Mickey Z

Cool Observer

Thursday, June 11, 2009

High Noon

I was watching High Noon for the billionth time the other night. For me, the most powerful moment in the film is when Amy, the converted Quaker wife (played by Grace Kelly) of Marshal Kane (Gary Cooper) shoots and kills a man to save her husband’s life.

Earlier in the film, Amy declares: “My father and my brother were killed by guns. They were on the right side but that didn’t help them any when the shooting started. My brother was nineteen. I watched him die. That’s when I became a Quaker. I don’t care who’s right or who’s wrong. There’s got to be some better way for people to live.”

However, Amy not only ends up shooting a man, she also fights off the main villain (see above photo) which allows Marshal Kane to finish him off.

While High Noon was originally created as a McCarthy-era allegory, it stands today as a stark warning not only that the average citizen would rather pretend all is well than stand up and fight but also this: When staring down murderous psychopaths, even pacifists must sometimes choose force.

Your thoughts?