John Wayne's critique of the anti-American message of High Noon begins with what is, yes, the preposterous notion that American pioneers, who had crossed the plains in covered wagons to settle the West, would readily surrender their town to three bandits. This may make movie fans see the film in a new light. It certainly gave me a better understanding of the communist messaging in the script written by Carl Foreman, a former member of the Communist Party. Foreman's portrayal of American pioneers becomes a subversive use of cinematic art to throw dirt on the American spirit, to grind into the dust the heroism of the Old West, even in the clever guise of being a paeon to American individualism, as represented by Gary Cooper's role as the sheriff.

The reason I was thinking about Wayne's comments lately is because much of Foreman's jaundiced rewrite of Pioneer America captures the submissive conformity of a vast swathe of America today. It is hard to imagine the depth of disgust that John Wayne would probably feel for Masked America. That said, it is easy to imagine John Wayne's pride in Trump America.

High Noon 2020. The real battle is on.