HIGH NOON
High Noon (Fred Zinnemann, 1952) is ranked among the great Westerns and as one of the first "adult Westerns" (concerned with social or psychological issues). Much of the success of the film is credited to the Oscar-winning editing (Elmo Williams and Harry W. Gerstad) and the song and score by Dimitri Tiomkin, awarded two Oscars. The song ("Do Not Forsake Me"), a Western ballad, was a hit in 1952 and started a trend, with Hollywood movies using theme songs, with hit records in mind. Westerns also started using cowboy ballads in credit sequences. At the same time, great film composers, such as Bernard Herrmann, were neglected because they were unwilling to write pop songs into their scores. Complex musical scores were replaced by tuneful scores likely to appeal to record buyers and thus promote the film.
Timokin's ballad was the film's only theme, used throughout (with lyrics and without) to bind the film into a coherent whole, and often (through the lyrics) guiding the viewer.
The ballad, sung by Country singer Tex Ritter, was introduced in the opening credits and was heard sung or arranged for orchestra in the story. When sung, it functioned as a Greek chorus, commenting on the action.
When arranged for orchestra without words, an attentive film viewer nonetheless links a musical phrase to the words sung to it. For example, the opening notes of "Silent Night" will evoke the words "silent night" (along with other associations, such as "peace"), even though the carol is not sung in the underscore of a film.
So when phrases from the High Noon ballad are played as underscore, the viewer attaches the unsung words, such as, "Oh to be torn 'twixt love and duty." Its most memorable use was in the famous montage sequence just before the arrival of the noon train which brings killer, Frank Miller, to town (see attached file). To view this film clip, go here. See attached study picture.
To hear Frankie Laine sing the Oscar-winning High Noon ballad ("Do Not Forsake Me"), go here. (Laine had the biggest hit with the song, but the live performance here is years after his hit record.)
To hear pop singer Andy Williams sing the song, go here.
To hear Tex Ritter's original recording, go here.
Lyrics are below. Note the clever rhyme on "prison" and "his'n" (dialect for "his and").
Do not forsake me, oh my darlin' on this our wedding day. Do not forsake me, oh my darlin, wait, wait along. I do not know what Fate awaits me, I only know I must be brave and I must face a man who hates me, or lie a coward, a craven coward, or lie a coward in my grave. Oh, to be torn 'twixt love and duty, supposing I lose my fair-haired beauty? Look at that big hand move along, nearing high noon. He made a vow while in state prison, vowed it would be my life or his'n I'm not afraid of death, but, oh, what will I do if you leave me? Do not forsake me, oh my darlin', you made that promise as a bride. Do not forsake me, oh my darling, although you're grieving, don't think of leaving, now that I need you by my side. Wait along, wait along, wait along, wait along.
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