HIGH NOON [1952 / 2020] [EUREKA! Entertainment] [Blu-ray] [UK Release] Fred Zinnemann's 1954 Classic Western remains one of the Most Forward-thinking Film of its Hollywood era!
One of the most treasured Hollywood classics, and one of the most influential and iconic Westerns ever made, ‘HIGH NOON’ remains a powerful study of heroism, and the tension between the individual and the society around him. One of the best films by director Fred Zinnemann [‘From Here to Eternity’] and produced by Stanley Kramer. ‘HIGH NOON’ is riveting entertainment and an acknowledged American masterpiece, yet one with surprisingly tumultuous roots.
In his Oscar-winning performance, Gary Cooper stars as small town Marshal Will Kane, preparing to retire and leave town with his young bride Amy Fowler Kane [Grace Kelly]. However, plans are derailed with the impending arrival of outlaw Frank and his brutal gang. Unfolding in real time, High Noon follows Will as he futilely tries to assemble a posse with the reluctant townspeople, who want Will to forget about a conflict, as does Amy, a Quaker pacifist who just wants to avoid violence. But as high noon approaches, Will realises he must do the moral thing...with or without help.
While the film has become a favourite of U.S.A. presidents from Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan to Bill Clinton, its release was controversial: John Wayne (who had turned down the role) and Howard Hawks hated it, precisely because it was viewed as a thinly veiled allegory for the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings investigating communism at the time. Its politics make it even more intriguing now, but regardless, ‘HIGH NOON’ is one of the most important and gripping films of the 1950’s.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1952 National Board of Review, USA: Win: NBR Award for Top Ten Films. 1952 New York Film Critics Circle Awards: Win: Best Film. Win: Best Director for Fred Zinnemann. 1953 Academy Awards®: Win: Best Actor in a Leading Role for Gary Cooper [Gary Cooper was not present at the awards ceremony. John Wayne accepted on his behalf]. Win: Best Film Editing for Elmo Williams and Harry Gerstad. Win: Best Music, Original Song for Dimitri Tiomkin (music) and Ned Washington (lyrics) for the song "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin')." Win: Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture for Dimitri Tiomkin. Nominated: Best Picture for Stanley Kramer. Nominated: Best Director for Fred Zinnemann. Nominated: Best Writing for a Screenplay for Carl Foreman. 1953 Golden Globes: Win: Best Actor in a Drama for Gary Cooper. Win: Best Supporting Actress for Katy Jurado. Win: Best Original Score for Dimitri Tiomkin. Win: Best Cinematography in Black and White for Floyd Crosby. Nominated: Best Motion Picture in a Drama. Nominated: Most Promising Female Newcomer for Katy Jurado. Nominated: Best Screenplay for Carl Foreman. 1953 Bodil Awards: Win: Best American Film (Bedste amerikanske film) for Fred Zinnemann (director). 1953 Directors Guild of America: Nominated: DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for Fred Zinnemann. 1953 Photoplay Awards: Win: Most Popular Male Star for Gary Cooper. 1953 Writers Guild of America: Win: WGA Award (Screen) for Best Written American Drama for Carl Foreman. 1954 Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain: Win: CEC Award for Best Foreign Film (Mejor Película Extranjera) USA. 2013 Online Film & Television Association: Win: OFTA Film Hall of Fame for Motion Picture.
FILM FACT No.2: ‘HIGH NOON’ is generally considered an allegory against blacklisting and McCarthyism, but it gained respect in the conservative community as well. It has been cited as a favourite by several U.S. presidents. Dwight Eisenhower screened the film at the White House, and Bill Clinton hosted a record 17 White House screenings. "It's no accident that politicians see themselves as Gary Cooper in HIGH NOON’," Bill Clinton said. "Not just politicians, but anyone who's forced to go against the popular will. Any time you're alone and you feel you're not getting the support you need, Gary Cooper's Will Kane becomes the perfect metaphor." Ronald Reagan cited ‘HIGH NOON’ as his favourite film, due to the protagonist's strong commitment to duty and the law. By contrast, John Wayne told an interviewer that he considered ‘HIGH NOON’ "the most un-American thing I've ever seen in my whole life," and later teamed with director Howard Hawks to make ‘Rio Bravo’ in response. "I made ‘Rio Bravo’ because I didn't like HIGH NOON," Howard Hawks explained. "Neither did Duke [John Wayne]. I didn't think a good town marshal was going to run around town like a chicken with his head cut off asking everyone to help. And who saves him, his Quaker wife. That isn't my idea of a good Western." The 1981 science fiction film ‘Outland, ‘starring Sean Connery as a federal agent on an interplanetary mining outpost, has been compared to ‘HIGH NOON’ due to similarities in themes and plot. The film was criticized in the Soviet Union as "glorification of the individual."
Cast: Gary Cooper, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges, Katy Jurado, Grace Kelly, Otto Kruger, Lon Chaney Jr., Harry Morgan, Ian MacDonald, Eve McVeagh, Morgan Farley, Harry Shannon, Lee Van Cleef, Robert J. Wilke, Sheb Wooley, Lee Aaker (uncredited), Ernest Baldwin (uncredited), Benjie Bancroft (uncredited), Guy Beach (uncredited), Jeanne Blackford (uncredited), Larry J. Blake (uncredited), John Breen (uncredited), Roy Bucko (uncredited), Nora Bush (uncredited), Howland Chamberlain (uncredited), Virginia Christine (uncredited), Cliff Clark (uncredited), Ben Corbett (uncredited), Russell Custer (uncredited), John Doucette (uncredited), Tex Driscoll (uncredited), Paul Dubov (uncredited), Jack Elam (uncredited), Dick Elliott (uncredited), Virginia Farmer (uncredited), Joe Garcio (uncredited), Rudy Germane (uncredited), Herschel Graham (uncredited), Tim Graham (uncredited), Tom Greenway (uncredited), Harry Harvey (uncredited), Chuck Hayward (uncredited), Tex Holden (uncredited), Michael Jeffers (uncredited), Kay Koury (uncredited), Paul Kruger (uncredited), Ann Kunde (uncredited), Nolan Leary (uncredited), Tom London (uncredited), Merrill McCormick (uncredited), Billy McCoy (uncredited), James Millican (uncredited), Kansas Moehring (uncredited), Jack Montgomery (uncredited), William Newell (uncredited), William H. O'Brien (uncredited), Artie Ortego (uncredited), William 'Bill' Phillips (uncredited), Lucien Prival (uncredited), Ralph Reed (uncredited), Buddy Roosevelt (uncredited), Allen D. Sewall (uncredited), Lucile Sewall (uncredited), Charles Soldani (uncredited), Ted Stanhope (uncredited), Steve Stephens (uncredited) and Slim Talbot (uncredited)
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Producers: Carl Foreman (uncredited) and Stanley Kramer (uncredited)
Screenplay: Carl Foreman (screenplay) and John W. Cunningham (based on the magazine story "The Tin Star")
Composer: Dimitri Tiomkin
Wardrobe Department: Ann Pack [Ladies’ Wardrobe] and Joe King [Men’s Wardrobe]
Make-up Department: Gustaf Norin [Make-up Artist] and Louise Miehle [Hair stylist]
Cinematography: Floyd D. Crosby, A.S.C (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Black-and-White)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English: 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 84 minutes
Region: Region B/2
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Paramount Pictures / EUREKA! Entertainment
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘HIGH NOON’ [1952] is one of the most revered western films of all time to Blu-ray for the first time in the UK. Starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly, and ‘HIGH NOON’ has now been released as part of the EUREKA! Entertainment – Masters of Cinema series.
The iconic 1952 western opens with the wedding of Marshall Will Kane [Gary Cooper] and Amy Fowler Kane [Grace Kelly]. Marshall Will Kane is retiring today to start a new life with his Quaker bride. Just as they are leaving however, the news arrives that infamous killer Frank Miller [Ian MacDonald] is on his way. Marshall Will Kane’s friends convince him to stick with his plan and leave town, but he cannot go any further than a mile or two before turning back: the town needs him.
At the film’s centre is Gary Cooper’s iconic performance as Marshal Will Kane, a popular small-town sheriff whose wedding to a beautiful young Quaker gal named Amy Fowler Kane on the day of his retirement represents his attempt to leave his old life behind. But then Marshal Will Kane learns that an old enemy, Frank Miller, who has sworn revenge has been released from prison, and that his old gang members are awaiting him on the noon train.
Amy Fowler Kane tells him that she will leave him if he doesn’t go with her. One by one all the friends he thought he had let him down, refusing to help. Feeling snubbed that he wasn’t in line for the Marshall Will Kane job, his Deputy Marshal Harvey Pell [Lloyd Bridges] quits. His friend and mentor, retired lawman Martin Howe [Lon Chaney Jr.] has nothing but discouraging words for him. Even his former lover, businesswoman Helen Ramirez [Katy Jurado], tells him to give up and leave town.
Eschewing panoramic Western landscapes and colourful action sequences, ‘HIGH NOON’ generates claustrophobic suspense by focusing on three images: Marshal Will Kane’s increasingly tense, pained expression and reflecting Gary Cooper’s actual physical and emotional state at the time; implacably ticking clocks counting down the minutes towards noon in (almost) real time; and the ominous, empty train tracks that will eventually bring Marshal Will Kane’s archenemy into town.
The story plays out in real time, set up from the start with interesting camera angles and a very atmospheric score from Dimitri Tiomkin. At the beginning of the film, there are around an hour and twenty minutes until Frank Miller comes on the noon train. Suddenly as two minutes to noon comes, the mood rises and almost produces a physical reaction to the anticipation in the viewer. The feeling of jeopardy is really heightened. This has often been imitated in subsequent productions, but never as effectively as Director Fred Zinnemann achieves here.
Like Fred Zinnemann’s later superb film ‘A Man for All Seasons,’ whereas the film ‘HIGH NOON’ is a portrait of resolute moral courage in a man who is opposed by his community, his friends, even his wife Amy Fowler Kane, and is ultimately willing to die for his principles. What those principles are, though, is not as clear as in the case of Thomas More.
Marshall Will Kane offers more than one rationale for his stubborn insistence on confronting Frank Miller, some pragmatic if Marshal Will Kane doesn’t confront Frank Miller here and now, Frank Miller may surprise him at some unknown future time and place, but others merely proud and Marshal Will Kane has never run from a fight before.
The music ceases at noon, with only minute sounds heard against the backdrop of the train whistle. Mrs Kane and Mrs Ramirez set off out of town. Kane watches them leave, left alone in the street. Here the shot which has become a standard, with the camera pulling back to leave an ever decreasing Cooper in the expanse of the empty street, is used to great effect. The train pulls in with around 12 minutes of screen time remaining.
The film ‘HIGH NOON’ was made during the McCarthy era, when Hollywood filmmakers who refused to cooperate with the House Committee on Un-American Activities were blacklisted or informed on by colleagues more interested in self-preservation than in protecting their fellows or standing up to the House Committee on Un-American Activities. In fact, ‘HIGH NOON’ screenwriter Carl Foreman was blacklisted shortly after writing this script. Another classic film of this era was ‘On the Waterfront,’ that was made in part as a principled defence of its director’s cooperation with the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
As is true of nearly every great film, all of the elements mix together in ‘HIGH NOON.’ The black-and-white cinematography is perfect for setting the dark mood. The music is relentless. And the editing, with the possible exception of the fight between Marshal Will Kane and Deputy Marshal Harvey Pell, which is choppy, is nearly flawless. But the real elements to applaud are the acting, the script, and the direction, all of which are top-notch. Gary Cooper appeared in more than 100 films during his long career; few aspired to the level of ‘HIGH NOON,’ much less attained it. And credit must go to Fred Zimmermann’s impressive flawless direction of the film. The Western may be one of the few truly American art forms, and ‘HIGH NOON’ shows exactly how much potential it can embrace.
For anybody who hasn’t seen the film, I won’t spoil the ending. But as the end music fades down, it leaves you with a feeling of satisfaction rarely repeated. Therefore, I will categorise ‘HIGH NOON’ not as one of the best Western films I have ever seen, but instead rank it among the top films of all time.
HIGH NOON MUSIC TRACK LIST
HIGH NOON [Do Not Forsake Me] [Played off-screen on piano in the saloon] (Ballad by Dimitri Tiomkin) (Lyrics by Ned Washington) [Sung by Tex Ritter] [Played often in the score]
BUFFALO GALS (Won't You Come Out Tonight) (uncredited) (Written by William Cool White) [Played off-screen on piano in the saloon]
BATTLE HYMAN OF THE REPUBLIC (uncredited) (Music by William Steffe) (Written by William Cool White) (Lyrics by Julia Ward Howe) [Sung by the Parishioners in Church]
* * * * *
Blu-ray Image Quality – EUREKA! Entertainment presents us the film ‘HIGH NOON’ with a wonderful 1080p black-and white image which was sourced from a 4K digital restoration, and equally enhanced with a 1.37:1 aspect ratio. EUREKA! Entertainment has given us something really terrific. The detail is consistently crisp, any blemishes or damage have been cleaned up or repaired, and the monochrome tonal range is consistently lovely, ensuring the black levels are solid, the highlights are stable and the grayscale between is handsomely rendered. A fine film grain is visible and the image is consistently stable, with no errant jitter. So overall, EUREKA! Entertainment gets a five star rating for their ever more sterling work towards this classic film. Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – EUREKA! Entertainment brings us film ‘HIGH NOON’ with just one standard 2.0 LPCM Mono Audio experience. But occasionally you experience some expected restrictions in the dynamic range, which gives the soundtrack a slight treble bias but not so that it adds hiss to words ending in the letter “s.” The composed music by Dimitri Tiomkin fares particularly well here and gives good ambience and tension in the film. So again, overall a good effort by EUREKA! Entertainment.
* * * * *
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
4K Digital Restoration
Special Feature: Audio Commentary by Glenn Frankel [Audio only] [2020] [1080p] [1.37:1] [84:43] With this featurette, we get to hear from Historian Glenn Frankel, who introduces himself and informs us that he is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist” and the “Making of an American Classic” and here we are introduced by Glenn Frankel and provides some detailed information on Carl Foreman's dealings with the House of Un-American Activities Committee and how his views on these proceedings are allegorically reflected in the film. But as the film starts with credits Glenn Frankel and starts giving an in-depth background on this classic Western film ‘HIGH NOON’ and on top of all that, informs us that we might have computers, mobile phones, GOOGLE and Blockbuster Movies, but in the past the Western cowboy movies were the thing that people flocked to the cinema to watch in their droves, to see lots of cowboys, cattle drives, wonderful scenery, bad guys and lovely obedient women. Some of these Western movies were sometimes brilliant; but on the other hand some Western movies he says were real bad, but they were stories about America and the mythical frontier origin and about the cowboy masculinity, and in the 1950’s and 1960’s they comprised of all the cowboy movies that were being made in Hollywood, and the very best was of course the movie ‘HIGH NOON’ that was released in 1952 and starring the legendary tin star Garry Copper. The film ‘HIGH NOON’ was shot in 32 days on a shoestring budget, but despite this, it got critical acclaim, especially for the actors performances, the evocative theme song and the climatic shoot out that made it an instant classic and won four Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Gary Cooper and even today the film is considered one of Hollywood’s enduring popular film from the era in the 1950’s in the golden age of Hollywood. As we get into the start of the film, we get to meet the characters that live in that town where the three violent gang members have arrived on horseback, then we get to view the scene of the wedding with Marshall Will Kane [Gary Cooper] as who is getting married to his bride to be Amy Fowler Kane [Grace Kelly] and it was Grace Kelly’s first major film role. When we see again the three violent gang members arriving at the train station on their horses, we get the first glimpse of a clock face which of course is the main theme running throughout the film and eventually right to the massive gun battle between Marshall Will Kane and the four nasty evil gunmen who will battle it out with the ultimate dramatic gunfight between good and evil right to the end of the film. But of course Marshall Will Kane does not want to look like a coward and returns to town on the horse drawn wagon with his new bride Amy Fowler Kane who is not at all keen to stay in town with the looming dangerous gunfight, because the new Marshall will not be arriving until the next day, so Marshall Will Kane feels it is his duty to settle this gun fight once and for all, as he feels evil should not win. But of course the town is a buzz in knowing Marshall Will Kane has returned to town with his new wife Amy Fowler Kane and one of the towns folk rushes to the barber shop to tell him of this news and the barber shop owner has a coffin making establishment in the back of the shop and asks that person with the news to make two more coffins for the final showdown. But at the same time Marshall Will Kane explains to his wife Amy Fowler Kane why he has to fulfil a job of eliminating the four evil gunmen, but Amy Fowler Kane is still not happy with the situation and does not want to stick around to see her husband killed, because Amy Fowler Kane is a true Quaker who does not condone violence of any sort and especially killing people, but of course we get to see the hard job Marshall Will Kane in trying to rally support to help him out from the towns people to battle against the four evil gunmen. But of course as the guild up to the end of the film, we get shots of the clock face counting down the time left for Marshall Will Kane before the massive shoot out, so building up the tension. At chapter 3 we once again see three of the evil gunmen waiting for the train to arrive in bringing back the main evil outlaw Frank Miller who was originally found guilty by Marshall Will Kane to be hanged, but Frank Miller was pardoned by stupid men in Congress. Next scene we see is the town’s folk in church with all the naive religious people who do not want to support Marshall Will Kane and especially the men’s folk, who sort of want to help Marshall Will Kane but chicken out at the last moment and of course the men’s folk are totally hypercritical and again we get shots of the clock face showing time is running out for Marshall Will Kane. At one point we see Marshall Will Kane turn up at the hotel where his wife Amy Fowler Kane is sitting it out in the lobby of the hotel waiting for the train to arrive, but they are both pleased to see each other, but both hope each of them has changed their minds, like Marshall Will Kane hopes Amy Fowler Kane will stay to support him, and that Amy Fowler Kane hopes Marshall Will Kane will change his mind to get on the train with her and leave town for good, but of course both characters are very disappointed by each of their decisions. At chapter 4, we are now in the Saloon, which we are informed is the great American institution especially the town featured in the film ‘HIGH NOON’ and all the customers are talking about the upcoming gunfight about to happen and what its outcome will be and then we see one of the evil gunman ride into town and goes into the Saloon and of course the Saloon was at the time the film was set, would have been the centre where people went to talk about business and do also do deals, but unfortunately it caused people to become alcoholics and of course it was always a “Men Only” establishment in those times, but for some unknown reason the evil gunman is welcomed into the Saloon with open arms, because the men miss all the action that use to happen in the town in the past and it was also down to the sycophancy, meaning in modern English, sycophant denotes an “insincere flatterer£ and being obsequious behaviour towards someone important in order to gain advantage, as they feel the evil gunman will win outright with his three other evil gunmen and be in charge of the town again and the men in the Saloon do not want to show any negative attitude towards the evil gunmen. At chapter 5, we see Marshall Will Kane turning up at the church to hopefully get support in stopping the evil gang in their tracks and winning, but of course the ignorant religious congregation do not want to help Marshall Will Kane because he has interrupted the Sunday Service in the House of God, but of course Marshall Will Kane has a real go at everyone in the church to show them how wrong they are to reject his offer, and of course the Justice of the Peace is really angry that Marshall Will Kane did not get married in his church, and Marshall Will Kane informs the Justice of the Peace that his wife is a Quaker and really shames the Justice of the Peace for his ignorant attitude, but despite this, once again Marshall Will Kane asks some of the men in the congregation to help him thwart the four evil gunmen and of course the men still do not want to help Marshall Will Kane, so much for hypocritical religious people, but suddenly some men stand up who want to praise Marshall Will Kane and then some men walk towards him to give their support, but some men stand up to condone their support for Marshall Will Kane and now decent falls upon Marshall Will Kane and now people are getting very rowdy with this situation. But now we are back at the train station and the three evil gunmen are getting very frustrated waiting for the train to turn up with the evil Frank Miller. But now we are back in the church and some of the men are saying that they have paid for Marshall Will Kane to do the job and it is up to him to sort out the four evil gunmen, and it is the politicians that have caused the problem with pardoning Frank Miller and we even get women standing up complaining about the fickle men, because women were not safe in the town when Frank Miller was around and also say that men should be thoroughly ashamed of their shallow rhetoric and that they should stand up against the evil gunmen, and of course it is the crucial part of the film where Marshall Will Kane finally realises his disappointment in the towns folk and their ultimate betrayal and finally realises the moment of truth and of course we see the people in the church are totally shamed of not supporting Marshall Will Kane who now walks out of the church in total disgust. We are now back at the train station with the three evil gunmen and Glenn Frankel says that the railway tracks come to symbolise ‘HIGH NOON’ of the danger to come and the fate that is going to arrive on the noon train with Frank Miller. We next see Marshall Will Kane walking around the town with a pain expression on his face and gets to meet another ex-Marshall played by Lon Chaney Jr in his home and Marshall Will Kane is hoping this ex-Marshall will help him out, but of course that ex-Marshall gives a really pathetic excuse why he will not help Marshall Will Kane. But again we get to see the clock face showing time is running out for Marshall Will Kane and we keep wondering if he will be able to eliminate the four evil gunmen. At chapter 6, we see Marshall Will Kane and the Deputy Marshal Harvey Pell [Lloyd Bridges] have a big fight in the stable, as Deputy Marshal Harvey Pell wants Marshall Will Kane to leave town for his safety and Marshall Will Kane gets the better of Deputy Marshal Harvey Pell and knocks him out to show him that he is not a coward and is paid to finish the job he is about to set out to eliminate the four evil gunmen and especially of course Frank Miller and of course Marshall Will Kane wins the vicious punch up, and Marshall Will Kane turns up and the Barber Shop where the owner with a wet flannel cleans up his battered face, but at the same time the other two coffins are being build back of the shop and again we see the clock on the wall showing the time is running out for Marshall Will Kane and tells the owner of the shop to carry on building those two coffins, and as Marshall Will Kane walks about town it is completely empty of its towns folk and gets the feeling he is all on his own, but a young man turns up to support Marshall Will Kane but will not let him have a gun as he is far too young and very vulnerable and Marshall Will Kane has a conscious and does not want the young man to basically commit suicide on his behalf, but Marshall Will Kane says about the young man that he has justice and courage and wish the men were like him, and once again we see the clock face and says 11:55am and that means only another five minutes to the big final gun battle to the bitter end and hoping the four evil gunfighters will be eliminated and we suddenly see Marshall Will Kane writing his Last Will and Testament in case he is eventually killed. So as the build-up of tension, we get to see lots of shots of the men in the Saloon, people praying in the church, the deserted town and getting the feeling that Marshall Will Kane is all on his own, and the music is building up for the final showdown. Suddenly we hear the whistle of the train arriving with Frank Miller on it, and you see the three evil gunmen with their really nasty smiles on their smug faces, and it is now here where ‘HIGH NOON’ really come together as the train gets closer to the three evil gunmen, but at the same time the two women Amy Fowler Kane and Helen Ramírez [Katy Jurado] are on their wagon and about to leave town for the railway station and Helen Ramírez was once emotionally involved with Marshall Will Kane and suddenly Marshall Will Kane sees the two women pass him by as they head for the train station and abandoning him in his hour of need. Suddenly the train arrives and finally we get to see Frank Miller step out of the train and now the four evil gunmen think they are going to win the day and finally kill Marshall Will Kane who again is walking through the town all on his own and thinking will he survive the gun battle and who has gone through hell over the last hour and his journey in the heart of the corrupt community and we see Marshall Will Kane about to confront the four evil gunmen who are desperate to win outright and the demise of Marshall Will Kane who originally went to court to confront Frank Miller and find him guilty on all charges and to see him hang for his vile crimes until he is dead. Suddenly with the first shot Amy Fowler Kane rushed off the train thinking it is her husband has been shot and killed and rushes off to the town to see if she can help and now decides she cannot leave her husband in his hour of need and suddenly sees a dead body and thinking it is Marshall Will Kane, but of course finds it is one of the evil gunman that is dead and ends up in the Sherriff’s Office for safety, which is quite ironic of what we get to view later on with the big gunfight, and now the build up to the mighty gun fight begins and slowly each evil gunmen gets their comeuppance, then we see Frank Miller throwing the oil lamp and lands in front of the stable and catches fire, then Frank Miller throws another oil lamp on the straw which catches fire to smoke Marshall Will Kane out in the open, so Marshall Will Kane let’s all the horse free to escape and Marshall Will Kane gests on one of the horses to escape to confuse Frank Miller, but suddenly one of the evil gunmen is just outside the Sheriff’s Office which Amy Fowler Kane is inside and grabs the gun hanging up and shoots and kills the evil gunman in the back and did for her husband to win despite being a Quaker and now we are just down to Frank Miller and we see a massive gun battle commence ever in this amazing film, and suddenly Frank Miller has captured Amy Fowler Kane and is using her as a shield and thinking he can win and confronts Marshall Will Kane, but suddenly Frank Miller gets his comeuppance, as Amy Fowler Kane scratches his face and Marshall Will Kane finishes him off by shooting him and it is the demise of Frank Miller and of course Marshall Will Kane has finally won the almighty gun fight battle, and despite Amy Fowler Kane and her beliefs as a Quaker and is against violence but decides to help save her husband and saves the day and of course his life and then all the hypercritical towns people come out to congratulate Marshall Will Kane who basically betrayed this hero and Marshall Will Kane is having none of that and we see Marshall Will Kane and Amy Fowler Kane get on the wagon with all their cases and rides out of town and leaving everyone to settle down far away from the town with Amy Fowler Kane and her hero husband and we see Marshall Will Kane throws his tin star on the ground and basically says good riddance to all of the hypercritical towns folk, and now it is the end pf ‘HIGH NOON’ which is one of the meaningful complex movie to come out of Hollywood in the 1950’s and at that point this audio commentary with historian Glenn Frankel comes to an end.
Special Feature: Audio Commentary by Stephen Prince [Audio only] [2020] [1080p] [1.37:1] [84:35] With this featurette, we get to hear from Western Authority Stephen Prince and as the film ‘HIGH NOON’ starts, Stephen Prince first introduces himself and proceeds to do his in-depth audio commentary. But again like the previous audio commentary, Stephen Prince managed to annoy me with unreasonably facts that he highlights so many of the things I had covered in the above audio commentary review. Again, Stephen Prince also states the blinding obvious what we are viewing of the film, so again slightly disappointing. But now and again Stephen Prince discussing the locations, the actors, the editing, the symbolism, the characters, and the themes, the blocking of actors, the use of deep focus photography, the in-film relationships, the subtext and a whole lot more. Stephen Prince recognises that the film ‘Rio Bravo’ was made by Howard Hawks and John Wayne as a direct response to what they disliked about the film ‘HIGH NOON,’ then Stephen Prince makes a solid case for why he believes ‘HIGH NOON’ is the better film, and ends with the veiled suggestion that his audio commentary on American society has found new relevance of late. I wonder to whom he was slyly referring to? So for this audio commentary, I feel it was very hit or miss and it is up to you to decide whether you like it or not, answers on a postcard please.
Special Feature: Interview with Neil Sinyard [2019] [1080p] [1.37:1 / 1.78:1] [29:35] With this featurette, here Author/ Film Historian Neil Sinyard of “Fred Zinnemann: Films of Character and Conscience” and the ever-knowledgeable insightful author takes a detailed look at what makes the film ‘HIGH NOON’ so special with its Western genre, and is here to talk about the iconic film ‘HIGH NOON’ and while we get to hear from Neil Sinyard we get shot clips from the film ‘HIGH NOON.’ Film Historian Neil Sinyard touches on the various themes and socio-political readings of the film and its controversy, also the strong female characters, the brilliant film score, and much more. Neil Sinyard says that ‘HIGH NOON’ has created a lot of controversy and was wondering what type of Western film it is trying to portray, and probably one the type of Western for people who do not like Western films, and feels the film is an allegory of Fred Zinnemann’s life and was also blacklisted along with Carl Forman because of the House Un-American Activities Committee who refused to name names. ‘HIGH NOON’ is also a film about a man who feels compelled to act according to his dictate and of his conscience in a town and democracy that had gone soft and when Marshall Will Kane asks for help, there is no one willing to put themselves out to help him. Neil Sinyard says the film ‘HIGH NOON’ was a simple process and was shot over a five week period and mainly on the Columbia Pictures backlot, and Fred Zinnemann and his Cinematographer Floyd D. Crosby, A.S.C wanted the film to feel grainy and to look like a documentary about the wild west, and to show the not so glamorous side to a western film, and to emphasise the railways track and this is where the threat is coming from, and of course they wanted the evil Frank Miller to appear near the end of the film to build up the tension, and also having lots of shots of clocks that is building up to the massive gun battle to the bitter end. When Fred Zinnemann first viewed the film he was not at all happy and came up with the idea of having a song played out in different parts of the film, so Dimitri Tiomkin decided to get someone to write a really good song and a record was released entitled HIGH NOON [Do Not Forsake Me] and was sung by Frankie Lane and was a massive chart hit and when the film ‘HIGH NOON’ was finally released, of course the song became totally iconic linked to the film, but in the film it was sung by Tex Ritter and of course it became a massive hit with the audiences that made them go to the cinema in droves to see the film. As to the composer Dimitri Tiomkin, Neil Sinyard says that was very underrated and was very much taken for granted and was also very patronised, but Neil Sinyard felt his composed score for ‘HIGH NOON’ suited the film very much and was very pleased when the Frankie Lane song became a massive chart hit and also says that Dimitri Tiomkin felt very pleased with himself, especially with the negativity things said about Dimitri Tiomkin as a composer. But there were rumours going around about the success of ‘HIGH NOON’ that was due to the editing done by Elmo Williams who had being involved with other films like ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ [1954], ‘The Vikings’ [1958], ‘The Longest Day’ [1962] and ‘Cleopatra’ [1963], and Elmo Williams edited one version that he had cut down to 60 minutes and certain scenes edited with Grace Kelly in the film and there were also no composed music, but Elmo Williams was overruled and had to edit the film for its release so it was 84 minutes long. Neil Sinyard says that Fred Zinnemann fell out with Carl Forman in saying that the film ‘HIGH NOON’ was his film, but when the two met up, the conflict between them was finally resolved and became good friends again. On top of all that, Neil Sinyard says that Fred Zinnemann likes to make films of an individual person against the community and of an individual person who finds himself on his own and has to act accordingly to the dictate of his conscious and the conflict with the community who wants the person to bend a little and finds he cannot do it, and again this scenario was played out in other Fred Zinnemann films that include ‘The Nun Story’ [1959], ‘From Here To Eternity’ [1963], and ‘The Man For All Season’ [1966]. They say that the film ‘HIGH NOON’ is often thought of a man that has got to do what a man has to do type western and on the film poster it says “the story of a man who was too proud to run,” the strong female characters, the brilliant film score, and much more. Neil Sinyard also talks about ‘HIGH NOON’ and the film's long-term impact, and we are even shown a rare film poster which I have never seen before, especially for the Solidarity movement, which was the Polish trade union movement of the 1980’s, that features Gary Cooper as the Marshal Will Kane as a symbol of the union's struggle and the resistance to government repression, which is also mentioned in the brilliant 40 page collector’s booklet. Neil Sinyard also mentions that when Gary Cooper and Lloyd Bridges have the massive fight in the barn, that Gary Cooper while filming this scene had a real serious bad back, but Gary Cooper felt he had to do the scene despite really hurting with his very serious bad back. Neil Sinyard also talks about the other powerful characters in the film and that is the two main women in the life of Marshal Will Kane and acting according to their conscious and Neil Sinyard feels that the ending of the film was quite controversial, when Marshal Will Kane throws his tin badge onto the dust in the street as he leaves town for good, and Neil Sinyard also comments again on Fred Zinnemann that the more he thinks about this particular director and his career, the more unusual and unconventional film, meaning “not based on or conforming to what is generally done or believed” Fred Zinnemann directs in Hollywood terms and the more he thinks that he didn’t get the credit he obviously deserved, especially from the critics, but Fred Zinnemann was much more respected from his cinematic peers, and Fred Zinnemann made films that were austere, but also were not arty, but he made films in the Hollywood system, but hardly any of his films ends happily and his only happy ending film was ‘Oklahoma!’ [1955], but Neil Sinyard feels Marshal Will Kane did sort of have a happy ending, because he won the battle and leaves town with his wife with his head held high in doing a good job in thwarting those four evil gunmen, and that point this featurette with Neil Sinyard ends.
Special Feature: Carl Foreman Interview [Audio only] [1969] [1080p] [1.37:1] [76:44] With this featurette, we get to hear an audio recording that was recorded at the National Film Theatre om London (now the BFI Southbank) in 1969, where they had an on-stage Q&A with screenwriter Carl Foreman and was well received by the audience and at the same time we get to view scenes from the film ‘HIGH NOON’ and is introduced at some considerable length by Ted Willis, Baron Willis [English playwright, novelist and screenwriter], and eventually Carl Foreman answers questions from the audience with grace and honesty on a variety of topics. These included the difference between writing in America and the United Kingdom and also says that he wanted to mention coming to the United Kingdom and making him very welcome whereas when he lived in America he was basically only being involved with films for an American audience, but with living in the United Kingdom wanted to get involved with films that are going to be distributed around the World, but some films he was involved with were heavily censored and felt very sad that a film he was very proud of. Carl Foreman first experience in the director's chair on the film ‘The Victors’ [1963] and especially working with his producing partner Stanley Kramer, and the experience of making the film ‘HIGH NOON’ and its life-changing aftermath, and how the messages in his films have sometimes been misinterpreted. Carl Foreman talks in-depth of his friendship with Stanley Kramer and talks about the small company he set up with Stanley Kramer to make one film and does not mention the film title, but also mentions that there was this cinema in New Jersey the film to American audiences and they were throwing things at the screen because they did not understand the theme of the film which was the humour pf satire, and it was one of his most favourite film, but also it was a financial failure. Carl Foreman says that he gets scripts sent to him to get his approval in the hope of making them into a film or any advice or suggestions, and also ays when he started out he experienced some tremendous difficulties getting started, and he also informs us that he sometimes gets well over a 100 scripts sent to him and actually reads them all over a 12 month period. Carl Foreman says that he feels that you really only need a standard education is you are very keen to get into the film industry, but you must have a point of view, one should have a background of history, philosophy and a great many other topics, but with the combination of all what I have said, but Carl Foreman says that if a young person wanted to get into the filmi, that he should complete his normal education and to marry the daughter of a film executive, and at the point the whole audience bursts out laughing very loud and also clap enthusiastically. Carl Foreman is asked about films that are dubbed and says that certain countries demand an English film to be dubbed of a particular film shown at a cinema in Europe, and certain countries insist a certain film must be dubbed and says the countries that really insist on a certain film that must be dubbed are France, Germany, Italy and sometimes in Spain and what they do is show that film in a limited run in English, but with a mass general release the film will be dubbed using local actors of that particular European country. Carl Forman is asked about planned future projects, and the importance of holding a mirror up to contemporary life, and to do this he is going to go on holiday because he has been working for a very long period without a break, and wants to go somewhere so he can do some writing, and he also says he has some very large film projects he has lumbered himself with in the pipeline, that look very interesting at the time, and mentions one film in the pipeline that is going to be about Winston Churchill as a young man at the age of 25 and is in that period of Winston Churchill’s life that he feels sympathy with and it fascinates him because it is a period that made the boy into a man, and started writing the screenplay three years ago and have not been able to finish it. Carl Foreman is asked about when he first saw films being broadcast on television, and when these films were being broadcast on television he was very negative about it, but since then he has realised that having a film shown on television brings in a great deal of revenue and especially into the film industry. Carl Foreman cheers the emergence of great new British writers, expresses a hope that there would one day be a National Film School in Britain, which of course such an establishment was founded just two years later, and cheered me up with his open disdain for religion and his loathing of “the spirit of Christmas” as “a load of crap,” especially in the First and Second World Wars, where at Christmas in the trenches they have a short truce and says so why don’t they bloody well have a full long truce and stop the fighting all together and I so heartily agree with him 100%, as it is a total illogical madness and also total hypocrisy of the church, and we all get dragged into this insanity. Carl Foreman now says he tries to write a screenplay the way a person actually talks in real life, and as you know that the cinema is a visual medium in the first instance, that has a series of images that move as much as possible and he thinks dialogue should be used where necessary and be part of the story and if you want to hear a lot of dialogue then you should go to the theatre. At that point of Ted Willis, Baron Willis says, “that our time is up and I would like to thank Carl Foreman on your behalf in being patient and answering the questions he has been asked by the audience, and I should like to thank Carl on behalf of the writers of Great Britain for being our President and the first American President in Great Britain and thank him for being one of us and for the fine work he has done for us and for his own professional work and through his union work and to ask you to join with me and thanking him in the usual way,” and at that point the audience claps enthusiastically and at that point this amazing fascinating and intelligent interview with the brilliant Carl Foreman comes to an end. Please Note: There are some audio quality issues throughout the interview, but they are easy to live with given the quality of the in-depth interview with the brilliant Carl Foreman.
Special Feature: Inside ‘HIGH NOON’ [2006] [1080i] [1.37:1] [50:00] With this featurette, we get to view this documentary which goes into exploring the making of the film ‘HIGH NOON.’ We get to hear details of how it developed, from the initial idea to script, casting and especially in casting the lead role, which so many major Hollywood actors had turned down before Gary Cooper eagerly took it on and production. Goes into detail on its complicated HUAC controversy, with so many both behind and before the camera blacklisted. Covers its critical reception and it's place in American culture. There's a comprehensive look at how the film came about and was made, information on missing subplots, and some learned opinion on the strength and importance two main female characters. There's some detail on the blacklisting of Foreman and how Gary Cooper put his career on the line to defend him at every turn. Former US President Bill Clinton even chips in to rather eloquently outline why one of his favourite films is so popular with politicians, and we get a peek at Fred Zinnemann's annotated shooting script, which the director sent to Bill Clinton, and a letter in which Fred Zinnemann counters the myth that the film was saved in editing. There is also much more here, including some very thoughtful analysis of the film's visual style, themes and subtext and we also get to view several clips from the film ‘HIGH NOON.’ So all in all, this is a really excellent historical documentary was presented by the Moda Entertainment and Written and Directed by John Mulholland. Contributors include: Frank Langella [Narrator], William J. Clinton [42nd President of the United States of America], Maria Cooper Janis [Daughter of Gary Cooper], Meir Ribalow [Fordham University], Stephan Prince [Virginia Tech], Jonathan Foreman [Son of Carl Foreman], Lee Clark Mitchell [Princeton University], Tim Zinnemann [Son of Fred Zinnemann], Prince Albert of Monaco [Son of Grace Kelly] and Brian Garfield [Author of “Western Films”].
Special Feature: The Making of ‘HIGH NOON’ [1992] [1080i / 480i] [1.37:1] [22:11] With this featurette, we get to view an in-depth documentary on the making of the film ‘HIGH NOON’ and giving film fans a rare behind-the-scenes look at the making of this classic western film about a sheriff who vows to stand and fight when an outlaw he once put behind bars comes looking for revenge. Includes interviews with an ever-smiling Leonard Maltin film reviewer and other figures in the film industry who discuss the impact this movie had on later movies and the western genre as a whole. Also includes archive footage shot on the film set. We also get the prophetic comment "Evil was very strong in those days," by the actor Lloyd Bridges and his feeling about the classic western film. Contributors include: Leonard Maltin [Presenter], Stanley Kramer [Director/Producer], Fred Zinnemann [Director], David Crosby [American singer-songwriter], Lloyd Bridges [Actor], Gary Cooper [Actor] (archive footage) and John Ritter [Son of Tex Ritter].
Special Feature: Behind ‘HIGH NOON’ [2002] [1080p] [1.37:1] [9:48] With this featurette, we get to view this third and final in-depth documentary and was produced for the films 50th Anniversary. Once again we get to view behind-the-scenes look at the making of this classic western film ‘HIGH NOON’ about a sheriff who vows to stand and fight when an outlaw he once put behind bars comes looking for revenge. Many of the stories here are repeated elsewhere, but this still makes for a comprehensive introduction to the film and doesn't sidestep the controversies surrounding its release and the damaging effect of the blacklist. This has been a tribute to the classic western film, and the director John Mulholland and constructed from the same interview material used for the 2006 documentary Inside ‘HIGH NOON,’ and also included on this Blu-ray disc. Now when I say the same material, I don't just mean that the clips used here were sourced from the same interviews, but that much of what you will see here is also in that documentary, and if you're watching the extras in order you will already have seen most of this before. What is unique to this piece is a camera introduction and narration by Maria Cooper Janis, and there are a few snippets of previously unseen interview footage. Contributors include: Maria Cooper Janis [Daughter of Gary Cooper], Jonathan Foreman [Son of Carl Foreman], Tim Zinnemann [Son of Fred Zinnemann] and Prince Albert of Monaco [Son of Grace Kelly]
Special Feature: Theatrical Trailer [1952] [1080i] [1.37:1] [2:17] With this featurette, we get to view this Original Theatrical trailer for the film ‘HIGH NOON.’ The announcer proclaims "A man who was too proud to run!" is slightly misleading. We are also informed that "Time was his deadly enemy!" A warning that it has far too many spoilers!
BONUS: A brilliant 40 page collector’s booklet featuring an essay entitled THE POWER AND THE POLITICS OF ‘HIGH NOON’ by Philip Kemp [2019]. Two archival pieces on the film entitled ‘HIGH NOON’ – A RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW and WHEN THE BIG HAND IS ON TWELVE . . . OR 7 AMBIGUITIES OF TIME by critic Richard Combs [1986]. Also included is CARL FORMAN VERSUS JOHN WAYNE which includes an analysis of the film’s timekeeping; which is an article by Carl Foreman originally published in Punch Magazine in 1974. We also get lots black-and-white publicity photographs from the film ‘HIGH NOON’ and of course the usual VIEWING NOTES and PRODUCTION CREDITS.
Finally, ‘HIGH NOON’ was a very popular western film when it was released and it is a long time since I viewed the film, but now with this amazing Blu-ray disc, I have been able to appreciate just how superb this work of American cinema it truly is. The filmmaking is totally inspired; the script is precise, the acting top-notch, the storytelling taught and waste-free, and the socio-political undertones give it a bite that few other genre works of the period can boast. It's a marvellous work, and how great it is to see it looking as good as it does on this impeccable EUREKA! Entertainment Blu-ray disc. It is also a great film, great presentation, superb special features and definitely a must-own Blu-ray release that is for sure. ‘HIGH NOON’ is fully deserving of all its praise and recognition, and more. It is one of those rare films that does everything just right. Nothing is overdone, nor does it leave you wishing there had been more. A genuine masterpiece, given the loving treatment it deserves in this Blu-ray release from Eureka Entertainment. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
