High Noon

1952.

#33 / #27

Winner of 4 Academy Awards

At noon, pardoned-convict Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald) is due to arrive in Hadleyville to seek revenge upon the town's marshal, Will Kane (Gary Cooper). Kane tries to find deputies to help him stand up to Miller's gang, but in the end, he has to face Miller alone.

Eddie: HIGH NOON isn't your average western, and maybe that's why it's one of my favorites. There are no silly duels (until the very end) or horse chases or yeehaws. Instead, the movie glorifies one individual who does what's right, what's expected of him, and what no one else will. God damn, this movie makes me love America.

The movie unfolds in real time, which builds the suspense at a constant, alarming rate. Gary Cooper plays one of the most decent characters in any film. And I'm not sure if the movie is an allegory for HUAC or not, but either way, it's probably more relevant today than the day it was made.

Sarah: Meh. This film underwhelms me. There are no surprises, and narratively it is too simple. Good guy fights bad guys with no complications. Yes the build of tension is well done, but after the movie is through, there is no great catharsis or food for thought.

I think Eddie is giving this film too high of a praise. I'd say SHANE or TRUE GRIT are better examples of courage and doing what is right in the Western genre. HIGH NOON is just too sunshine-y and apple pie.

Why You Should See It: The gunfight at the end. It's the reason Eddie's been biting his nails for an hour and a half.

Rear Window

1954.

#42 / #48

Nominated for 4 Academy Awards.

L.B. "Jeff" Jeffries (Jimmy Stewart) is confined to a wheel chair after he breaks his leg. He takes up spying on his neighbors through his camera lens to pass the time. He and his girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly) begin to suspect one of their neighbors of murder.

Sarah: My first viewing of this was at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, which is really the perfect place to see this thrilling movie. I think this is the simplest and most Hitchcock of the Hitchcocks. It is relatively simple, but the suspense builds so slowly and pleasantly that it is very satisfying.

I think Thelma Ritter adds a lot of comedy to the film as the nosy and brassy housekeeper Stella. She is one of my favorite character actresses of that time period.

Also, the movie is fun for Grace Kelly's fashion. I want her huge-ass charm bracelet.

Eddie: Alfred Hitchcock went his entire career without winning an Academy Award. It's movies like REAR WINDOW that make it clear that he should have won the Nobel Prize. Hitchcock's mastery of suspense leaves you watching the film like a child watching a meteor shower for the first time. You are filled with wonder, dread, and excitement, all rolled into one draining and fulfilling emotional experience. The constraint of REAR WINDOW - most of the movie takes place within Jeff's apartment - frees Hitchcock to underplay the film's suspense, twisting the audience into a knot, until he's ready to let it explode.

REAR WINDOW is in the company of only a few other suspenseful movies - M, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, ROPE, JAWS, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS - in terms of its whole quality. It's damn good.

Why You Should See It: When Mr. Thorwald (Raymond Burr) burns the lens with his stare, you will scream.