High Noon parents guide

High Noon Parent Guide

Suitable for teens and adults, "High Noon" should be high on your family's list of film classics to enjoy together.

Overall A-

Retired sheriff Will Kane (Gary Cooper) has barely said, “I do” to his new bride (Grace Kelly) before an old enemy seeking revenge forces him to pin his badge on again. Along with defending himself, Will also wants to protect the local citizens, even thought they are too cowardly to join him at the showdown.

Release date July 30, 1952

Violence C+
Sexual Content B+
Profanity A
Substance Use C+

Why is High Noon rated Not Rated? The MPAA rated High Noon Not Rated

Run Time: 85 minutes

Parent Movie Review

The job of a US Marshal is a thankless one. But Will Kane (Gary Cooper) is about to put that behind him. As a married man for mere minutes, he turns over his badge to the town officials. Then he discovers Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald), an ex-con, is arriving on the noon train. And the convicted gunslinger’s only intent is to exact revenge on the lawman that sent him to prison.

Will’s new bride Amy (Grace Kelly) begs her husband to leave with her. But he refuses to run—choosing instead to protect the citizens of Hadleyville even though he is officially retired.

The tension builds in this black and white film as Frank’s friends wait at the station drinking liquor and smoking cigarettes to pass the time. Meanwhile, Will goes from the saloon dwellers to the church folk looking for volunteers to stand with him. However, the criminal gang’s reputation as cold-blooded killers leaves Will on his own to face them.

This 1952 script covers only a few hours from start to finish and revolves around the marshal’s disillusionment as he looks for even one supporter. In this sense, the film differs from the typical posse chase scenes and shoot ‘em up action that were popular in Western movies of the era. While alcohol and smoking are depicted, the violence in this film comes mainly from the foreboding sense of doom for the marshal and a few scuffles that prelude the final gunfight on the deserted street of the New Mexico Territory whistle-stop.

Gary Cooper earned a Best Actor Oscar for his role as the resolute man behind the badge. The film also won three other Academy Awards including one for the song “Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin’”. Cited as one of the American Film Institute’s Top 10 Westerns, this tale brings to the screen a more brooding perspective on the life of a frontier lawman. Suitable for teens and adults, High Noon should be high on your family’s list of film classics to enjoy together.

Directed by Fred Zinnemann. Starring Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Thomas Mitchell, . Running time: 85 minutes. Theatrical release July 30, 1952. Updated

High Noon
Rating & Content Info

Why is High Noon rated Not Rated? High Noon is rated Not Rated by the MPAA

Violence: A woman discusses the death of family members. A man is punched in the face and knocked to the floor. Children play a game of pretend shooting. Men engage in a fistfight that results in some bloody injuries and one man being knocked out. Several characters are shot (some blood depicted) and killed. A barn is started on fire with a man inside. A woman is taken hostage.

Sexual Content: A married man and woman kiss. References are made to a woman’s past love interests.

Language: None noted.

Alcohol / Drug Use: Numerous scenes of smoking and drinking are included. A man drinks as a way to dealing with his guilt.

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High Noon Parents' Guide

Frank goes free because of a jury’s decision. How is the work of police officers stymied when a criminal is released back to the streets rather than sentenced to do time for his or her crime? How can different levels of the justice system work together effectively?

Why does Will’s wife detest violence? How does that affect her religious choices? Do you agree with Will’s decision to put his job (even though he is officially retired) above his commitment to his new bride?

Why are the townsfolk so reluctant to stand up to Frank and his gang? Does this kind of fear allow bullies to continue in their ways? Why does Will choose to stand up to Frank even when no one will join him?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of High Noon movie is September 20, 2016. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: High Noon
Release Date: 20 September 2016
High Noon relelases to Home Video (Blu-ray) with the following extras:
- “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 & Sound editor Nick James
- Theatrical trailer

Related home video titles:

In The Alamo, Texan soldiers defend their fort against an invading Mexican army despite overwhelming odds against their success. The 1939 film The Four Feathers and the 2002 remake introduce a young officer whose dislike for the military results in him being branded a coward.