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High Noon (1952)

Rate: 8
Viewed: 8/04, 6/22

HighN
6/22: High Noon is a Western classic that's a personal favorite of some U.S. Presidents.

Well, it's easy to explain. They think they are Will Kane when facing a difficult situation alone with long odds but are really criminals and should be in prison instead. Gary Cooper is sort of iconic, which netted him an Oscar win, but I think he's fine. The ending works for me, but Will Kane should have dumped his wife anyway.

I won't say High Noon is overrated; it's like Moby Dick: lots of symbolism. The people who keep turning Will Kane down represent different interest groups while the bad guys at the end represent the ultimate crisis that needs to be taken care of. While watching the film, I thought it deserved Oscars for three categories: Best Actor, Best Song, and Best Editing. Each was hit on the mark perfectly.

The nonexistent backstory between Will Kane and Helen Ramirez is one of the weakest points. So is the final showdown which can be at best described as anticlimactic. Some of the characters aren't richly developed. Instead, more time is spent on Kane walking around, the "Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling" song, and the residents giving reasons for saying no.

John Wayne famously hated the movie, having turned down the lead role, and called it "the most un-American thing I've ever seen in my whole life." He went on to say: "I'm glad to see they're giving this to a man who is not only most deserving, but has conducted himself throughout the years in our business in a manner that we can all be proud of...now that I'm through being such a good sport...I'm going back to find my business manager and agent...and find out why I didn't get High Noon instead of Cooper." Ha! What a hypocrite.

All in all, I'm not totally enamored with High Noon, but it's a good movie nonetheless.