Seven decades after its release, why classic western ‘High Noon’ is the political movie of the century

It’s about an intrepid loner tackling the forces of darkness and has a veritable Mount Rushmore of presidential fans. Seven decades after its release, James Rampton explains why Hollywood classic ‘High Noon’ isn’t just a great western — it’s an enduring symbol of the struggle for American democracy

Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly in ‘High Noon’ (Shutterstock)

High Noon is President Bill Clinton’s favourite film. To prove the point, he screened the movie a record 17 times at the White House. By now, he may well know the script better than the film’s star Gary Cooper ever did.

The classic western – in which the ageing, newlywed marshal Will Kane, played by Cooper, stands alone as he takes on a gang of ruthless criminals while all his supposed friends melt away – was also the favourite film of such diverse US leaders as Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan and George W Bush. High Noon has a Mount Rushmore full of presidential admirers.

But they are not the only aficionados of what is regarded by many as the greatest western ever made. The Oscar-winning actor Daniel Day Lewis, for instance, has declared: “I love the purity and the honesty of the film. High Noon means a lot to me.”