High Noon

I’ve looked at several websites that list the “Best Westerns” of all time, and High Noon comes up on every one of them. I probably saw this movie as a kid sometime or another and maybe more than once, but I remembered nothing but the general plot line—a gang member gets released from jail early / on a technicality / whatever and comes gunning for the Marshal (now retired) who put him there; they will meet at “high noon” when his train comes in. Everyone tells the Marshal to run but he takes a stand on principle. No one will help; he stands alone against injustice, crime, evil, etc. And, of course, most westerns are romantic at heart, so it ends with the Marshal still standing and riding off into the sunset with his woman.

So, I set my DVR and there it was. So, tonight, instead of sleeping, I tackled High Noon.

Some interesting points or theories or interpretations or random facts about the movie I found with a google search:

· It can be interpreted as an Allegory for taking a stand against McCarthyism in the 1950 (when the movie was filmed)
· Rio Bravo is supposed to be a direct response to the perceived “un-American-ness” of the townspeople in High Noon (according to John Wayne)
· It was awarded four academy awards
· This was Grace Kelly’s first major role

One of the more famous quotes from the movie (and more interesting) is “People gotta talk themselves into law and order before they do anything about it. Maybe because down deep they don't care. They just don't care.”


To read more about High Noon, visit AMC’s Filmsite at http://www.filmsite.org/high.html. It has a detailed over view and great list of interpretations.