Thursday, September 29, 2016

HIGH NOON: A CLASSIC GETS CLASSY TREATMENT



I’ve talked before about the resurgence in classic movies making their way to blu-ray format. It’s a treat for movie fans and students of film to finally see these films in the most pristine condition possible. One company that’s been releasing films this way, everything from schlock drive-in films to full blown top notch older blockbusters, is Olive Films. Most of their releases have been simple, the title alone with few to no extras. Now they’ve decided to add their name to the list of companies that handle the classics they have the right to in full blown fashion with their Signature Series. These movies offer the cleanest prints possible as well as some extras thrown in. It’s a pure pleasure to see these this way and Olive has kicked it off with one of the all-time classics, HIGH NOON.

If you’ve never seen the film the plot on the surface is fairly simple. The sheriff of a small western town, Will Kane (Gary Cooper) is taking off his badge and getting married to Amy (Grace Kelly), a Quaker who doesn’t believe in violence or his carrying a gun. But immediately after their marriage and before they can leave word reaches Kane that Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald) has been pardoned from prison and Miller’s gang is waiting at the train station for his arrival on the noon train to arrive. Kane straps his guns on again against the protests of Amy who says she will leave him if he does. What follows is Kane’s attempt to get the town people to rally behind him to take on the gang. But no one does, leaving him to stand alone against the four men.

So that’s a long paragraph but sums up the surface story being told here. What it doesn’t tell is the story that lies underneath it all and one that Hollywood reacted to. The reality is that beneath that surface was the story of screenwriter Carl Foreman who wrote the screenplay and the problems he faced with the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). While most think of Sen. Eugene McCarthy and the word McCarthyism with these activities he actually came into the situation later and investigated politicians as opposed to Hollywood.

HUAC was investigating the influence of Communism in the world of entertainment and looking to find out just who was a Communist. They put aside the fact that many were registered as such during WWII when Russia was our ally. Instead rather than seek out any true saboteurs of traitors they labeled anyone connected to the Communist Party as such. Foreman had registered as a Communist years before and only remained involved with them for a year before leaving. But he didn’t like the tactics used by HUAC to ferret out people they felt were traitors.

HUAC offered two alternatives. You either provided them with names of anyone else you associated with the Party or you were basically run out of the business or worse imprisoned. Foreman stood up to these methods by admitting his being a member for a single year but refusing to name names. He ended up leaving the country for England.

Now the story of HIGH NOON might seem about a sheriff against an outlaw. But in truth the parable 
is telling the story of a man standing up for what is right and finding that no one will stand with him. The worst examples of western folk hate him for sending Miller to prison and taming their town, the result of which was their inability to do what they pleased. But then the upstanding members of the community don’t back him either. They claim he was paid to handle things, that they will find themselves looking bad before politicians or that this isn’t their fight. In the end he finds himself alone taking on the problems the world has placed in front of him, the same situation Foreman found himself in with his fellow writers, producers and studio members. No one stood with him. That is the real story behind HIGH NOON.

Olive has done a spectacular job with this release. I’ve never seen the print of this film look so vibrant, something that many won’t understand since the film is in black and white. But never fear black and white films. It is the story that matters not the flash of color. And if you are one of the few who’ve started down the 4k trail it is indeed a 4k master.

They’ve also put together an impressive collection of short featurettes that add to the enjoyment of the film and its background. Included are: A Ticking Clock - Academy Award nominee Mark Goldblatt on the editing of High Noon; A Stanley Kramer Production - Michael Schlesinger on the eminent producer of High Noon; Imitation of Life: The Blacklist History of High Noon - with historian Larry Ceplair and blacklisted screenwriter Walter Bernstein; Ulcers and Oscars: The Production History of High Noon - a visual essay with rarely seen archival elements, narrated by Anton Yelchin; Uncitizened Kane - an original essay by Sight and Sound editor Nick James; and finally the theatrical trailer. None of these is overlong and actually add to the enjoyment of the movie you can discover after your first viewing.

With the quality on hand with this release it makes me look forward to future Olive Films Signature Series releases. My guess is that all other film fans will feel the same way. And at a list price on amazon of $16.99 it makes it a value not to be beaten.

Click here to order.

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