Hi Jen
I kind of like the film where the marshal goes up against four men but instead of using a pistol he turns a sawn off shot gun at them and facing the prospect of a wide scattering of pellets they back off. It might not make the marshal a great hero, but I bet that it was more realistic and probably kept him alive longer.
Regards
Arthur
Hi Stumpy
Someone to do the Hawks comedies with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn, and
where will you find todays equivilant of Gary Cooper, Scott, McCrea and the other middle of the road western heroes who made such brilliant pictures.
Regards
Arthur
Hi Viper
It's bee a long time since I saw High Noon but like you I enjoyed it and have it in my collection at home.
The theme music is among the all time great western themes whether your choice is the Frankie Laine or Tex Ritter versions (personally I have no preference) and I like the idea of telling the story by musical narrative, a la Gunfight at the OK Corral, and The Man Who Shot lLberty Valance etc.
Gary Cooper always seemed to me in real life and on screen a man with a 'slow burn' type of personality and it came across in his screen persona, he took a time to rile but when he was look out.
The tension builing up and the clock ticking as one by one he loses his deputies and all efforts to recruit assistance fails leaving him to face the millers alone, with only grace Kelly to ultimately help him.
I believe Jack Elam was also in the picture and didn't say a word throughout, or was that Gunfight at the OK Corrall?
I also believe that John Wayne later picked up the Academy Award for Gary Coopers performance in High Noon and in his speech praised the writer saying that he wished he had been given a part like that.
This, seems hard to reconcile in view of what subsequently transpired with Hawks and Wayne in Rio Bravo which was in a deliberate contrast to High Noon and which when talking about both films Wayne was less than complimentary about the Fred Zimmerman product, and actually ridiculled the scene where Cooper drops his badge into the dirt at the end of the film, as something that no self respecting peace officer would do. And also turning round the story and, with the notable exception of Colorado and Dude, instead of recruiting the townspeople to assists him rejects them. I think I wished that the Dobe Carey scene hasd been left in by Hawks as it might have illustrated this better, but if you read Carey's book he explains why it wasn't.
I think that both films have their place in history, of the two High Noon because it was first thus setting the standard will be easily remembered, but Rio Bravo took a long time to earn autere status but runs a very close second.
Regards
Arthur
