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High Noon is a bit low on my personal AFI rankings (like Paul, I found it a good movie but it didn't emotionally grab me as much as others), but I would still say it "belongs" because of the historical importance. The story behind it is fascinating. I'm also not sure that the themes are less relevant today, even absent the Communist scare and HUAC. Liberal/left-wing politics are taking on a similar urgency right now, encouraging people to "step up" and take action because of Trump's election. I've never seen so many heavily-attended political marches in my life. The attitude seems to be exactly what Kane is exhorting people to do in this movie, based on the idea that the "bad guys" can't destroy all of us if we stand together. (And also that part of the reason Trump got elected was because a lot of people assumed he wouldn't and sat it out.) I think maybe the thing that is throwing people off when viewing it through a modern lens is the very "macho" attitude that is just assumed to be the default mode, as that's something that has been questioned a lot in the intervening years. A modern movie might do more to explain exactly why Kane wouldn't be helping the town by just leaving (say, the bad guys give clear indications that they're going to do some bad stuff even without Kane there). Still, I think you can put the pieces together by what is presented on screen.

Cam how could you admit this Jk but also you should listen to it. Not to over hype it, buuut it's pretty amazing.

Yes, this is my favorite (from what I've seen) of the Ford-Wayne collaborations. Great film.

Fun fact: There is a Japanese remake of Unforgiven that came out about six years ago or so. I found it a fascinating idea at the time considering how many famous early westerns were remakes of Japanese samurai movies. I was eagerly awaiting to see how they might play with this idea in reverse, but they didn't really. I agree though. I think it is important to have Western movies represented on the list as they were such a huge part of film history but not sure if Unforgiven is the best choice.

I got The Last Five Years as well. I would really like to see Once.

Foreman wasn't someone who was merely called a communist by Jack Warner for union organizing. He had been an actual member of the CPUSA. A few years ago, I watched both of them back-to-back, and that was also my view. In both cases the female lead intervenes during the firefight, and while it's more directly lethal in the case of High Noon, that has thematic importance because she's a Quaker. Howard Hawks denounced High Noon for having the sheriff seeking help and had Chance turn down offers of help, but they all wind up helping in the end anyway, and in High Noon sheriff Kane turns down the offers of people he doesn't think are up to it (the difference being they stay out as asked). Considering its political origin, it's surprising that John Carpenter is such a fan of Rio Bravo (Assault on Precinct 13 & Vampires are both said to be his takes on it) I've read "The Tin Star", the short story High Noon is credited as being based on, and it's a superficially similar plot (although with even fewer women, since the Marhsall is a widower) with a radically different theme (the ending with the badge even seems like an intentional subversion of the short story). I had wondered why they changed the name of the protagonist from "Doane" to "Kane" when they kept the names of some minor characters. It's available online, and if you click to my earlier review of the two films you'll find the links there. I get the impression that mid-century America was more enamored of Latin American culture than would be the case later. La Bamba was a big hit, and the most popular show on tv (which codified the multicamera comedy) featured Desi Arnez as Ricky Ricardo. In the same year that Gary Cooper won Best Actor for High Noon, Mexican-American actor Anthony Quinn won best Best Supporting for "Viva Zapata!". Later in the decade Disney would have a Zorro tv series. All of John Wayne's wives were Mexicans. Some sociologists wrote "Generations of Exclusion" about trends over time for US hispanics. and one thing they noted was that the older generations often identified as just "Spanish" and not that distinct from the white majority (there was even a legal argument that they should be able to attend whites-only schools for that reason). I'd cite Fox & Guglielmo on that, but that doesn't seem to be available ungated on the web anymore.

That is, in fact, my favorite Western (if it qualifies as such). Jimmy Stewart steels my heart as a lawyer teaching civics to the town.

Absolutely. Have you seen The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance? It’s got Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne and tackles similar(ish) issues. I’d argue it’s a better movie.

There's also the scene in the stables when he considers riding off. I agree with Cam Bert that Jimmy Stewart would have been great in this role too.

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

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

Oof. Me too...

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.

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:

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).

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.

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.

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

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