Background: This classic film is often called "the best western Hollywood ever made."  Produced by Stanley Kramer and directed by Fred Zinnemann, it stars Gary Cooper as the marshal Will Kane, and Grace Kelly as his bride, Amy.  The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including best picture.

Plot:  The story revolves around the return of an outlaw gang, whose members -- Ben Miller, James Pierce, and Jack Colby -- gather in a small town, Hadleyville, to await the return of the gang's leader, Frank Miller, who has just been pardoned from prison.  The gang intends to take its revenge on the townspeople, especially Kane and other law-and-order types, who they consider responsible for sending Frank Miller to prison five years before.  As the gang awaits Frank's return on the noon train (hence the film's title "High Noon,"), word of their arrival -- and of Frank's release from prison -- reaches the town.
        As the outlaws stride into town, Marshal Kane and Amy are being married. Townspeople are going about their daily business -- attending church, visiting the saloon, and so forth.  Obviously afraid of the outlaws, the townspeople scatter, leaving Kane alone to fight the gang.  Kane's attempts to marshall support for his showdown with the Miller gang constitutes the bulk of the film.

Questions to ponder as you watch this film:

1.  As a western, this film was a dramatic departure from the usual genre: It featured little violence, showed few Indians (and none of them attacked anyone), and offered no vistas of expansive landscape shots.  Think about the time period in which this film was made.  Why did the film "work" as a western?

2.  Think about the various attributes of this small western town, which one character describes as "a dirty little village in the middle of nowhere."  What institutions and cultural activities are present in this town?  Are those institutions important to the plot?  to the sense of "community" the film portrays?

3.  What roles do women have in this film?  How do their roles compare to those of the male characters?

4.  As the story unfolds in this film, the viewer comes to understand that Hadleyville is a town full of cowards who won't stand up against the bad guys.  At the same time, the filmmakers also make it clear that these same townspeople won't stand up for their values and beliefs, either. (What are some of these beliefs?)  Why do the filmmakers tell the story of Athens in the 5th century B.C., a town that surrendered its freedom to returning tyrants?  What is the significance of this parallel?

5.  When the film was released, it was very controversial.  Why might it have been condemned for its "liberal preachiness"?  Is the western setting important to the tale told in this film?