Showdown for ‘High Noon’ Versions

The 40th anniversary of the classic Western “High Noon” offers a unique opportunity to see how the same film can be treated in laser release by two different companies, and to see what a wealth of material is available in addition to the film itself.

For $40, one company, Republic Pictures Home Video, offers a fancy box with no printed information on it, but the commemorative package includes a facsimile of the film’s original “one sheet” and a lobby-card reproduction. A crisp, clear print of director Fred Zinnemann’s and cinematographer Floyd Crosby’s vision, along with the film’s trailer, comes on a single disc in the extended play (CLV) format.

At the end of the 83-minute film, a short documentary produced by film historian Leonard Maltin provides reflections from Zinnemann and producer Stanley Kramer as well as an interview with the cinematographer’s son, pop singer David Crosby; actor John Ritter, son of the late Tex Ritter, who sang the haunting “Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin’ ”; a short discussion of the film by Maltin, and glimpses of Zinnemann’s shooting script with his notations.

But chapter stops delineating key scenes are nowhere to be found. And since there is no written material saying anything about the film, you have no way of knowing that the movie features Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges, Katy Jurado, Otto Kruger, Lon Chaney or Henry (now Harry) Morgan as well as star Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly in her first important film role.

A second company, the Voyager Co.’ prestigious Criterion Collection, invests much more time and care in its approach to the same Oscar-winning film (Academy Awards went to actor Cooper, Elmo Williams and Henry Gerstad for editing, and Dmitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington for the song and Tiomkin for the score). In 1986, Criterion released CAV and CLV versions of “High Noon,” both struck from what it said was “the best available 35mm negative,” for $75 and $50, respectively.

A second audio track features an erudite analysis of the movie, broken down into 17 chapter stops, by UCLA film professor Howard Suber. (Suber’s thoughtful essay also is available on the single-disc CLV edition.) The film itself may be accessed via 17 chapter stops, a feature particularly welcome in dissecting the much-talked-about editing and high-contrast black-and-white photography designed to emulate Matthew Brady’s Civil War-era photos. Of special interest is Suber’s discussion of the impact the House Committee on Un-American Activities is thought to have played in the film and how the movie may have served as a parable for screenwriter Carl Foreman’s experiences.

The CAV edition adds a host of other useful bonuses, including the movie’s original trailer, storyboards and photos from producer Kramer’s collection, Foreman’s original notes on the story and the text of “The Tin Star,” the short story on which the film was based.

Recent laser releases offer a younger Cooper in other key roles. The 1941 “Sergeant York,” which included John Huston as a collaborator on the script, earned Cooper his first Academy Award. Howard Hawks directed this study of a pacifist turned World War I war hero, which also features Joan Leslie and Walter Brennan. The release includes the original theatrical trailer, plus key stills in the inside sleeves.

A mustachioed Cooper joins Franchot Tone in the 1935 “The Lives of a Bengal Lancer,” a compelling look at British empire-building in India, directed by Henry Hathaway. The 90-minute laser “Encore Edition” from MCA Universal Home Video includes the theatrical trailer.

You can watch Grace Kelly become Princess Grace of Monaco on the “Wedding in Monaco,” the MGM short “documentary” that precedes MGM/UA’s laser edition of “The Swan.” The overweening 1956 short may be more fascinating than the 1956 film, which co-starred Alec Guinness and Louis Jourdan in a fanciful story about an ambitious dowager trying to marry her daughter to the country’s crown prince.

A far more vivid Kelly emerges in 1956’s “High Society,” her last Hollywood film, available on a letterboxed MGM/UA laser edition released a couple of years ago that jumps off the screen. The remake of “The Philadelphia Story” with songs by Cole Porter co-stars Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra.

One of the most underrated musicals around, it features a grand collection of first-rate Porter songs. Among them: “True Love” with Crosby crooning to Kelly, Crosby and Louis Armstrong shouting their way through the memorable music lesson “Now You Has Jazz,” and the Sinatra-Crosby duet “Well, Did You Evah!” in which the two legendary pop-song singers trade quips. The songs and performances more than compensate for Charles Walters’ lackluster direction. Be sure to avoid an even earlier MGM non-letterboxed release. Its faded colors and pan-and-scan format ruin the film.

* “High Noon,” 1952, Republic: 1 disc; 1 hour 23 minutes, CLV (extended play); theatrical trailer, $40. * “High Noon,” 1952, Criterion: 2 discs; 1 hour 23 minutes, CAV (standard play); Suber essay on 2nd audio track; 17 chapter stops; photos, storyboards, theatrical trailer; $75. (Also available on CLV, 1 disc, including Suber essay, $50). * “Sergeant York,” 1941, MGM/UA: 2 discs, 2 hours, 17 minutes; CLV; 32 chapter stops; theatrical trailer; $40. * “The Lives of a Bengal Lancer,” 1935, MCA Universal: 1 disc; 1 hour 30 minutes; 18 chapter stops; theatrical trailer; $35. * “The Swan,” 1956, MGM/UA: 2 discs; letterboxed; 1 hour, 48 minutes; stereo; CLV; theatrical trailer; short, “Wedding in Monaco”; $40.

* “High Society,” 1956, MGM/UA: 1 disc; letterboxed; 1 hour, 47 minutes; stereo; 40 chapter stops; theatrical trailer; $35.