A ticking clock, a lone man, and a town paralyzed by fear. A tense, real-time psychological Western that strips away frontier glory to expose the cowardice of a community, leaving one honorable lawman to face his doomed fate entirely alone.
High Noon
"The story of a man who was too proud to run!"
Director:
Fred Zinnemann
Cast:
Gary Cooper, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges, Katy Jurado, Grace Kelly
Drama
Western
Budget:
$730,000
Box Office:
$8,000,000
High Noon - Easter Eggs & Hidden Details
Easter Eggs
Lee Van Cleef's Screen Debut
The legendary Western actor, who would later achieve global fame in Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, makes his feature film debut as Jack Colby, one of Frank Miller's henchmen. Curiously, he does not have a single line of dialogue in the entire film.
The 'Do Not Forsake Me' Motif
Dimitri Tiomkin's Oscar-winning title song isn't just an opening credits tune; its melody is woven throughout the entire orchestral score. It acts as an omnipresent musical motif, constantly reminding the audience of Kane's isolation, the ticking clock, and Amy's impending departure.