Comparison of High Noon and Open Range

High Noon (1952) is one of the greatest all-American classic westerns that contains many elements of a traditional western. So in comparing an older western to a newer one like Open Range (2003), it's easy to recognize the basic similarities; the stories hold armed cowboys (otherwise known as the "bad-guys"), A tough "good guy" that shows weakness, the "pretty girl", and a climactic shoot-out. While the two films show great similarities in the format of the western film, when one analyzes the films deeper, many differences can be found as well. The major differences which stood out are the magnitude of violence, the role of the women, and the cinematography. These core similarities help define the traditional western whereas the differences are what make each film independently unique.

To start with similarities, in High Noon, the bad guys are comprised of four gunmen. This image is similar to the four armed cowboys in Open Range, yet they aren't the only bad guys we encounter through the film.

The main character in High Noon, Marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper), otherwise known as the "good-guy," is similar to the character of Charley Waite (Kevin Costner), as they both portray tough exteriors while a side of weakness is still expressed often. For example, Will Kane, the moral lawman of the town, is first shown getting married to Amy Fowler (Grace Kelly). He shows emotions of happiness for the new chapter to come in his life. Once the plot thickens and Kane decides to await the four gangsters out to kill him, he attempts to find men to help defend him in what appears to be a lost cause. We once again see troubled emotions from Kane as noon comes nearer, as he's found no one willing to stand by his side. Yet Kane shows integrity when the town deserts him, he still stands his ground. Charley Waite in comparison is first portrayed as a hard, vengeful "good-guy." Yet he has companions like Boss Spearman (Robert Duvall), Button and Mose, who travel with him and once one of them gets hurt, Charley shows his compassion by rushing those injured to Doctor Barlow's house immediately. This is where we first see a glimpse of Charley's emotion, but it then slowly escalates as Sue Barlow (Annette Benning), the Doc's sister, is introduced to the film. Then it becomes more common to see Charley fumblingly trying to express his fondness for Sue. Like Kane, Charley also shows loyalty in that he seeks revenge against those who harm his fellow travelers.

The "pretty girl" in High Noon, known as Amy Fowler, is similar to Sue Barlow of Open Range in that they both are conventional and don't stand their ground until the end. Amy Fowler is just a simple Quaker, the new wife of Will Kane who doesn't understand her husband's commitment in facing the awaited violence. She tries to persuade her husband to leave town, and even threatens him to choose to leave with her or stay without her. Clearly her words don't have much impact because Kane stays to battle the gangsters. In the climactic shoot-out at the end of the film, Amy shows her devotion to her husband by being the one to shoot the last remaining thug that was within seconds of killing her husband. Similarly, Sue is basically a house-wife (although unmarried) and a nurse. She serves and aids the men in the house and also hates violence, considering she firsthand sees what violence brings into her home. But without question she continues to do her job and not until the ending street battle do we see Sue standing in the middle of gunfire screaming for the men to cease gunfire.

Lastly, no western film would be complete without the climactic gunfight. In High Noon, we've got one men against four lurching through and behind shelters while one by one goes down. And of course Kane is the last man standing. Equally in Open Range, we see Charley, Boss, and Button in a shoot-out with the town villains staggering within the buildings that line up along the street. And once again, Charley and his gang come out on top, although Button is once again severely injured.

Although there are clear differences within these similarities (which there must be in order to create two different films), they aren't large differences that stand out as much as others. Like the magnitude of violence, the role of the women, and clearly the cinematography.

When comparing the magnitude of violence in High Noon to the amount of violence in Open Range, Open Range is much more dense and consistent throughout the film. High Noon is a story that takes place within a period of two hours. There is no violence through the entire film until the last ten minutes, when the last of the four gangsters arrives on the noon train and battles Will Kane to their deaths. Unlike High Noon, in Open Range there is