“From Noon till Three”

Movie Review

An American Western movie called From Noon Till Three was released in 1976. Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland play the two main characters. Based on his book, Frank D. Gilroy wrote and directed the film.

A group of bank robbers in the late 19th century American West, led by Charles Bronson's Graham Dorsey, are planning to attack a small-town bank. However, Graham is having second thoughts because he recently had a nightmare in which the gang was destroyed during the robbery attempt. Even worse, the gang members need to get another horse because Graham's horse fractured a leg. At the ranch owned by Jill Ireland's character Amanda Starbuck, a widow, they attempt to steal a horse. Amanda denies owning a horse because she is wary of the males. Graham investigates the stable and discovers a horse, but because of his continued fear of the worst, he lies to his men and offers to remain at the ranch for three hours until they return. But it turns out he has another motivation for staying behind—he wants to compel Mrs. Starbuck to accept him. Amanda shows some creative resistance by lying still while fully dressed. Graham gets irritated by this and tries to pull a trick. In an effort to win Amanda over, he poses as being impotent. They make love three times after the trick works.

Graham and Amanda converse about their prior lives, as well as their dreams and ambitions, as time goes on. Graham even expresses a desire to quit his job and move straight into the banking industry. They even dance while Graham is dressed in Mr. Starbuck's previous tuxedo and playing Amanda's music box. Amanda is informed of an attempted bank heist by a visiting neighborhood youngster. The Graham gang's bank robbers had been apprehended and were scheduled to be hanged that afternoon in the city. Graham, in her opinion, ought to ride out and assist them. Graham believes that by doing this, he will be able to stay with her while avoiding the group. He finally agrees to go along after much prodding and rides away with the intention of taking a lengthy nap. But this is destroyed when Graham is spotted by the posse as they approach, who then pursue him. After exchanging clothes with a traveling dentist under threat of violence and robbing him of his horse and wagon, Graham manages to avoid them. Dr. Finger, who is unfortunate, is mistaken for Graham and killed. The posse returns the body to the Starbuck ranch after spotting Mr. Starbuck's horse and suit. Amanda collapses upon viewing what she believes to be Graham's body. Graham does not escape unscathed, though; it turns out that Dr. Finger was a fraud, and the first person, Graham meets after making his getaway was one of Dr. Finger's disgruntled patients. He receives a one-year prison term for the offenses committed by Dr. Finger.

Amanda is initially shunned by the locals. But after making a passionate speech about how much she truly loves him, the villagers not only forgive her but also recognize Graham and Amanda's story as an amazing one. This tale served as the inspiration for the legend that gave rise to the best-selling novel From Noon to Three, dime novels, a stage play, and even the hit song "Hello and Goodbye," which was set to the melody of Amanda's music box. The reputation of Graham and Amanda grows to be more famous than the reality of the two, and Amanda becomes rich thanks to her book's success. Graham, who reads the book while incarcerated, finds the inaccuracies amusing: Graham is not represented as being 6'3", from the South, or particularly attractive. He is anxious to restart his relationship with Amanda after serving his sentence.

A cloaked Graham sticks behind to take one of Amanda's ranch tours while planning to come clean. When he does, Amanda is startled since she does not recognize him. She keeps saying, "It's in the book," whenever he talks about specifics of their time together. Amanda doesn't believe Graham until he shows her "something that's not in the book". But rather than being happy, Amanda feels uncertain and concerned. If Graham's existence were known, the Graham and Amanda legend would be extinguished. Even Graham's idea that he live with her secretly is useless because the tale would still be ruined if Amanda moved in with another man. At the conclusion of the session, Amanda is about to shoot Graham when she suddenly decides to shoot herself.

Graham is devastated. He not only lost Amanda, but he also permanently lost the secret of his true identity. He makes an effort to forget what happened, but there are constant reminders. He enters a nearby saloon after hearing "their song" and discovers a stage version of From Noon to Three. Even worse, he gets a small chuckle from acquaintances when he claims to be Graham because he doesn't resemble the character at all. In the end, he is taken into custody and placed in a mental hospital, where he encounters the only individuals who accept his claims: his fellow patients. He seems to be at ease.

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