Rewind, film: 'High Noon' directed by Fred Zinneman
In our fast-paced world connected by planes, trains and the internet, it seems nobody has the patience to wait any more.
Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Lloyd Bridges
Fred Zinneman
The western genre has often excelled at capturing the grit, violence and lawless nature of that era, but possibly the only film to truly portray its sense of endless waiting is High Noon.
On the day of his wedding, Sheriff Will Kane (Gary Cooper) hangs up his badge. Then news arrives that Frank Miller, a killer Kane put away years ago, has been pardoned and is on his way back for revenge. With just an hour until Miller's train arrives, Kane desperately tries to round up deputies but no one is willing to help, and the sheriff, unwilling to abandon the town, waits alone for the killer.
Often regarded as a classic by modern film scholars, High Noon faced a backlash from critics when it was first released, not only for its refusal to fit into the chase-and-shoot-out formula, but also for its blatantly conservative themes.