High Noon

Do you remember when you were younger and when people asked you what kind of music you like and your inevitable response was "Everything but Country"? Westerns were, appropriately enough, my "Everything but Country" for movies. Over time, I grew up and learned that good country music does exist, and I have since revised my response to "a little bit of everything but mainly glam rock, punk, and new wave from the 70's." That last part was irrelevant. My point is, it wasn't until recently that I finally decided to give westerns a try.

After now having seen Sergio Leone's hyperstylized deconstructionist takes on the western genre, I'm trying to learn a little more about the American movies that inspired them. The first one I watched is one of the more famous ones, and a huge influence on Leone, Fred Zinneman's High Noon.

In High Noon, Gary Cooper plays Will, an all around good guy and the marshal of a small town. He just got married to Grace Kelly and is on his way off to celebrate when he catches wind that some bad guys have blown into town, and they're waiting for the 12:00 train to arrive, because Frank Miller is on it. Frank Miller is bad news, so the Marshal postpones his honeymoon to fight the bad guys, even if he has to do it alone, because it's the right thing to do.

This movie might be one of the best uses of the ticking clock device I've ever seen. They tell you right off that shit hits the fan at noon, and that's what we as viewers are all waiting to see. Marshal Will spends the movie trying to recruit help from the townsfolk, who have all turned yella, and getting his affairs in order, since he knows he might not make it through his showdown with Frank Miller. The showdown at noon does pay off, too. One man vs. four. Those odds don't sound that bad nowadays, when we have heroes that take on a hundred faceless bad guys on their own, but it feels like a big deal in this movie, as it should.

The final scene is great too. I expected a big speech or something, espousing 1950's values, but instead, the scene plays out silently, infinitely more powerful.

I'm glad I have seen High Noon. Before the other night, I just assumed it was directed by John Ford and starred John Wayne (like all westerns). Now, I feel a little bit more educated. Plus, it was a helluva fun movie. B+.