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I'm shocked that Paul and Amy don't think High Noon belongs on the list. It's probably my favorite Western on the list (looking forward to an Unforgiven rewatch though), and perhaps my second-favorite Western of all time behind The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. I really think Gary Cooper's understated, world-weary performance is great and fully award-worthy. The film builds tension better than any movie I can think of besides maybe The Wages of Fear, and without the use of nitroglycerine at that. Its historical significance is beyond question, but that's because of its timelessness and universality. I mean, it says something about this film that both presidents and psychopaths can identify so strongly with the main character (or maybe it says something about our presidents, but I digress). It's a simple film that is executed masterfully across the board. Just to add to Cam Bert's response, I think the fact that he was able to dispatch Miller and his gang with only his wife's help really emphasizes how shitty the rest of the town was being. As Cam Bert said, Kane didn't really want to kill Miller. If, say, 20 people in the town had stood their ground with Kane, Miller might have seen that the odds were against him and left town without any shootout. If only one or two able gunmen had helped Kane, in hindsight it seems like some minor planning would probably have been enough to take care of the gang without any of the volunteers getting hurt. As it was, Kane took a bullet on behalf of the town, purely because they were too uncooperative to help him not have to take a bullet. As AlmostAGhost says, that look of disgust is great, and I also read it a bit as a grimace of pain, since the dude just got shot. Would it have been a stronger ending if Kane had been more heavily wounded or killed? Again, I think Cam Bert's point about the hypocrisy of the town coming out to celebrate is spot-on. Those idiots don't even realize how they look, cheering for a man after fitting him for a coffin, and I think this is made stronger by how little help was actually needed.

I mean there is the obvious communist witch hunt metaphor going on here that plays into it all, but that aside I think it is more about responsibility. Kane is not trying to be a hero and save the day, he's simply doing what has to be done. Like the mayor tells him he could just leave and his life would be spared. However, this comes at the cost of having the town fall back into lawlessness. Frank Miller and his crew would just do what they want and it wouldn't be safe and they don't know who the next Marshall is so there is no telling if he will be able to stop him or care to stop him. Kane worked hard to make the town safe and livable, you'll notice the only people that don't think so are the ones up to illegal activity, and he stays to protect the town and the people who while not in immediate danger are in danger of losing what they have built. It is also mentioned that when Kane first took down Frank Miller they had a whole posse to assist. He's also seemingly in general against violence, as mentioned they would have been better off to kill Miller all the years prior but Kane took him in alive for trail. You could say he might have been hoping with a large enough posse he could have talked to Frank Miller and maybe talked him into leaving. There was that brief moment when he almost believed he could have changed in prison. Again, he could have confronted Frank Miller's crew and evened the odds ahead of time but he believe in the law and wouldn't arrest them for doing nothing. In the end Kane is not John Wayne. He's just one man, a ordinary man with a strong moral compass and he's determined to do the right thing no matter the cost so future generations can enjoy the shade of the roots he has planted. This is why he asks for help, because even though they are coming for him they are also coming for the town. He hopes others see the treat that Frank Miller poses to the town and not just himself, but everybody is to interested in their own safety and wants. In the end I wouldn't say he's shrugging off the town rather he is the only person thinking of the town. It is an appeal to the interests of the town itself and to a lesser degree his health and safety because he's not a swagging hot shot of a man. In the end yes Kane goes it alone but he's not confronting them in the streets. He sneaks up behind to kill the first guy, out smarts the second, his wife gets the third and finally with Frank Miller he goes out to confront him to save his wife rather than a quickdraw battle typical of other westerns. These aren't the actions of a typical "hero." He wants to stop them yet he doesn't want to die so he uses his wits and some luck to preserve. Personally I find the ending kind of bitter sweet. As I said he's the did this all for the town. He put his life on the line, his wife broke her non-violence code, he did this all for the town. Then the town immediately comes out of hiding and celebrates as if to mock him. They are taking credit and joy in something that wasn't a sure thing that they could have made a sure thing. The men that were betting he'd be dead in five minutes are celebrating. The whole town that turned their backs on him and by extension the town itself, are taking credit in joy in their act of self preservation worked out in their interests. Just like that jerk in your project group that gets an A on the assignment for all the hard work you and the others put in while they did nothing.

Musical suggestion twins. I picked Hamilton, Les Mis,Mamma Mia, and Singin In The Rain

I will say as much as I like the story of this movie every time I watch it I like it a little less and less and that's because of Gary Cooper. Kane should be a stoic man, however Cooper is almost too minimalistic and rather than reading as stoic it comes off more as wooden and stiff. A lot of scenes I would love to see a little more from him, or some brief emotional response, but we don't get that. I think in AlmostAGhost's case this would help sell the ending a bit more because we'd have more chemistry with Grace Kelly and a clearer reaction at the end. John Wayne would have been totally wrong for this role. Kane should have presence but a certain lack of machismo. I can't help but wonder what this movie would have been like with Jimmy Stewart as Kane.

I do keep bouncing back on forth on this, especially as I think about the movie more. I understand the emphasis on how shitty the town was. Maybe it was necessary and the point: a bit of irony, or bittersweet, or whatever. But I keep coming back to that my gut reaction to the ending was basically "huh" and nothing stronger, and I was trying to figure out why... especially because I quite enjoyed the preceding hour, the build-up to it, a lot.

Which ones did you pick as your favorite? It would be delightful if we picked all the same ones lol.

Oof. Me too...

Ugh I got Newsies

Guys, I'm real bored at work and thought you'd all enjoy this Buzzfeed Quiz Check off your Favorite Musicals and We'll Give You One to Watch on Netflix I got this one:

I'm not saying I disagree with you, but he does break down and start crying at one point - right before the 14-year-old comes in and offers to help. I thought that was a pretty bold choice considering the time period and the genre.

I picked - Phantom, Sweeney Todd, Les Mis, Hamilton, Lion King, Wicked, Jesus Christ Superstar, Mary Poppins, Mamma Mia, Sound of Music, Singin in the Rain, Rocky Horror I still haven't seen Book of Mormon yet whoops

West Side Story, Hamilton, The Lion King, Wicked, Book of Mormon, Mary Poppins, Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Singin’ in the Rain, Rocky Horror

I just clicked all the ones I had seen. When I went with my actual favorites, it gave me a weird one lol Actual favorites from that list - Les Mis, Lion King, Hamilton, Wicked, Book of Mormon Movie they recommended from those five was 'Opening Night', which I have never heard of and sounds super weird. And also has JC Chasez on the poster - Edit: I just realized Paul is in it too

Cam Bert, you've maybe changed my mind a bit on this movie. I hadn't really thought about the state of the town of Miller comes back. I figured he'd say "Gary Cooper left? Guess I don't need to kill anyone" then he'd just be kind of a lawless but like a lot of the town is currently. But it really is a matter of one man against lawlessness itself. I had always interpreted this as "LEAVE! YOU'LL LIVE IF YOU JUST LEAVE!" I guess early 20s me didn't appreciate that. It's weird to hear John Wayne hated this movie so much. I know IRL he was a commie hating, racist jerk but I don't get what his deal is in regards to High Noon. Rio Bravo involved enlisting three other guys to stop the bad guys coming to town. It's kind of dumb to say Rio Bravo gets it right when the barebones actions are pretty similar. If he had other criticisms, I'd understand (because Rio Bravo really is a fun movie).

First, I have to disagree somewhat about the song. Yes, the lyrics are a bit overdone but the song has this underlying sound of a train slowly chugging along. The sound of the smoke pumping and the wheels turning. Every time the song comes on you hear the train coming, yet another reminder of Kane's impending doom. Even as he walks the streets we hear that train slowly coming for him. That combined with the clocks really drives home the ticking clock element of it all.

Tom Scharpling is an anagram of 'ranch pig molts'.

There is nothing worse than a podcast getting derailed by a bad sound you can't hear, but also nothing better than a podcast addressing a bad sound you can hear, so big props to engineers Ryman and Devo for making sure the sound was definitely there

hey i already heard this one edit: oh its new. nevermind, will check it out

Challenge accepted!

Hm ya that makes sense. I had no real qualms with Cooper after one watch but definitely, I want to feel his tension, his worry, much more. Stoicism is one thing, and I certainly wouldn’t have wanted Heston-like emoting, but we need more of his inner turmoil to come through.

Listening to the this podcast I remembered more than a few examples from Blazing Saddles which were clearly callbacks to High Noon. While Paul and Amy did discuss the issue of no one wanting to help the sheriff in High Noon and Blazing Saddles, I would also say that the the theme of Rock Ridge from Blazing Saddles is a clear parody of the theme song from High Noon. You be the judge Blazing Saddles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiTKIbR69ss https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9v0OLW3Qhc8 Theme from High Noon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX0RakvyZ1I

Yea I missed this part. I knew his wife was a Quaker, but didn't think how that maybe affected his actions/progress. While he wasn't confronting them head-on at the end, I still think it's an heroic takedown there. Maybe I haven't seen enough normal Westerns to realize it isn't though, but outwitting and outsurviving is what heroes do. He was indeed trying to save the town, a town of cowards no less, and I get that needed to be shown. I don't think that he's a hero is in question (unless you're John Wayne); to me it was, is this effective heroing on a storytelling/film level? And I feel some of the impact could have been expressed and felt stronger.

I will also watch the School Daze sequel Dazed and Confused.

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