IMDb >
High Noon (1952)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsHigh Noon (1952) More at IMDbPro »
| Videos (see all 5) |
|
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
30 July 1952 (USA)
more
Tagline:
Simple. Powerful. Unforgettable. more
Plot:
A marshall, personally compelled to face a returning deadly enemy, finds that his own town refuses to help him. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Won 4 Oscars.
Another 11 wins
&
8 nominations
more
NewsDesk:
(19 articles)
Lionsgate Picks Up Man Movie, Last Stand
(From Cinema Blend. 17 November 2009, 12:09 AM, PST)
Lionsgate Picks Up Last Stand
(From MovieWeb. 16 November 2009, 6:24 PM, PST)
(From Cinema Blend. 17 November 2009, 12:09 AM, PST)
Lionsgate Picks Up Last Stand
(From MovieWeb. 16 November 2009, 6:24 PM, PST)
User Comments:
"Oh, To Be Torn Twixt Love And Duty"
more (224 total)
Cast
(Complete credited cast) | Gary Cooper | ... | Marshal Will Kane |
 | Thomas Mitchell | ... | Mayor Jonas Henderson |
 | Lloyd Bridges | ... | Deputy Marshal Harvey Pell |
| Katy Jurado | ... | Helen Ramírez |
 | Grace Kelly | ... | Amy Fowler Kane |
 | Otto Kruger | ... | Judge Percy Mettrick |
 | Lon Chaney Jr. | ... | Martin Howe (as Lon Chaney) |
| Harry Morgan | ... | Sam Fuller (as Henry Morgan) |
| Ian MacDonald | ... | Frank Miller |
| Eve McVeagh | ... | Mildred Fuller |
| Morgan Farley | ... | Dr. Mahin - Minister |
| Harry Shannon | ... | Cooper |
| Lee Van Cleef | ... | Jack Colby |
 | Robert J. Wilke | ... | Jim Pierce (as Robert Wilke) |
| Sheb Wooley | ... | Ben Miller |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
85 min
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Quebec) |
Canada:PG (Ontario) |
Canada:G (Manitoba) |
Iceland:L |
South Korea:15 |
West Germany:12 (f) |
Germany:12 (DVD rating) |
USA:Passed (National Board of Review) |
Argentina:Atp |
Australia:PG |
Finland:K-16 |
Norway:16 (original rating) |
Spain:13 |
Sweden:11 (re-release) |
Sweden:15 |
UK:U |
USA:Approved (PCA #15653)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Gary Cooper, B movie producer Robert L. Lippert and screenwriter Carl Foreman were set to go into a production company together, after the success of this film. John Wayne and Ward Bond ordered Cooper to back out of the deal, as HUAC was preparing to "blacklist" Foreman. Shortly afterward, Lippert was made persona non grata by the Screen Actors Guild, which destroyed his independent production company.
more
Goofs:
Continuity: While walking around in the city looking for help, Will Kane's vest alternately opens and closes between cuts.
more
Quotes:
Dr. Mahin, Minister:
The commandments say 'Thou shalt not kill,' but we hire men to go out and do it for us. The right and the wrong seem pretty clear here. But if you're asking me to tell my people to go out and kill and maybe get themselves killed, I'm sorry. I don't know what to say. I'm sorry.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Runaway: A Road Adventure (2002) (VG)
more
Soundtrack:
Battle Hymn of the Republic
more
FAQ
A Note Regarding SpoilersHow much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
Are there any other movies like ""High Noon" that are told in real time?
more
more (224 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for High Noon (1952) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| I Shot Jesse James | The Gunfighter | Ride the High Country | The Phantom Rider | C'era una volta il West |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb top 250 movies | IMDb Drama section |
| IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |
On Marshal Gary Cooper's wedding day to Grace Kelly, Lee Van Cleef, Sheb Woolley, and Robert J. Wilkie wait at the train station for the noon arriving train. It will be carrying their former gang leader, Ian McDonald who Cooper sent to prison and who's vowing vengeance.
From the gitgo it's made abundantly clear that these are four nasty dudes who the town ought to deal with expeditiously. But the good elements of the town have grown fat and lazy and content to throw the responsibility of law and order on Cooper's shoulders. And he's quitting anyway, going on his honeymoon with his Quaker bride. A new marshal is going to arrive the next day. Why get involved. They want Cooper to just take his problem elsewhere. That view is probably best expressed by Thomas Mitchell in the scene at the church.
Speaking of the scene in the church my favorite business in High Noon is when preacher Morgan Farley tells Cooper how dare he come into the church because a few hours earlier he didn't see fit to get married in that church. What a set of priorities.
Grace Kelly had her breakthrough role in High Noon. She's a Quaker with deeply held pacifist principles. She's marrying a lawman, but one who's quitting that life. Her best scene in the film is with Katy Jurado who is Cooper's former gal pal. Katy explains the facts of life to Grace about marriage and the duty of standing by your man, long before Tammy Wynette ever sung about it. When the time comes, Grace does the right thing.
Like his rival in western films, John Wayne, Gary Cooper had one of the great faces for movie closeups. Back in the day it used to be a running joke about how Cooper's dialog used to be just "yep" and "nope." It was a good deal more than that. But High Noon's plot is carried quite a bit by the many closeup shots of Cooper. His face tells more than ten pages of speech and it keeps the tension of the film going. Man did not win two Academy Awards for nothing.
Of course the theme of High Noon is also expressed in Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington's Academy Award winning song, sung at times during the film by Tex Ritter. However the big hit record of the film was from Frankie Laine. I doubt there has ever been a movie theme song that expressed everything you needed to know about the motivation of the central character in the film. I don't think High Noon would have attained the classic status it has without that song.
Another great performance in the film is Lon Chaney, Jr. as the former town marshal, old and cynical, who'd like to help Cooper out, but at his age and health realizes he'd be more of a hindrance. He's the only one that Cooper understands and forgives.
The final gun battle is choreographed like a ballet, it's that good. Maybe the best ever filmed. Can't describe it, you got to see it.
The interaction of the town's responsibilities for maintaining law and order and Cooper's personal pride and integrity have been dealt with in various ways in other films. I'd check out Rio Bravo, Warlock, Death of a Gunfighter, Welcome to Hard Times, all of these take a different slant on the same themes.
But personally I've always liked what the townspeople did in a Frank Sinatra film, Johnny Concho. That's what the people of Hadleyville should have done right at the start.