High
Noon (1952)
Starring
Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly
Director
Fred Zinneman
Awards
Academy Awards
Best Actor - Gary Cooper
Best Editing - Elmo Williams and
Harry Gerstad
Best Score - Dimitri Tiomkin
Best Song - Dimitri Tiomkin (Do
Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin')
Academy Award Nominations
Best Director - Fred Zinneman
Best Picture
Best Screenplay - Carl Foreman
Plot Synopsis
As Sheriff Will Kane prepares to retire from his law-making,
gun-fighting duties and marry his pacifist girlfriend, he receives word that a man he sent
to prison has been pardoned. Kane initially escapes the man's revenge, but returns to
protect the town from this killer and his band of outlaws only to find hostility and
resentment among the uncooperative townsfolk.
Film Notes
"Written by Carl Foreman (who was later blacklisted during
the anticommunist hearings of the '50s) and superbly directed by Fred Zinnemann, this 1952
classic stars Gary Cooper as just-married lawman Will Kane, who is about to retire as a
small-town sheriff and begin a new life with his bride (Grace Kelly) when he learns that
gunslinger Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald) is due to arrive at high noon to settle an old
score. Kane seeks assistance from deputies and townsfolk, but soon realizes he'll have to
stand alone in his showdown with Miller and his henchmen. Innovative for its time, the
suspenseful story unfolds in approximate real time (from 10:40 a.m. to high noon in an
84-minute film), and many interpreted Foreman's drama as an allegorical reflection of
apathy and passive acceptance of Senator Joseph McCarthy's anticommunist campaign.
Political underpinnings aside, this remains a milestone of its genre (often referred to as
the first "adult" Western), and Cooper is flawless in his Oscar-winning
role." (Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com)
Of special note about the DVD version is the following. "One
of the greatest Westerns ever made gets the deluxe treatment on this superior disc from
Republic Home Video's Silver Screen Classics line of special-edition DVDs. The first-rate
DVD gives this landmark film all the respect it deserves, beginning with a digitally
remastered transfer from the original film negative. Additional features include the
exclusive documentary The Making of High Noon, hosted by film historian Leonard
Maltin and featuring interviews with the late Lloyd Bridges (who played Cooper's rival
ex-deputy), director Fred Zinnemann, and producer Stanley Kramer. Also included is the
original theatrical trailer and a special chapter stop highlighting the Oscar-winning song
"Do Not Forsake Me." Offered in English and dubbed French and Spanish, with
English closed-captioning or Spanish and French subtitles." (Jeff Shannon,
Amazon.com)
The New York Film Critics chose High Noon as Best Film
of 1952 and named Fred Zinneman Best Director of 1952. A made-for-TV sequel was aired in
1980. High Noon Part II: Return of Will Kane starred Lee Majors in the Gary
Cooper role, joined by David Carradine, J. A. Preston, Pernell Roberts, and M. Emmet
Walsh. A colorized version of the film is available. John Wayne once declared that High
Noon was the most un-American movie he had ever seen. Wayne was apparently offended
by the ending of the film, which shows Sheriff Kane removing his badge and tossing it in
the dirt.
Rated: NR 
Rated: NR