High Noon (Two-Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition)

Buy This Item High Noon (Two-Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition) by Lionsgate  Available from Amazon  $13.99  on 9-21-2008     HIGH NOON - WS (DVD MOVIE) Reader Reviews Lionsgate has announced a new DVD release of High Noon with new special features. There is what appears to be a reliable report, though unconfirmed, that it will include a new transfer of the film, restored by Paramount. The current and older DVDs are only of average video and audio quality. This a true classic, combining traditional Western themes with contemporary concerns about popular acquiescence to evil, done in a gripping, unusual (nearly real-time) way, with great actors. Town marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper) is caught between his new pacifist Quaker wife Amy (Grace Kelly) and a felt duty to face down evil men coming on the noon train to take revenge on him (and presumably cause whatever other trouble they please). Most of the drama takes place in the lead-up to a climactic battle, as the townspeople choose whether to support Kane with action or to let him stand alone. Amy too must choose between her spouse and her own moral beliefs. The tension builds relentlessly as we see clocks ticking towards noon. The innovative black and white cinematography emphasizes the dramatic points, while the internal drama is captured in Cooper's face. The new DVD features are these: -- "Inside High Noon," a 50-minute documentary on the making of the film (see below for more on this) -- "Tex Ritter: A Visit to Carthage, Texas," on the Tex Ritter Museum -- the full performance of "Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin'" from the Jimmy Dean TV Show The features carried over from the current release are: -- commentary with Gary Cooper's daughter Maria Cooper Janis, screenwriter Carl Foreman's son Jonathan Foreman, director Fred Zinneman's son Tim Zinnemann and Tex Ritter's son John Ritter -- "The Making of High Noon" featurette -- "Behind High Noon" featurette -- radio broadcast with Tex Ritter Whether the new features will warrant an upgrade is a matter of personal preference, of course. A 50-minute documentary could be quite interesting, if it's well done. It does sound interesting. The "new" documentary, actually made a couple years ago but shelved until now, is by film and Gary Cooper expert John Mulholland. It's expected to cover, among other things, the conflict between Cooper and John Wayne over the participation of the blacklisted screenwriter Carl Foreman. Given that the film is intended in part as an allegory of the public's acquiescence in the Red Scare, this will have more than the usual gossipy behind-the-scenes relevance. It includes interviews with three of the children of the principles who participated in the DVD audio commentary: Cooper's daughter Maria, director Zinneman's son Tim, and Foreman's son Jonathan. There are also interviews with Grace Kelly's son Prince Albert of Monaco, Western and film historians Brian Garfield, Lee Clark Mitchell, Stephen Prince and Meir Ribalow, and High Noon fan President Bill Clinton. The narration is by actor Frank Langella. Lack of agreement between Paramount and Lionsgate prevented the earlier release of a restored transfer and the documentary, in case you're wondering why this didn't come out before. (Amazon has a habit of removing or not even accepting outside links, but if you want to read more about this, some of the more interesting tidbits are from a discussion at hometheaterforum. Just do a web search for "high noon" plus "ultimate collector's edition" or "inside high noon" and such keywords to find the links--easy to find.) A parting note on the ethical side of the film. While everyone can appreciate the strength of Cooper's character and the contrast to the weakness of others, which is no doubt the intended moral focus, we can wonder why the seemingly parallel choices facing Will and Amy are treated differently, with one portrayed heroically for choosing perceived broader duty over duty to spouse, while the other is seemingly approved in doing the opposite (those who have seen the movie will be able to see how that is). I'm not sure writer Foreman saw that parallel as I put it here, and maybe there are good reasons to argue they aren't really parallel. It could be a statement about the limits of pacifism, or it could be a reflection of other cultural mores that Foreman didn't question. Or it could be largely motivated by the need for a certain kind of ending. I'm not a film historian, so maybe these questions have already been addressed. If so, feel free to leave a comment about it.

High Noon (Two-Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition) Available from Amazon Price: $13.99 Updated on 9-21-2008.

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