10 Movies With Hidden Subtext You Totally Missed
3. High Noon Is An Indictment Of McCarthyism
Westerns don't come much more classic than High Noon, but this Gary Cooper-fronted movie is more than just a Western.
It's also a damning indictment of McCarthyism inspired by screenwriter Carl Foreman's own brush with the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Cooper plays a soon-to-be-retired marshal who has just two hours to decide what to do about a gang of killers heading for the town, a problem none of his neighbours seem willing to help out with.
The town folk's inaction in the face of evil mirrors the unwillingness of Hollywood to stand up for persecuted writers, actors and directors during the McCarthy witch hunts.