Comments on: The Real Political Message of High Noon http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/ Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:34:09 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: WestWright http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/comment-page-1/#comment-311328 WestWright Sat, 27 Jun 2009 11:53:12 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/#comment-311328 Thanks for the good work, Kyle Smith & PJ. Kid Various hit the mark as far as I am concerned with: This is America. And to my friends who don’t understand, mostly Europeans and Iraqis, I find myself resorting to the words of Kane when his wife asks him why he is doing this. “If you don’t know, I can’t explain it to you.” Good work .... Thanks for the good work, Kyle Smith & PJ.
Kid Various hit the mark as far as I am concerned with:

This is America.
And to my friends who don’t understand, mostly Europeans and Iraqis, I find myself resorting to the words of Kane when his wife asks him why he is doing this.
“If you don’t know, I can’t explain it to you.”
Good work ….

]]> By: joe mccarthy http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/comment-page-1/#comment-104627 joe mccarthy Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:14:26 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/#comment-104627 [...] that prevails. Kane??s little town isn??t populated by joe McCarthys ?? but by Neville Chamberlains.http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/Joe McCarthy baseball - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJoe mccarthy baseball From Wikipedia, the [...] [...] that prevails. Kane??s little town isn??t populated by joe McCarthys ?? but by Neville Chamberlains.http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/Joe McCarthy baseball – Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJoe mccarthy baseball From Wikipedia, the [...]

]]> By: Michael Reinhard http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/comment-page-1/#comment-60648 Michael Reinhard Sun, 15 Jun 2008 16:32:23 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/#comment-60648 What a pleasant surprise. I had seen the film a few times but I never knew it was thought of as an allegory for McCarthyism. I always thought from the first time I saw it that the message was about standing up to evil by force if necessary. In the back of my mind I had always assumed it was a pro-American, anti-neutralist film. In fact, the McCarthy angle misses me entirely. Other than the fact that the sheriff is unpopular (at least when he asks for help) there is no connection to McCarthyism at all. Am I just being dense? What a pleasant surprise. I had seen the film a few times but I never knew it was thought of as an allegory for McCarthyism. I always thought from the first time I saw it that the message was about standing up to evil by force if necessary. In the back of my mind I had always assumed it was a pro-American, anti-neutralist film. In fact, the McCarthy angle misses me entirely. Other than the fact that the sheriff is unpopular (at least when he asks for help) there is no connection to McCarthyism at all. Am I just being dense?

]]> By: James Poulos » High Noon For the Neocons´ Global Village http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/comment-page-1/#comment-58938 James Poulos » High Noon For the Neocons´ Global Village Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:32:17 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/#comment-58938 [...] Director Fred Zinnemann, an Austrian Jew, saw himself as steering the film toward a message movie about European failure to fight fascism until it was too late. Zinneman’s vision is ultimately the one that prevails. — Kyle Smith [...] [...] Director Fred Zinnemann, an Austrian Jew, saw himself as steering the film toward a message movie about European failure to fight fascism until it was too late. Zinneman’s vision is ultimately the one that prevails. — Kyle Smith [...]

]]> By: JK http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/comment-page-1/#comment-58750 JK Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:27:54 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/#comment-58750 I did not read the link provided by Kid Various prior to posting. My mistake. My apology. I did not read the link provided by Kid Various prior to posting. My mistake.

My apology.

]]> By: JK http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/comment-page-1/#comment-58746 JK Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:17:09 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/#comment-58746 I don't know that I do know, all I know is that my discharge was honorable and I do my med stuff solely through the auspices of the VA. (In the offchance that "if you don't know, I can't tell you" was for me.) The last movie I did see in an old fashioned theater was "The Outlaw Josie Wales" which I suspect doesn't meet the requirements of the judgements. Josie was a former (depending on whether one read the book as well as watched the film) non-aligned sort of Confederate. Well, I guess it's true enough, if you don't know (say the sound of an AK as opposed to the sound of an M-16) I can't tell you. I don’t know that I do know, all I know is that my discharge was honorable and I do my med stuff solely through the auspices of the VA. (In the offchance that “if you don’t know, I can’t tell you” was for me.)

The last movie I did see in an old fashioned theater was “The Outlaw Josie Wales” which I suspect doesn’t meet the requirements of the judgements. Josie was a former (depending on whether one read the book as well as watched the film) non-aligned sort of Confederate.

Well, I guess it’s true enough, if you don’t know (say the sound of an AK as opposed to the sound of an M-16) I can’t tell you.

]]> By: Peter Risbergs http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/comment-page-1/#comment-58543 Peter Risbergs Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:24:49 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/#comment-58543 High Noon was the best western ever made. Stagecoach and the three John Ford-John Wayne location shot cavalry movies were also great. None of the Clint Eastwood westerns were quite as good, with Outlaw Josie Wales slightly better than Unforgiven. Believe it or not I liked Brokeback Mountain. The scenery and character development were quite good, but the soundtrack was terrible, with totally crappy lovie-dovie songs instead of the hundreds of applicable Country and Western songs that would have greatly improved the movie. Instead they sold out to the Johnny Mathis-Cher types who showed up at the movies and gave them what they wanted. High Noon was the best western ever made. Stagecoach and the three John Ford-John Wayne location shot cavalry movies were also great. None of the Clint Eastwood westerns were quite as good, with Outlaw Josie Wales slightly better than Unforgiven. Believe it or not I liked Brokeback Mountain. The scenery and character development were quite good, but the soundtrack was terrible, with totally crappy lovie-dovie songs instead of the hundreds of applicable Country and Western songs that would have greatly improved the movie. Instead they sold out to the Johnny Mathis-Cher types who showed up at the movies and gave them what they wanted.

]]> By: Jesme http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/comment-page-1/#comment-58522 Jesme Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:09:27 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/#comment-58522 I never liked High Noon, and haven't seen it in years. Maybe I'll go back and re-watch it. I love lots of Zinnemann's other movies, but not this one. BTW, I remember the great Western novelist Louis L'Amour on 60 Minutes years ago, railing about High Noon as one of his least favorite films. Why? Simply because it was, in his view, utterly implausible. He pointed out that the movie would have been set in the 1870s or 1880s, when a substantial percentage of the town's menfolk would have been veterans of the American Civil War, one of the most violent wars that had ever been fought anywhere in the world up until that time. Even those who weren't veterans would have spent their lives on a frontier that was notoriously tough and violent. Would such people have been utterly panicked by the arrival in town of three--three!--skanky gunsels? Not bloody likely--even if one of them was played by the ultimate bad guy, Lee Van Cleef! No, the townies would have met them, shotguns in hands, and told them to get right back on that train or die where they stood. Or they'd have just shot 'em and gotten it over with. L'Amour even gave an example, featuring one of the most famous incidents of frontier history --the attempted bank robbery in Northfield, Minn. where the James gang and they Younger brothers were shredded by a bunch of ordinary townfolk. As in High Noon, the local burghers were warned that the West's most famous outlaws were coming to town. They didn't cower; they didn't run. They laid an ambush and riddled them with lead. I've never been able to take High Noon seriously after seeing that L'Amour interview. I never liked High Noon, and haven’t seen it in years. Maybe I’ll go back and re-watch it. I love lots of Zinnemann’s other movies, but not this one.

BTW, I remember the great Western novelist Louis L’Amour on 60 Minutes years ago, railing about High Noon as one of his least favorite films. Why? Simply because it was, in his view, utterly implausible. He pointed out that the movie would have been set in the 1870s or 1880s, when a substantial percentage of the town’s menfolk would have been veterans of the American Civil War, one of the most violent wars that had ever been fought anywhere in the world up until that time. Even those who weren’t veterans would have spent their lives on a frontier that was notoriously tough and violent. Would such people have been utterly panicked by the arrival in town of three–three!–skanky gunsels? Not bloody likely–even if one of them was played by the ultimate bad guy, Lee Van Cleef! No, the townies would have met them, shotguns in hands, and told them to get right back on that train or die where they stood. Or they’d have just shot ‘em and gotten it over with.

L’Amour even gave an example, featuring one of the most famous incidents of frontier history –the attempted bank robbery in Northfield, Minn. where the James gang and they Younger brothers were shredded by a bunch of ordinary townfolk. As in High Noon, the local burghers were warned that the West’s most famous outlaws were coming to town. They didn’t cower; they didn’t run. They laid an ambush and riddled them with lead.

I’ve never been able to take High Noon seriously after seeing that L’Amour interview.

]]> By: john http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/comment-page-1/#comment-58518 john Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:07:54 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/#comment-58518 I thought the movie was boring, I liked War Wagon best. John Wayne was the best. I thought the movie was boring, I liked War Wagon best. John Wayne was the best.

]]> By: Kid Various http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/comment-page-1/#comment-58213 Kid Various Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:06:43 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-real-political-message-of-high-noon/#comment-58213 ...But what makes Will Kane representative of America in the world of talkers, shirkers, back stabbers, et al is precisely the fact that he is insecure. He is frightened. He is frustrated by his inability to recruit anyone to help him. He makes mistakes. One of the great sequences in the movie is when Kane walks through the saloon doors and overhears the bartender taking bets on how long he’ll live after Frank Miller gets into town. Kane walks over to the bartender and cold cocks him. At which point the bartender looks at up him from the floor, holding his jaw and says: “You carry a badge and a gun, Marshall. There ain’t no call for that…” To which Kane looks at him ruefully, knowing that he has let his anger tarnish him as an upholder of the law and admits: “You’re right…” and offers the bartender his hand to help him up. At the climax of the film, there is this magnificent shot of Kane in the middle of the street, looking around, wringing his hands as the noon train’s whistle blows in the distance. The camera cranes upwards from a close up on the frightened Kane to reveal the whole town – totally empty. He is totally alone. And yet, he must go meet Miller and his gang to defend the town. It is his responsibility. He cannot escape it. This is America. And to my friends who don’t understand, mostly Europeans and Iraqis, I find myself resorting to the words of Kane when his wife asks him why he is doing this. “If you don’t know, I can’t explain it to you.” …But what makes Will Kane representative of America in the world of talkers, shirkers, back stabbers, et al is precisely the fact that he is insecure. He is frightened. He is frustrated by his inability to recruit anyone to help him. He makes mistakes. One of the great sequences in the movie is when Kane walks through the saloon doors and overhears the bartender taking bets on how long he’ll live after Frank Miller gets into town. Kane walks over to the bartender and cold cocks him. At which point the bartender looks at up him from the floor, holding his jaw and says:

“You carry a badge and a gun, Marshall. There ain’t no call for that…”

To which Kane looks at him ruefully, knowing that he has let his anger tarnish him as an upholder of the law and admits:

“You’re right…” and offers the bartender his hand to help him up.

At the climax of the film, there is this magnificent shot of Kane in the middle of the street, looking around, wringing his hands as the noon train’s whistle blows in the distance. The camera cranes upwards from a close up on the frightened Kane to reveal the whole town – totally empty. He is totally alone.

And yet, he must go meet Miller and his gang to defend the town. It is his responsibility. He cannot escape it.

This is America.

And to my friends who don’t understand, mostly Europeans and Iraqis, I find myself resorting to the words of Kane when his wife asks him why he is doing this.

“If you don’t know, I can’t explain it to you.”

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