To get in on the HIGH NOON discussion...
I really like this one. My hubby and I watched it together Friday night and he really liked it too. I'd seen it more than once before but it was fun to watch it again.
I love ol' Coop in this... the way he's tough and cool and nervous and scared all at once. His performance is quite low-key but still very powerful. A lot of his acting is very internal in this - he conveys tons with his eyes and his body language.
At times I was a little annoyed with Will Kane for trying to recruit help. It seemed sort of weak and needy and it's his job as marshal to handle the bad guys. On the other hand, they owed him a lot for helping them out in the past and handling four guys with guns is a tall order for anyone. It's everyone's town. Plus, in some ways it takes a bigger man to admit when you need help.
I realize Fred Zinnemann leaned to the left, but I think the film is enjoyable enough on its own merit; we don't have to consider the political implications if we don't want to. I saw the big moment at the end (when he throws the tin star on the ground) as a quiet way of telling the townsfolk off. They left him all alone when trouble came, but as soon as he was the big hero and all was safe they all wanted to be around him. No thanks, I say. Seeya.
