Official Synopsis:
Gary Cooper won the Oscar for the Best Actor in this classic tale of a lawman who stands alone to defend a town of cowardly citizens against a gang of revenge-seeking criminals. In the greatest showdown in the history of cinema, Cooper stands to lose not only the town but his new wife, Grace Kelly. The film also stars one of Hollywood's most beloved and prolific actors, Lloyd Bridges, and marks the first starring role for a beautiful young actress and internationally adored screen legend - Grace Kelly. High Noon garnered a total of four Academy Awards including Best Editing, Score and Original Song.

Our Take:
Director Fred Zinnemann. Producer Stanley Kramer. Stars Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly. With a pedigree that includes names this big, it’s easy to see why High Noon is considered one of the single greatest western films of all time. Having never been a fan of westerns overall and having never seen High Noon until this DVD crossed my desk, I can now say that it absolutely deserves to be revered so.

Pretty much every western convention you can think of is mastered by Zinnemann in High Noon. Whether it’s shots of hero versus villain striding towards each other on a deserted dusty road or the ominous whistle of an approaching train, every “standard western” idea or shot feels brand new and fresh in this film. And if the climax of the movie is a bit shorter than you might expect, it doesn’t really matter because it’s the build-up that’s so interesting. Watching Gary Cooper as the morally-bound marshal trying to rally up deputies in an apathetic town is extremely compelling, and the tension builds throughout the film to perfect effect. Regular cutaways to clocks and timepieces remind us that the noon train with convicted killer Frank Miller on it is just around the bend, and the film plays out nearly in real time long before that became a de rigueur film experiment. 

High Noon: 2 Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition is the latest version of the film to hit DVD, and Lionsgate has made an effort to include some new material, but mostly this is just a rehashing of the previous special-edition DVD. Still, the new documentary offered up runs almost an hour long, so it’s not like you’re paying for nothing. Here’s the breakdown of the extra features:

Disc One -

* Audio Commentary - With Maria Cooper-Janis, Jonathan Foreman, Tim Zinnemann (son of director Fred Zinnemann) and John Ritter (son of Tex Ritter, who sang the theme song of the film that won an Oscar.).

Disc Two -

* Inside High Noon (50 Minutes) - A new documentary on the film that explores its cultural impact and much more than just the actual making of the film.
* Tex Ritter: A Visit to Carthage, Texas – A Portrait Piece on the Tex Ritter Museum.
* Tex Ritter Performance - Of Oscar-Winning Original Song "Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin'" on the Jimmy Dean TV Show.
* The Making of High Noon (22 minutes) – An older featurette hosted by Leonard Maltin.
* Behind High Noon (9 minutes) – Another older featurette
* Radio Broadcast with Tex Ritter (6 minutes).

While there are plenty of versions of High Noon on DVD, I’m pleased with this new effort, even if it only adds one new documentary to the proceedings. It may not be worth the upgrade if you already own the film, but if you don’t own it or haven’t seen it yet, then I highly recommend you go out and pick up High Noon: 2 Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition right away.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Overall Picture:
Movie: A-
DVD: A-

- Mike Spring

Editor