INSIDE HIGH NOON Directed by John Mulholland Makes New York Premiere on WNET April 22nd, 2023 Narrated by Matthew Rhys

The documentary INSIDE HIGH NOON, narrated by Matthew Rhys. explores both the landmark 1952 film High Noon starring Gary Cooper and the gripping story behind its troubled production. Written/directed by John Mulholland, Edited/Produced by Richard Zampella, Executive Produced by Shannon Mulholland & Craig Gilbert

New York airing on April 22nd, 2023 at 8:00PM ET on WNET Channel 13

INSIDE HIGH NOON goes behind the scenes when it was ultimately released, High Noon was seen by some as an attack on the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) — the US government’s investigation into subversive activities by citizens who were accused of having fascist or communist ties. At least half-a-dozen people involved in the production were blacklisted; among them, screenwriter Carl Foreman and cinematographer Floyd Crosby. Gary Cooper put his career on the line for Foreman during and after production, hailing him as “The finest kind of American.” INSIDE HIGH NOON delves into that history and explores the film itself: why it has aroused controversy among critics, how its treatment of women and masculinity was ahead of its time, and why High Noon has come to be seen as a masterpiece of American cinema.

“High Noon was an independent, low budget, black and white movie that became engulfed in the blacklist,” Mulholland says about what interested him in making the documentary. “I found it fascinating that this conservative movie star Gary Cooper publicly stood up for the blacklisted screenwriter Carl Foreman. He refused to cave to John Wayne and the other anti-Communists.”

The film also touches on the parallels between High Noon and modern American politics. “I find that America has a civic complacency going on,” writer-director Mulholland says. “Democracy is so fragile. It’s merely words on paper unless people stand up to defend it. To me, so many Republicans in the House and Senate are like the citizens of Hadleyville. They are looking the other way, backing away, refusing to acknowledge the dangers of the moment.”

Narrated by award-winning actor Matthew Rhys (The Americans), the documentary weaves together clips from High Noon and analysis and commentary from Tim Zinneman (son of director Fred Zinneman), Jonathan Foreman (son of screenwriter Carl Foreman), Crown Prince Albert of Monaco (Grace Kelly’s son), Maria Cooper (Gary Cooper’s daughter), President Bill Clinton, and many film critics and historians.

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Director John Mulholland on HIGH NOON

“Democracy. So fragile. Mere words on paper unless its citizens stand up to defend it. High Noon nails this fragility of democracy like no other film.” – John Mulholland, writer and director INSIDE HIGH NOON

ZEKEFILM Interview: “INSIDE HIGH NOON” Filmmaker John Mulholland

Upon the 70th anniversary year of director Fred Zinnemann’s immortal Western HIGH NOON, we discuss the film with the maker of the retrospective documentary INSIDE HIGH NOON, John Mulholland. Click here

In Session Film Interview: John Mulholland (‘Inside High Noon’)

The beloved Western High Noon celebrated its seventieth anniversary this year. In order to commemorate this event, PBS has commissioned an updated version of John Mulholland’s Inside High Noon, a making-of documentary that considers the impact that the Red Scare had on the film’s production. The new version of the documentary addresses contemporary concerns about civic complacency and a lack of cooperation between members of different political parties. Mulholland believes that the film still has the power to resonate with modern viewers and argues that it is necessary to keep telling this story in an age in which younger generations may not be aware of the history behind the Hollywood blacklist. 

Zita Short had the opportunity to sit down with Mulholland and discuss what drew him towards this project. Click to Read

John Mulholland’s Inside High Noon streaming Nationwide on PBS

 The documentary INSIDE HIGH NOON REVISTED explores both the landmark 1952 film High Noon starring Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Lloyd Bridges, and Katy Jurado, and the gripping story behind its troubled production. Written & directed by John Mulholland, Edited & Produced by Richard Zampella, Executive Produced by Shannon Mulholland & Craig Gilbert. 

INSIDE HIGH NOON

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