There is no question that High Noon was an exceptional artistic achievement: the screenplay, the direction, and especially Gary Cooper’s acting. At one level, it is primarily a story of individual courage: standing up for what is ethically right and honorable, in spite of receiving no community support, and in spite of fear. This is a message that can be widely accepted and honored, without dispute. Other layers of meaning and interpretation, however, have been matters of controversy.
First of all, the writer (Coleman) regarded it as an allegory for the McCarthy-era HUAC hearings and associated Hollywood blacklistings. He stood alone in refusing to “name names”, and he was abandoned and betrayed by his colleagues. That experience affected the screenplay, and for some people, their attitude toward the film was greatly influenced by their political views on the HUAC investigations.
Today, the political layer of messaging is interpreted and evaluated according to more general applications. The movie presents a courageous individual (Will Kane, the town Marshal) who is impeded and opposed by a complacent and cowardly community. It is a harsh critique of the community, explicitly expressed by the judge who packs up and leaves town, making cynical comments that seem to question the viability of any democratic republic, and hence the American experiment. Coming from Coleman, a former Communist, it may very well reflect the doctrine of bourgeois decadence and the inevitable demise of Western democracies. It was certainly understandable that patriotic Americans would take offense, especially for such messaging to occur within the Western genre. This continues to be a legitimate cause for controversy.
Another consideration is that the romantic narrative of a hero confronting “the system” underlies much of today’s political activism. Those who imagine themselves in such a narrative can find in High Noon (as well as a huge number of other Hollywood films) a hero to identify with. For this reason, attitudes toward the movie can continue to divide along political lines.
Rising above such political concerns, what should be the Christian perspective? The scriptural doctrine of sin, e.g. in Romans 1 and 2, supports a very pessimistic view of both individuals and communities. They are all corrupt. In line with such pessimism, Benjamin Franklin said that the framers of our constitution had given us “a republic, if you can keep it”. The complacent and cowardly community in High Noon has fortunately not been characteristic of American society. But such corruptions nevertheless often appear, and we cannot rely on any system of human government to prevent it. We should interpret High Noon’s dismal view of the community as a comment on universal human depravity, neither restricted to nor excluded from any particular nation or society.
From a Christian perspective, we should also critique the notion of individual heroism. Consider Kierkegaard’s Knight of Resignation, who might boast in his ethical self-sufficiency, in his virtuous courage. But the gospel calls us to be saved by grace, through faith: to take the leap to become a Knight of Faith. For this knight, perfect love casts out fear, and he can rejoice in the midst of persecution. His way of life transcends courage and heroism, and precludes boasting in virtuous achievement. For a Christian, courage is not an independent virtue; courageous behavior is derivative from faith and love. We are to be theocentric rather than anthropocentric. So we should consider the Cooper character (marshal Will Kane) as an example of high ethical achievement for people “of the world”, but not as an adequate example for the Christian. We, as Knights of Faith, should look rather to the humble love and faith exemplified in Jesus and Paul.
As with any work of art, this movie should not be judged according to its potential abuses or misapplications, but rather according to its most favorable interpretations and applications. Nor can we expect non-Christians to deliver a Christian message. For a work that has no claims of authority over us, a reader-response hermeneutic is appropriate. My approach is to simply appreciate High Noon as among the best that the world can offer in humanistic art and wisdom. After all, the Knight of Resignation must precede the Knight of Faith.