MovieChat Forums > High Noon (1952) Discussion > Why did our 'hero' stay?

Why did our 'hero' stay?

posted 11 years ago by capnpop
20 replies | jump to latest

Do I lack brain capacity to fully appreciate this movie? Because I have a hard time understanding why Kane was so eager to confront the villains; I mean, was the whole reason his inflated ego in the aspect that he didn't want to be a coward or something? Is this an old fashioned American thing which I can't get my head around as a somewhat young European, eh?

If I recall this correctly, the protagonist never reveal his true intention in plain language for returning to the town for a face off with his nemesis. As the townsfolk ask for the reason he seems unable to answer. At this point I was thinking "Hm, this Kane fellow seems to be a reasonable and decent enough guy, there must be more than meets the eye here. It can't simply just be that he's willing to give his life and leave behind a devastated wife for some trite principle of his. Nooo... I'm sure all will make sense if I just wait." So I sat through the entire movie, anxiously waiting for a revelation from the marshal that just would blow my mind in a "Oh! So that's why he'd risk his life for no apparent reason at all... now I get it." sort of way. Which never came.

I may have slept through a crucial scene at some point, but I guess it's expected of the audience to have some sort of brains and figure it out for themselves; which I unfortunately seem unable to. What I can come up with is that Kane had some sort of moral code he'd once swore to follow. Like Batman. It was his duty to protect the town and leaving it "just wouldn't be right" etc.; sure I can understand he felt that his manhood was at stake but can't help to simultaneously remark the selfishness and pure dumbness of the act.

He clearly didn't forget about his wife whom he'd just married minutes before, what about her? He surely didn't overlook the possibility that the town citizens literally didn't wish for heroic deeds and blood spill, so what about them? Did he basically really, really dislike this Miller gentleman to the point that the sheriff eventually couldn't endure to share universe with the guy? Alright I'm being foolish I know, but that's because the situation seems kind of foolish and juvenile to me.

Bottom line is that Kane should have stepped off his high horse, waved a white flag and run for his life with Grace Kelly who was quite a catch for an old ass like himself, exactly like everybody wanted except the thickhead himself who was busy thinking about pride and stuff. It's difficult for me to sympathize with him because of this reason, but then again maybe you don't have to do that and perhaps the whole point of the movie flew over my head during all my ramblings. Very possible.

Alright I guess that was it; feel free to mock me and laugh at my thoughts. If my opinions appear ignorant and inarticulate, I'm sorry - it's not my intention to offend anyone. It's just that I couldn't find anyone who expressed this criticism towards the movie after a quick skim through the boards, so I felt a need to get out my thoughts in words since everybody seems to hold it in such high regard. I'd be pleased if someone could convince me to join the High Noon fanclub.

tl;dr: Why was Gary Cooper such a nincompoop?

[–] lwi101 11 years ago

I guess this movie is more old fashioned than I thought. Cain has a sense of personal honor. He believes that a man should do the right even if it costs him personally. People used to trust that men would be honorable, although there have always been cases of people acting dishonorably. Most people acted honorable and in the public interest. This is obviously an outmoded concept.

[–] AssetsonFire 11 years ago

Yeah, no one believes in honour, truth, justice etc. anymore... Could you be a little more patronising?

You must have miss the fact that the majority of people in the film were cowardly shirkers? I guess the audience of 1952 had to really stretch their imaginations to conceive of such disreputable characters.

~.~
I WANT THE TRUTH! http://www.imdb.com/list/ze4EduNaQ-s/

[–] kbarada 11 years ago

I think Kane's reasons for turning back to face the Miller gang were pretty straight forward capnpop.

First, he wanted to finish what he had started.
Second, he was beginning a new life with his bride and did not want to be chased by the Miller gang.
Third, he wanted to be able to sleep at night. The thought that he would be a coward if he ran would haunt him personally.

Cowardice in the 19th century was a very big deal in the United States, especially during and after the Civil War. Men thought about it a lot when faced with danger: would you stand and fight or run?

It really wasn't about him thinking about the town folk. He came back for himself. When Grace Kelly, the Quaker passivist, came back to aid her new husband, she was standing by her man.

BTW I enjoyed your post. You said you scanned the old posts for anyone with your point of view and came up empty. There is a good reason for that. Try to put yourself in Kane's shoes in the 19th century if you can and you may come up with a different theory.

[–] Backstreet-Abortionist 11 years ago

As Ramirez tells Kane's wife when she asks the same question: "If you don't know, I cannot explain it to you".

[–] JohnnyWeissmuller 11 years ago

He explains why in the film, that no matter where they go, the threat of Frank Miller will always follow them, but in the town they have a chance. A notion that proved not to be true as far as the townsfolk are concerned.

[–] deeveed 11 years ago

Is this an old fashioned American thing which I can't get my head around as a somewhat young European, eh?

Maye be a point from history would shed some light on your comments. High Noon I think can be looked at as a film of getting involved and taking responsibility.
I'm sure Europe and the world no doubt asked that as Germany was arming itself for world war during the 30's. Lots of people lagged behind in opposing the regime. We saw what happened. Kane in High Noon felt he had to take "responsibility". As we saw sometimes it's a lonely job. Question is are we correct in saying that that is the exception rather than the rule?

[–] Errington_92 11 years ago

It really wasn't about him thinking about the town folk. He came back for himself.

Certainly an agreeable aspect which somewhat calls into question Kane's morality. If Miller had not been a personal danger to himself or his Wife, would he have gone back to serve a final duty as Marshal? Though on the flip side its clear Kane has a deep sense of duty regarding his position so in his nature there was an honorable element.

"I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not".

[–] kbarada 11 years ago

"Oh, to be torn twixt love and duty"...Words from the second stanza of the theme song from High Noon.

The words can be viewed as part of the story narrative. I think that the Miller gang had no idea that Kane had gotten married and was leaving town to start a new life. Frank Miller was coming to Hadleyville expecting to find Kane there as Marshall and to kill him. Kane was the reason why the gang was coming back.

"He made a vow while in state prison
Said it would be my life or hisn'"

So, you may have a point that he still felt he had a moral "duty" to finish once and for all the job he was hired to do which was to clean up the town and get rid of the Miller gang. I lean toward the theory that had he not been personally threatened, he would have kept on riding into a new life sans guns. Remember, he hung them up at the Marshal's office. You got to draw the line somewhere.

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] tbx5959 11 years ago

Kane cleaned up the town and made it a decent place; his job didn't end until the following day; he wasn't a pussy = he had no choice but to protect the town, even from itself.

[–] gerrywos 11 years ago

Because he has a pair of balls unlike the OP,who I'm guessing is French

[–] capnpop 11 years ago

i do have balls and you may suck them if you're into that kind of thing cowboy ;)))

[–] krachwitz 11 years ago

In the early 1950s in America there were plenty of people who would "have stepped off his high horse, waved a white flag and run for his life . . . exactly like everybody wanted except the thickhead himself who was busy thinking about pride and stuff." As a result, not only were the ranks of talented artists like Zero Mostel, Sam Jaffe, Will Geer, Ring Lardner, Jr., Lillian Hellman, Elmer Bernstein, Dalton Trumbo, and the magnificently courageous Lionel Stander, among many others, thinned by the bullying of Joe McCarthy, but, as in current times, the First Amendment became not a pillar of American freedom but an empty punchline to a forgotten joke.

It wasn't until William Paley and Edward R. Murrow exposed McCarthy, Cohen, and their band of thugs for what they were that Americans woke up and remembered what they had just fought a world war over and--for that matter--the ideologies of those they fought. There were some Will Kanes then, too, who put aside their own comfort, safety, and careers--Bogart, Bacall, Kirk Douglas, Gregory Peck, Lionel Stander (again),Alfred Hitchcock, Danny Kaye, and others--to stand up for principle, freedom, and the rule of law.

That's what High Noon is about.

[–] Rascar-Capac 11 years ago

I have read similar statements from professional film critics figuring out, that Kanes stubbornness was purely "a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do" attitude (and therefore senseless). But I think they were just as wrong as you are now.
Kane explains his (main) motivation to his wife after they have returned to town. Knowing that Miller and his gang are on his heels, he doesn’t want to become the hunted prey. Amy insists that the two of them would never be caught up by the gang but Kane knows that she is in error. And at that point the audience clearly feels that Kane is right on this and Amy is wrong (at least I did). Just what is an hour margin worth when you are unarmed, wife beside you in an open chariot and there are 4 killers on your trail? Nothing.
So he sums up, telling her that it’s better to stay in town and confront Miller instead of running from him. And then by no means it occurs to him that he finally will have to confront them alone as it’s going to happen.

[–] sdsungod 11 years ago

@capnpop

Kane had some sort of moral code he'd once swore to follow. Like Batman.

Coincidentally, Batman was created by...Bob Kane

I wonder if this was a subliminal connection on your part, or intentional.

But, yeah, it would take a lot more than some sort of sense of moral obligation to abandon Grace Kelly. I guess that makes Gary Cooper's character a better man than I. And since Gary Cooper was actually banging Grace Kelly in real life, it must have worked for him.

"Enough of that technical talk, Foo!"

[–] capnpop 11 years ago

I wonder if this was a subliminal connection on your part, or intentional.

Even if I would like to say that it was totally intentional, it was not. Thank you for pointing it out my kind sir or miss. I like Batman waaay more than Gary Cooper's Kane by the way.

[–] swanstep 11 years ago

Kane has a mixture of motivations for staying. That the Miller gang would catch him and his wife out on the prairie if he only had an hour's start is one, but the main one is surely that the recent/cleaned up/lawful state of the town is worth preserving/fighting for and that Kane correctly sees that without him stepping back into the frame it'll be lost. My understanding is that *had* Kane and his wife been able to magically disappear then *still* Kane would have wanted to stick around. This isn't some crazy, arbitrary moral oath that Kane's sworn to himself, it's the standard way to approach any job that has an enobling, selfless, public-spiriteed dimension. If you're an 'off-duty' cop or doctor or teacher or scientist or soldier or.... then still you can be the only one on the scene who can make a difference.

Note that the film does kinda suggest that *if* the town had a week or two to think over how horrible it would be to have the Millers running the town again *then* they'd back Kane to fight off the threat. But with only 1 hour or so to get their heads around what it'll require to hold onto what they've got, they aren't willing to be deputized etc.. Given a little more time, everyone in the town would see that holding on to lawfulness at almost any cost is the right decision. Kane's wider job is to see the right immediately - that's the force of the star - and he does. The community's tragic disposition is just to be slow to see the right (left to their own devices, they'll only see it after any chance of holding to it will have been lost).