‘High Noon’ 4K UHD Blu-Ray Review – Western Classic Destroys The Myth Of Bravery

Screen legend Gary Cooper (Vera Cruz) won the 1952 Oscar for Best Actor in this classic tale of an aging lawman who stands alone to defend a town of righteous cowards in one of the greatest showdowns in the history of cinema. The movie also marks the first starring role for a beautiful young actress who went on to become one of Hollywood’s most beloved icons—Grace Kelly (The Country Girl). Produced by Stanley Kramer (Inherit the Wind), directed by Fred Zinnemann (From Here to Eternity) and written for the screen by Carl Foreman (The Bridge on the River Kwai), High Noon garnered a total of 4 Academy Awards, including Best Score for Dimitri Tiomkin (Rio Bravo), and now stands high as one of the most cherished and influential films of all time. Western favorites Thomas Mitchell (Stagecoach), Lloyd Bridges (Canyon Passage), Katy Jurado (Arrowhead), Otto Kruger (Duel in the Sun), Lon Chaney Jr. (The Indian Fighter), Henry Morgan (The Ox-Bow Incident), Jack Elam (Support Your Local Sheriff) and Lee Van Cleef (For a Few Dollars More) round out the rousing cast.

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Video Quality

Kino Classics presents High Noon with a pretty strong 2160p/Dolby Vision transfer sourced from a 4K scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative. This new release includes a Blu-Ray disc that is derived from the same master, and it looks very pleasant even before leveling up with the 4K UHD disc. The film was first released on Blu-Ray courtesy of Olive Films in 2012. We do not own nor have ever seen that release, but by all accounts, it was a fetching presentation for the time. As good as that release may have been, technology has improved in the interim, and this release allows the tale to look its best on physical media. When you have a classic in the genre, you want to make sure it is handled with care. 

Dolby Vision brings out the nuances of the black-and-white Floyd Crosby photography which renders with stark luminance. The handling of the contrast is an essential element as the character traverses the town looking for aid in vain. Black levels are in good shape with very little faltering in shadow detail or in resolving crushed blacks. Highlights are ideal with no hints of blooming, and the stability of the overall picture is consistent from beginning to end. The encode keeps a consistently high bitrate which helps with tidying up any issues that might cause concern. 

This presentation captures the intended claustrophobic aesthetic of the film with the added resolution making numerous elements seem more crisp and deftly realized. The texture on display in the costumes and within the dusty landscapes holds up well, but the picture has a bit of a soft streak that does not make it as crisp as some. Detail and clarity are present with the natural film grain intact, but the grain here seems very light so there may be some mild management at play. We did not spot much in the way of unsightly digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding, or any other such nuisances outside of a few nagging things. At worst, there is a very minor amount of digital smoothing and brief artifacts. This transfer has taken care to get rid of most of the specks present on the source for a clear viewing experience. Kino Classics has done a fine job even with a few concerns. 

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track in English that serves the material well. With the absence of a surround sound track, there is a better chance that this is the original audio track and not a downmix of a remixed track, which should make purists happy. From the opening notes of the Oscar-winning score from Dimitri Tiomkin, the music saturates the room with stable fidelity while establishing the uneasy mood of the narrative. You do not experience moments when the music consumes any parallel sounds, as it maintains a deft balance so that dialogue comes through clearly. 

The environmental sounds such as gunfire and the din of the saloon are rendered prominently with the competing elements. The film opens up when conflicts emerge and things get deadly for our characters. Each sound effect is crisp and lands with force. This track translates every sonic element with care and precision throughout the experience. There are no egregious instances of age-related wear and tear as elements flow through without issue. This audio track does everything it needs to.  

Special Features

• Audio Commentaries: This disc provides two new informative commentary tracks in which film historians discuss where this film fits into the Western genre and American society, the direction of Fred Zinnemann, how this speaks to the Hollywood Blacklist, the tone of the feature, how the movie subverts genre conventions, the background performers and more. 

• • Audio Commentary #1: Author/Film Historian Alan K. Rode

• • Audio Commentary #2: Film Historian/Writer Julie Kirgo

• A Ticking Clock: A six-minute discussion with editor Mark Goldblatt (The Terminator) who discusses the impeccable editing of High Noon, the recurring clock motif that adds to the tension of the film, his earliest memories of the film, and more. 

• A Stanley Kramer Production: A 14-minute featurette in which filmmaker and film historian Michael Schlesinger discusses the career of producer Stanley Kramer, how his progressive notions helped shape certain attitudes, his legacy, and more. 

• Imitation of Life – The Hollywood Blacklist and High Noon: A nearly 10-minute piece with historian Larry Ceplair and blacklisted screenwriter Walter Bernstein who discuss the time in which this film was created, the blacklisting of screenwriter Carl Foreman, and more. 

• Oscars and Ulcers – The Production History of High Noon: A 12-minute exploration of the production history of the film, the development of the script, getting approved by the production code, and more. This piece is narrated by the late Anton Yelchin. 

• Uncitizened Kane: A text essay by Sight & Sound editor Nick James.

• The Making of High Noon: A 22-minute featurette hosted by Leonard Maltin that dives into the unique nature of the film and how it came to be. 

• Trailers:  There is a minute-and-a-half-long trailer provided for High Noon. There are also trailers provided for The Lives of Bengal Lancer, The Plainsman, Beau Geste, Unconquered, Vera Cruz, Man of the West, and They Came To Cordura. 

Final Thoughts

High Noon is a memorable slice of Western storytelling as Fred Zinnemann challenges the lore of honor and bravery that is generally preached when reflecting on this mythos. The filmmakers use the paranoia of the time surrounding the Red Scare and being blacklisted to confront how certain people shrink when the heat is turned up and will only stand up when there is not as much to lose. The decision to explore this in what is essentially real-time proves to be an effective bit of tension-building. The performers are great in their roles, and the filmmaking is second to none. Kino Classics has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a nice A/V presentation and a decent array of special features. Fans of the film will find this to be a worthy upgrade. Recommended 

High Noon is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.