The 3-Act Paradigm at Work: High Noon

written by Carl Foreman


High Noon is a classic western and psychological drama about a man who refuses to run from danger and duty.

Structural Analysis

  1. Hook (0-6 min.)
    • The outlaw Ben Miller and friends are in town. For what?
  2. Complication (9 min.)
    • Brother outlaw Frank Miller has been paroled - and is due on the noon train. And this on the day of the sheriff's wedding and retirement.
  3. Call to Action (12 min.)
    • Will Kane, the sheriff, tries to leave town with his bride but can't. He's the one who sent Miller to prison. Moreover, he had an affair with his girl. He decides he must stay or face running from Miller for the rest of his life.
  4. Act One Plot Point (33-8 min.)
    • Kane tries to raise deputy support - and gets only one volunteer, who expects there to be many others. He is going to have to do this alone.
  5. Midpoint Plot Point (51-4 min.)
    • Kane's isolation is deepened when everyone from a friend and supporter to his mentor advises him to leave town before noon, when Miller arrives. Kane still won't go.
  6. Act Two Plot Point (70-3 min.)
    • The train arrives, the gun fight begins, Kane against four outlaws.
  7. Climax and Resolution (82-4 min.)
    • At the last minute his wife stays and kills one of the outlaws in the back. When she is taken hostage by Frank Miller, the last outlaw left, she gets away enough for Kane to kill him. He throws down his badge in disgust as the cowardly townsfolk gather, and they leave for good.

Notes

High Noon has a literal ticking clock through most of the movie, as tension builds as noon approaches. Dialogue here is crisp and focused, a good deal of the story being told visually. There are many layers of psychological complication that add to the density of the story: the wife's being a Quaker, Kane's relationship with Miller's old girl, the deputy who is jealous of him (and the new lover for the girl), the excuses made by everyone not to help him. This is more psychological drama than traditional western.


MODULE 4: SCREENWRIGHT: the craft of screenwriting

[BACK TO TEXT]
3/00