MovieChat Forums > High Noon (1952) Discussion > So in church, the kindly townspeople wer...

So in church, the kindly townspeople were okay with...

posted 9 years ago by ruffian82
3 replies | jump to latest

...the sensible solution of Kane and his new wife leaving town when it was already much too late.

Seen this movie many times but this time the full horror of this moment struck me.

What that upstanding balanced man was really ready to accept:

Will Kane and his wife, he probably tortured and forced to watch his wife raped, then killed who knows how, both of them rotting out of the open prairie.

(I also thought of the "fate worse than death" line. In the West, with the profits from prostitution, Amy would have been quite valuable.)

Were the townspeople going to go check on them in a few days?
Search for Amy, bring her back and try to heal her when her very presence would be a constant reminder and reproach to all?

One doubts it.

Even if no help was offered, in addition, to avoid UNPLEASANTNESS,

The whole town just wanted them out of sight when the (to them) inevitable happened.

All of a sudden the impact of this scene struck me, and I was actually nauseated watching an old film.

Without any violence, that was one of the most grisly scenes I've ever watched or read.

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] lindaoak2001 9 years ago

Thank you for posting this very thoughtful response. I'm glad people are still watching this old film. I think it's a treasure.

I agree with everything you said, 100%. One other thing: Some of the townsfolk wanted to let Frank Miller come back because business was better when he was around, especially in the saloon. This struck a familiar chord with me; actually it struck a nerve.

Why?

I will explain it in just one sentence: THIS IS THE BEST NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH FILM I'VE EVER SEEN.

Been there; done that. Fortunately, I survived.

[–] redban (6170) 4 years ago

The people at the church felt that there wouldn’t be a big fight if Miller shows up and doesn’t see Kane. Miller’s motivation was to get revenge on Kane for arresting him. Hence, the townsfolk felt that Kane should have just left.

You say it was “already much too late.” Was it really? Kane himself went to a stable to see about getting on a horse and leaving. He could, as his wife said, have found some random, unknown location and start a new life there, where Miller wouldn’t find them.