Western Unrest: Genre and Commerce in 'High Noon'

High Noon is often considered an outlier in the family of classic westerns, as it rejects many aesthetic and narrative conventions established at that time. Zoe Wallin looks at where the film fits in this rich history, and also considers how the political climate – which was marked by communist witch-hunts – impacts the narrative and reception of this classic text.

Additional keywords: Film as Text, House Un-American Activities Committee, Cold War, 1950s.