High Noon
1952, dir. Fred Zinneman
Olive Films
In Brief: Looks and sounds outstanding, and the missing extras from the 2002 DVD are disappointing but not dealbreakers.
Best Price & Availability: $19.99 as of this writing at Amazon, hard to find at retail. I rarely see Olive discs dip below $18-20.
The Movie: Gary Cooper stars as town marshal Will Kane, who has just gotten married to the lovely Miss Amy. He finds out that the bad guy he ran out of town is on his way back to re-take the town and can't bring himself to leave like a coward. Unfortunately for him, the town that stood by him previously is more reluctant this time around. The story plays out virtually in real time as noon approaches, with death not far behind.
The History: The movie's release was overshadowed by its association with the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings going on at the time. John Wayne hated it, and Howard Hawks said he made Rio Bravo in response to it. With the distance of time, the film is allowed to stand on its own as a great and unique western that eschews sweeping landscapes and frequent action for building tension and suspense.
Look and Sound: I didn't know what to expect from Olive Films' release of one of the greatest westerns (or film for that matter) ever made. I was astounded at how clear and crisp the picture and sound are. Occasional moments of soft focus are from production choices, not any sort of flaws in the mastering of the Blu-ray. Contrast is rich and consistent throughout in both interior and exterior shots. Sweat glistens and drips off of everyone visibly. This massive upgrade in detail makes the experience of watching the movie much more immersive. Remarkably, all of this detail comes from a single-layer Blu-ray. This disc outdid my expectations and then some.
Extras: Included are The Making of High Noon (~22 minutes, hosted by Leonard Maltin and including interviews with John Ritter, Lloyd Bridges, Fred Zinneman, and others) and the Theatrical Trailer in SD. The making-of
Missing in Action: We lost three bits from the 50th Anniversary DVD. First and most sorely missed is a commentary that features Maria Cooper-Janis (daughter of Gary), Jonathan Foreman (son of Carl), Tim Zinneman (son of Fred), and the clincher, John Ritter (son of Tex). I haven't listened to it in about ten years, but all four participants were in one room together, and Ritter in particular was great. They do a fair amount of explaining of metaphors and so on, but it's consistently chatty and interesting. I miss it, but there was probably a licensing issue that prevented its inclusion. Likewise nowhere to be found are the ~9 minute Behind High Noon featurette hosted by Maria Cooper and a ~5 minute radio interview with Tex Ritter.
A Top Shelf Disc despite the missing extras. The audiovisual presentation glistens with the literal and figurative tension felt by Marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper).