, given the choice, wouldn't you rather
run off with Grace Kelly?
© James Travers 2010
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Next Fred Zinnemann film:
From Here to Eternity (1953)
Film Synopsis
Will Kane has been the marshal of Hadleyville, New Mexico, for many
years, but now he has finally decided to hand in his badge and settle
down as a rancher with his new bride Amy. Just as Will is
preparing to leave the town, he learns that a notorious gunslinger
Frank Miller is due to arrive on the noon train. Will was the man
who had Miller arrested and tried for murder, but the judge and jury
showed leniency and the killer's death sentence was commuted to a term
in prison. Now a free man, Miller's one thought is to take
revenge on the man who had him put away. Ignoring his wife's
protestations, Will picks up his marshal's badge and begins to scour
the town for deputies in the inevitable showdown with Miller and his
three associates. No one is willing to support Will and so the
marshal has no choice but to face his nemesis alone...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.