High Noon, directed by Fred Zinnemann (The Day of the Jackal), is a classic western-adventure featuring a top notch, and a features a thrilling finale, who’s who of the 1950s from Gary Cooper to Grace Kelly to a young Lloyd Bridges.
High Noon
— Olive Signature —
(1952)
Genre(s): Western
Olive Films | NR – 85 min. – $39.95 | September 20, 2016
Date Published: 10/10/2016 | Author: The Movieman
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PLOT SYNOPSIS
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| The myth and poetry of the old west come alive in Fred Zinnemann’s classic western, High Noon. One of the great treasures of the American cinema, the film stars the legendary Gary Cooper as lawman Will Kane, a marshal who stands alone to defend a town of cowardly citizens against a gang of killers out for revenge. Engaged in the fight of his lifetime, Kane stands to lose everything when the clock strikes noon – his friends, his honor, and his Quaker bride, played by Grace Kelly in one of her first screen roles. Unfolding in real time, the tension builds as we race ever closer to the climactic duel from which the film takes its name. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.0/5 |
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This is the latest release of Olive’s Signature collection. The clear Blu-ray case side-slides into a matted slip cover and inside is a 6-page essay and picture booklet. A Ticking Clock (5:53; HD) – Academy Award Nominee Mark Goldblatt (The Terminator) discusses the editing on High Noon. A Stanley Kramer Production (14:00; HD) – Filmmaker/Film Historian Michael Schlesinger on the producer of High Noon. Imitation of Life: The Blacklist History of High Noon (9:27; HD) – Film Historian Larry Ceplair and Screenwriter Walter Bernstein on the blacklist history of the film. Oscars and Ulcers: The Production History of High Noon (12:02; HD) – This is a visual essay with rarely seen archival elements, narrated by the late Anton Yelchin. Uncitizened Kane is an essay by Nick James (“Sight & Sound” editor). Theatrical Trailer (1:36; HD) |
VIDEO – 4.5/5 |
| High Noon arrives on Blu-ray through Olive’s Signature line shown in its original 1.33 full frame aspect ratio and receiving a 1080p high-definition transfer culled from a new 4K restoration. Detail on this release looks fantastic with sharp and well defined objects both foreground and background and appears clean, free of any debris, dust marks, scratches, artifacts and other flaws. |
AUDIO – 4.25/5 |
| The movie comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track providing for clean and clear dialogue levels and some fine depth when it came to the music/score as well as ambient noises and action-oriented scenes like the shootout finale. It does get a bit too loud in places topping out the center channel but as it is, and for a movie coming up 65 years old, and perhaps not getting the same treatment as the video, sounds pretty good. |
OVERALL – 4.0/5 |
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Overall, High Noon, directed by Fred Zinnemann (The Day of the Jackal), is a classic western-adventure featuring a top notch, and a features a thrilling finale, who’s who of the 1950s from Gary Cooper to Grace Kelly to a young Lloyd Bridges. The Blu-ray released through Olive’s Signature collection offers incredible video, above average audio and a great selection of bonus material. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.