Movie #53 High Noon

A lot of critics like to wax poetic about the golden age of cinema.  The noirs, the musicals, the slap stick comedies, the war movies and the westerns were all born in this era.  You are kind of considered a traitor if you don't like these classics.  It is like an exclusive club consisting of those that have seen John Ford and Preston Sturges films.  And to see them is to love them.  Matter of fact, I would wager that many people claim to have seen all these old movies and really haven't.  Because they know that there is not many people that can call their bluff.  All the while they look down their noses at those that freely admit to not having seen "the classics".  I must admit that I have done it that as well.  "You haven't seen Red River!?!" Not stating that I only saw the film for the first time this year.

A side effect of this type of golden idol worship is that sometimes films that don't really deserve it get lumped into this pantheon of cinema.  Clearly there are movies like Citizen Kane and Casablanca, Sunset Boulevard and Sullivan's Travels deserve all their credit and more.  But there are films that weren't that revolutionary, nor did they contain legendary performances that get praised to the roof tops undeservedly.  High Noon is one of these films.

That is not to say that High Noon is a bad movie.  It certainly is not.  I was entertained throughout.  I just wasn't blown away.  The plot of High Noon is Garry Cooper plays a newly married (to an all time beauty, Grace Kelly) and recently retired sheriff when a gang of heels that he helped put away comes back to town to seek revenge.  He tries to round up a posse to help him out and the towns people turn their back on him.

The most interesting thing about this film is that it plays out in real time.  This really adds a sense of urgency to the characters actions.  Cooper only has 90 minutes to figure out how he is going to handle the situation.  The passage of time is handled in a little clunky manor by simply showing clocks all over town.  The film is sorting hitting you over the head with it as if it were shouting "SEE WHAT TIME IT IS?!? HE BETTER HURRY UP! THERE IS ONLY X AMOUNT OF MINUTES LEFT!"  I wish the director would have been a little more creative of subtle in his execution of this gimmick. 

The director in question is Fred Zinnemann.  Recognize the name?  I blogged about his 1973 film Day of the Jackal last week.  Here he is solid with a few interesting setup's and shots.  But for the most part this is a color-by-numbers western.  Grace Kelly is solid as his Quaker bride, Loyd Bridges seems a little out of place in this movie as the sheriffs replacement.  There is a Hispanic former love interest sub plot with that character played by Katy Jurado.  I have never heard of her, but she was adequate.

That seems like the best way to sum up this film.  Adequate.  I think it has survived on it's star, director and story.  The film doesn't offer up much new in what was a solid genre for it's time.  There is one other note of interest.  The theme song was really bizarre.  It seemed totally out of place and like it was recorded in someones basement.  I will give High Noon a 3/5 stars and say that it is a good watch for a rainy or snowy Sunday evening.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.