High Noon is an American 1952 western film directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly. The film tells in real time the story of a town marshalforced to face a gang of killers by himself. The screenplay was written by Carl Foreman
In 1989, High Noon was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant", entering the registry during the latter's first year of existence. The film is #27 on the American Film Institute's 2007 list of great films.
The Big Lebowski is a 1998 American comedy film with elements of noir written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Jeff Bridges stars as Jeff Lebowski, an unemployed Los Angelesslacker and avid bowler, who is referred to (and also refers to himself) as "The Dude". After a case of mistaken identity, The Dude is introduced to a millionaire also named Jeffrey Lebowski. When the millionaire Lebowski's trophy wife is later kidnapped, he commissions The Dude to deliver the ransom to secure her release. The plan goes awry when The Dude's friend Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) schemes to keep the full ransom. Steve Buscemi, Philip Seymour Hoffman, David Huddleston, Julianne Moore, Tara Reid and John Turturro star in the film, which is narrated by a cowboy known only as "Stranger," played by Sam Elliott.
The film's structure has been compared to Raymond Chandler's novel, The Big Sleep. Theoriginal score was composed by Carter Burwell, a longtime collaborator of the Coen Brothers.The Big Lebowski failed domestically at the U.S. box office and received mixed reviews at the time of its release. Reviews have trended towards the positive over time, and the film has become a cult favorite, noted for its idiosyncratic characters, surrealistic dream sequences, unconventional dialogue, and eclectic soundtrack. Devoted fans in Louisville, Kentuckycreated the Lebowski Fest in 2002, which has since expanded to several other cities. (wiki)
