Rating: 
Summary: The Ultimate Showdown Western and one of The Best Ever!
Review: No other western reaches this level of suspense in such little time. Gary Cooper is perfect as Marshall Kane who stands tall and alone against a bunch of outlaws. Grace Kelly, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges, Katy Jurado and Lon Chaney Jr. are all excellent in support. Fred Zinneman directs this one in 'real time', repeatedly showing us faces of clocks to remind us that the showdown will begin at noon, this elevates the tension and suspense. The last shootout is also memorable. Dimitri Tiomkin's score is one of the greats and his song; 'Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling' is the best theme song of any western. One of the all time greats. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 10!
Rating:
Summary: multi-layered adult film
Review: High Noon is a magnificent film. It is textually rich, multi-layered, incredibly well-acted (particularly Gary Cooper,) well-directed/edited, and portrays adults rather than adolescents-with-attitude, which seems to be the hallmark of so many modern American movies. The film was written by Carl Foreman and directed by Fred Zinneman, both highly intelligent and mature individuals with something quite important to say. That gets us to the multi-layered aspect of the film. Yes, it is a morality play about responsibility, fear, the vagaries of duty, and society's hypocrisy/cowardice. However, it is a great movie because when you get right down to the basics, it is a compelling, character-driven drama about a man making very difficult choices under very difficult conditions. It is particularly poignant when Marshall Will Kane (Cooper) is trying--and failing--to enlist the townspeople's help for the showdown that will occur at high noon when the train arrives carrying his mortal enemy. Kane's feelings are complex: scared, hurt, angry, vacillating, defiant and fatalistic. As he walks back to his office, a group of children are playing and one boy falls against him as another boy points a wooden stick and shouts, "Bang, bang, you're dead Will Kane." These children are his neighbors. He has known, and served, their parents for years. How would you feel? Well, unlike most movies that shy away from complex human emotions, Kane feels like most of us would feel--he feels those same complex emotions I mentioned above--and so does the viewer. A rare experience in film.
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Summary: DVD Review
Review: The film is hands down my favorite western and features many of the genre conventions, but also brings many progressive sensibilities to the genre. It is primarily a psychological western, not the shoot um ups that reigned in the past. What makes high noon such a masterpiece is the incredible perfection of its craft. It is truly one of the most tightly constructed films ever made. Not a single frame is wasted in the telling of its story and its conveying of mood. The film should be mandatory viewing for budding filmmakers, so they can learn the importance of lean, fat free editing. Kurosawa said he only shot footage so he could edit and high noon is truly a brilliant example of the power of concise editing. Many films today love to draw out their endings with multiple resolutions, high noon proves the power of speed and simplicity in its powerful closing scene.The high noon dvd is presented in full frame format since the film was not shot in widescreen. Picture is amazing for a film that is over 50 years old. Contrast and sharpness are gorgeous and the print is one of the best of a film of this age. Sharpness is truly stunning. Shimmering and flicker is present on some objects and there are occasional tiny spots on the image. The spots were so small and infrequent i didn't even notice them ever until a second viewing. Shimmering on trees is present quite a bit especially if you have a cheaper dvd player. These are minor points, because i was stunned at the beauty of the tranfer. Sound is presented in regular and enchanced audio. Regular sometimes has cooper's dialogue a little low. Enchanced has more kick, but they may have toyed with the original mix. A commentary is including with relatives of the cast and crew. I didn't listen to all of it, it is presented in a group conversational manner. Extras are interesting with a informative leonard maltin backstory on the film. I'm not a maltin fan and find his narration annoying, but he points out intriguing notes on the film's production. The best part is oncamera interviews from several years ago with zinneman and other real cast/crew member. Zinneman tells a great story about how the train ran over the camera when they were shooting the railroad track shots. Also another weird note is that the cinematography floyd crosby is david crosby's father! David is interviewed about his dad's work. A new series of interviews are collected with the surviving children of the cast/crew in the "behind" doc. Cooper's daughter is very obviously reading a teleprompt and i quit watching at that point. There is a radio show with tex ritter, he talks about having never played the bad guy and being in 80 westerns. I didn't finish the show. The movie is by my money the best western ever made because of its extraordinary concise editing and fat free storytelling. The dvd is great with knock out picture for a film over 50 years old and a good documentary on the making of.
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Summary: Special Features - The Making of High Noon by Leonard Matlin
Review: One of the best westerns ever made.
Dvd extras were average to sufficient but for Mr Matlin's final summation about the Academy Awards won by the film.
He makes a factual error that Gary Cooper won his only Best Actor Oscar for this. Actually, Gary Cooper is of one of 30 Actors/Actresses to win two Academy awards for acting - his first being for the title role in Sergeant York(1941)
Rating:
Summary: Dark Western, Cooper Aces
Review: Gary Cooper in perhaps his most powerful role on the screen. Cooper won an Oscar for his portrayal of Marshal Will Kane, a man suddenly at a crossroads. About to retire and move away from Hadleyville, Kane marries Amy,
a Quaker. Grace Kelly plays the part of Kane's new bride. But before Kane can leave, he learns that Frank Miller, a wild gunman and murderer, has been released from prison. Miller vowed that he would return to Hadleyville one day and that he would kill Kane for sending him to prison. Miller, it is reported, is on the noon train. Rather than run, Kane decides to stay. This infuriates Amy, who fears that she'll be a widow before the day is out. Kane embarks on a search for deputies to help him put a stop to Miller. But no one will help. Kane is alone. Even Amy says she's leaving on the train that will bring Miller to Hadleyville. What will Kane do? Throughout this film, shot in gritty black and white, Tex Ritter's haunting "Do Not Forsake Me, O My Darling" plays in the background, adding to the ever-present drama and tension.
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Summary: Cooper Against The Clock
Review: High Noon is a classic tale of a man who is torn between his duty and love. Gary Cooper stars as Will Cain, a sheriff of small town Hadleyville, NM, who has just gotten married to Amy played by Grace Kelly. Amy is a Quaker and in deference to her pacifist beliefs, Will is turning in his badge. But just as the newlyweds are preparing to leave town for a new life, Will learns that a criminal, Frank Miller, he put behind bars is being paroled and arriving in town on the 12 noon train for a showdown. Tension fills the air as the anticipated showdown draws closer. Amy begs for Will to leave with her, but he knows he can't run away. He must stay and defend the town and his honor. Will finds himself alone in the battle as everyone in town, including his deputy sheriff Harvey Pell, played by Lloyd Bridges, have turned away from him. The film is just a little over 80 minutes long and it unfolds in essentially real time on the screen. Director Fred Zinnemann effectively uses clocks to convey the time ticking away towards the battle. The movie is filled with tension as the showdown draws near and Mr. Cooper brilliantly plays his part for which he won his second Best Actor Oscar. Tex Ritter, John's father, sings the Oscar winning song, "Don't Forsake Me" which perfectly captures the essence of the film. High Noon is not only a classic western, but a classic American film.
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Summary: HIGH TIME FOR HIGN NOON ON DVD
Review: In 1952 writer Carl Foreman, director Fred Zinnemann, cinematographer Floyd Crosby and producer Stanley Kramer created a one-off recipe for a new kind of western. The ingredients; Gary Cooper, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges, Grace Kelly, Lon Chaney, Henry and Otto Kruger interwoven with an unforgettable ballad written by Dimitri Tiomkin/Ned Washington and sung by Tex Ritter. The result is a movie with every second to be savoured. Made at a time when sprawling landscaped Technicolor shoot-em-up westerns were the norm, High Noon was filmed in high contrast black and white. Much of the film`s tension and excitement is due to the fact that each desperate minute that passes on screen is virtually equal to real time heightened by ever closening shots of clocks as noon approaches. Marshall Will Kane is played faultlessly by Gary Cooper in probably his finest role. Kane, afraid, yet courageous and dutiful to his friends and townsfolk finds that, in his hour of need, they turn their backs on him. Kane`s anguished face was not all acting because Gary Cooper was suffering from a bleeding ulcer during filming and was concerned over the fight scene with Lloyd Bridges because of back problems. A film of loyalty and of betrayal in which Kane is torn between his new wife, Amy (Grace Kelly) and his duty when he tells her Kane:They`re making me run. I`ve never run from anybody before.
Amy: I don`t understand any of this.
Kane: (looking at his vest watch) Well, I haven`t got time to tell ya. Crucially, as time passes and tension builds, she speaks to Kane`s old flame, Helen Ramirez (played by Katy Jurado) Helen: If Kane was my man, I`d never leave him like this. I`d get a gun. I`d fight.
Amy: Why don`t you?
Helen: He is not my man. He`s yours. When Kane does win through, with, finally, Amy`s help, his so-called friends then rally round to congratulate him. With contempt he throws his star in the dust and drives off with Amy. 1952 was also `McCarthy` time. To some, unfortunately very influential people, High Noon was seen as `un-American`. Not long after writing the script, Carl Foreman was blacklisted. Listed too was Lloyd Bridges who didn`t work for a few years after and of course Floyd Crosby (after all he had filmed it!). High Noon is not only one of the best westerns ever made but one of the finest films ever created. Beautiful photography, outstanding minimalistic direction and taught editing with a screenplay magnificently performed by a superb cast. There can be few people who have not seen High Noon and even fewer who can recall the outstanding original theatrical print having viewed it only on VHS or as a tv broadcast. This DVD has transferred the sparkling high contrast images seen on the original 35mm negative. The image and sound quality of this DVD breathes new life into a classic making it as fresh and thrilling as it ever was. Robert C Graham (UK)
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Summary: When people do nothing...
Review: As a high school student, I was taught how to write a screenplay through the first 5 minutes of this film. I never forgot how to do it either! It's simple storytelling, really. This is a classic story of one man forced to take care of unfinished business without any help. It's a story of good and evil. And it's a story of what happens when people don't help each other. Gary Cooper is awesome as the Marshall who must fight alone. Grace Kelly is beautiful in this movie. Though it may seem ugly to watch, the director, Fred Zimmerman and his Cinematographer shot this film without any special lenses or adjustments, making this movie an outstanding piece of work and possibly the greatest western ever made!
Rating: 
Summary: The clock is ticking
Review: It's half past ten in a little western town, and the local marshall of law, Mr. Kane (Gary Cooper) just got married to a gorgeous Quaker girl (Grace Kelly, always a sight for sore eyes). Mr Kane will now retire as a marshall, and head to a new and peaceful life. Or will he? At the telegraph station the postmaster gets a cable stating that a dangerous bandit (Frank Miller) will arrive in the twelve o'clock train. At the train depot, three of Miller's gunmen are wating for him. When he arrives, they will seek revenge against the one man that tried, unsuccessfully, to convict Miller of a capital crime: Mr Kane himself. During these 90 minutes, Gary Cooper will try to get help from the local population, old friends, and a man who wants to be the next sheriff (Lloyd Bridges). But it will not be an easy task. Add to that the fact that his brand new wife abhorres violence, and threatens to leave him less than two hours after the marriage - in fact she says she'll leave in the train that brings the outlaw Miller to town. People think this is a western classic. Wrong. "High noon" is surely a classic, but not a western. It only happens to be set in the old west. To say the truth, "High noon" is more like a thriller with a Hitchcockian feeling to it. The western setting (violence, lack of respect for the laws, gunfights, dry and sun-scorched landscape, etc.) is present to add to the mounting tension and suspense that grow with each shot depicting the face of a clock and the relentless passage of time towards noon and the train arrival. What makes this movie great is the seemingly dead-end situation, the great dialogues, and very good acting by Gary Cooper (which earned him an Oscar, when the Academy Awards were not given for political reasons), Grace Kelly, Lloyd Bridges, among others (and Lee Van Cleef, the infamous "Angel Eyes" from "The good, the bad and the ugly" - he doesn't say a word, but those eyes are surely creepy). I will not give "High noon" five stars because I felt the script could be a little more developed. The ending is too rushed and kind of unsatisfying. But this is an excellent movie nonetheless. And, I say it again, this is not a "western" in the common sense of the genre. Grade 8.0/10
Rating:
Summary: High time for High Noon
Review: "High Noon" is the classic western movie about a marshall facing down four badmen alone after the townsmen refuse to help him. Although it has a western setting, it could have easily been most any other locale because the psychological and social aspects are the important themes, not the old West, or riding horses. Made during the time of McCarthy and the Communist witch hunt, many have read political undertones into the movie. A seemingly unusual cast includes Gary Cooper ("Sergeant York", "Pride of the Yankees") as the good-guy out-going marshall, Grace Kelly ("Rear Window") as his new wife, Lloyd Bridges ("Sea Hunt", "Airplane") as the deputy, Lee Van Cleef (the "bad" of "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly") as one silent badguy, Lon Chaney ("The Wolfman"), and Henry Morgan ("MASH"). The movie proceeds in nearly real time - it starts about 10:30 AM and ends shortly after noon - and clocks are increasingly prominent in nearly every scene. The leader of the badmen, Frank Miller, who was sent to prison by the marshall under a death sentence but was released, is now coming to town on the noon train to kill marshall Kane. Three of his friends are waiting at the station to greet and assist him in killing the marshall. That same morning, Kane is getting married to a violence-abhoring Quaker woman and is going to give up being marshall because of it. After learning Frank Miller is coming to town, the wife convinces Cane to essentially skip town and they leave, but the marshall gets his sense of duty back and returns to town. He and his wife argue, and she is determined to leave on the noon train. The judge also packs his things and leaves town. The marshall's deputy also quits. Kane goes around town trying to organize a posse, but only one capable man volunteers (the other is a one-eyed drunk) but he subsequently backs out. Cane is forced to face the men alone. I won't spoil the ending. At a time when movies (even bad ones) were being made in color, "High Noon" was shot in black-and-white, trying to get an unglamorous look to it modeled after Matthew Brady's photographs of the civil war, and succeeds. There is no beautiful sky and clouds, or cactus and sunsets. It is great cinematography however. Oscars for Best Actor, Editing, Song and Score. Reasonably-priced DVD picture and sound are good. It has an average commentary by daughter of actor, son of singer, son of writer and son of director. Also has a short documentary, a fair behind-the-scenes, and a 5-plus minute radio interview with singer Tex Ritter.
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