High Noon
1952
****½
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Cast: Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges, Katy Jurado, Otto Kruger, Lon Chaney Jr., Harry Morgan, Lee Van Cleef, Robert J. Wilke
Will Kane, the retiring and newly-wed marshal of Hadleyville, finds himself abandoned by his townsfolk just when he needs their help to face a gang of vengeful outlaws. Fred Zinnemann's classy and streamlined Western takes place in real time. This wonderfully told story about a lone individual standing up for justice in the face of cowardice and fear is an allegory against Hollywood blacklisting in the McCarthy era. Cary Cooper won one of the four Academy Awards. Based on John W. Cunningham's 1947 short story The Tin Star.
