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The script by Foreman is tight and well written. There doesn't seem to be a wasted bit of dialogue, as each line either moves the story forward or reveals something important about the characters. It's Screenwriting 101 type stuff, but it's amazing how much time most scripts waste. I fully believe that High Noon should be held up as one of the best scripts for young writers to learn from, right up there with Chinatown, Casablanca, Rocky, and Tootsie - screenplays that are all taught at colleges and workshops around the country.

High Noon encountered a lot of controversy when it was first released, mostly due to the fact Foreman had once been a member of the Communist party and had refused to name names during the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings. Many people see High Noon as allegory, with the townspeople standing in for citizens of the United States - people who were too scared to stand up and fight against the HUAC. John Wayne, the most popular actor of the time, was offered the lead role, but turned it down, saying he thought High Noon was "the most un-American thing I've seen in my whole life." He later regretted passing on the role, though, when Cooper took home the Best Actor trophy.

It's interesting to note that over time, both sides of the political spectrum grew to appreciate High Noon, and several United States presidents (Eisenhower, Reagan, and Clinton) considered it one of their favorite films of all-time.

I have very few problems with the film, but one major component really rubs me the wrong way. High Noon's score and soundtrack (featuring the same song repeated throughout) was just awful. I thought the score was heavy handed and obvious, underscoring moments that didn't need to be highlighted, and the song ("High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin')" performed by Tex Ritter) was silly, corny, and way too overused. It played in its entirety during the opening credits, but then snippets of it played repeatedly and it even closed out the film, slightly marring one of my favorite film endings (which I don't want to spoil here). My reaction to the song went from mild annoyance to disgust by the time the film concluded. Of course, this could just be a personal preference situation since the score and song both won Academy Awards, so quite a few people must have loved it. I can't understand why, but it happened.

Luckily, the music is the only sizable blemish on an otherwise stellar film and I agree with many of the accolades that High Noon has received since its debut. In addition to winning Best Actor, Score, and Song at the Academy Awards, High Noon was also deservedly awarded Best Editing and was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. Throughout the years, it has ranked high on several different American Film Institute lists, including Top Movies (#27), Top Thrills (#20), Top Heroes (Kane at #5), and Top Westerns (#2, only trailing The Searchers). All this adds up to a film that has been lovingly adored for more than 50 years, and I'm sure it will continue to be loved far into the future.

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