High Noon, by Fred Zinneman and Treasure of the Sierra Madre, by Jouhn Huoston

The films High Noon, directed by Fred Zinneman, and Treasure of the Sierra Madre, directed by John Houston, bring rise to the question of self benefit or selflessness through the main characters. The lead role in High Noon is Marshall Will Kane who has restored a town, Hadleyville, from its atrocious past. Even though Kane has recently retired due to his marriage, he comes to face the eminent destruction of the Hadleyville again when his enemy Frank Miller and his gang return. Howard, the main character of the film Treasure of the Sierra Madre, is a wise cracking old man who meets two men and agrees to help them hunt for gold. Although both characters play a similar role of leadership, they both possess contrasting motives behind their goals.

Howard and Marshall Kane are put into positions that force the audience to decide whether their actions are of self-indulgence or for the benefit of those around them. Howard meets two men, Dobbs and Curtin, in the El Oso Negro dormitory and decides to join them on their quest for gold. Dobbs and Curtin both have little to no knowledge of gold mining, but Howard offers them his expertise that he has gained through past gold mining experience. Before Howards goes on this hunt for gold, he warns the men that gold can change a man and drive them down the path of insanity. Howard teaches the men how to mine for gold and tries to keep the peace when Dobbs begins to form paranoia about his gold. One can believe that “[h]oward is knowledgeable about mining and human nature, ethical in his conduct, reasonable in his dealings with men, aware of his own weaknesses, committed to helping others in the group develop a similar awareness and, by the end of the film, fully aware of life’s essential dile...

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...shall Kane’s fight resulted in having complete disgust with his town after they did nothing to help him defeat Miller when the real problem was simply between the two men, not the town. Even though Miller had brought destruction to the town, Kane was the one who wanted to truly defeat him for his rectitude.

In the end, both characters were seeking their own rational self-interest but at the same time benefitted their community. Howard maintained his self conduct and helped his partners while Marshall Kane was protecting his future and morality. Both of their actions stemmed from good intentions with the exception of Howard’s agreement to murder. While Kane was fighting for his own self-interest, Howard nearly provided a hopeful future through gold mining for Dobbs and Curtin. They remained loyal and helpful to their community but ultimately had ulterior motives.