Sometimes A Great Notion [Blu-ray]

This is an entertaining movie and well made, but the family dynamics at the conclusion are presented in a significantly different light than in the novel.

This movie is really a secret gem!! It is really cool taking place in Oregon, as I have frequented the beach town of Newport where it was filmed!! The house on the Siletz river was still there as of the last time I was at the coast, it is between Newport and Depot Bay! It is a wonderful story of a logging family and the dynamics between generations!!! Their family motto.....Never give an inch!!! Awesome film....highly recommend!!! Give it a go....you won't be disappointed!!!

First, why this isn't on DVD is a big mystery.Secondly, let's stop dancing around it, Joe Ben's demise is the best death scene in cinema. Would be Hamlets are quitting the business everytime they see it, knowing they will never have one that good.The story, about a logging family's struggle to remain independent in the face of collectivization by unions and capitalization by business, is compelling on its own, even without the subplots of family discord and redemption. The only viewpoint it takes politically is to be stridently anti-political. It is also a realistic and detailed exposition of the actual work of logging, at least as it was carried out in the late fifties and early sixties.I remember when this movie hit the theaters, it didn't make that big a splash, especially considering that the actors involved were among the most popular of the day. It really wasn't promoted all that much by the studio, and when it was rereleased and first came out on video, they had renamed it "Never Give an Inch". It was as if the powers that were didn't quite know how to package it.It stands on its own as a movie, even though fans of the book could conceivably be disappointed if they looked for all the wonder of the literary effort in the cinematic. The book is the Huckleberry Finn of the 20th Century, and would be remembered as such if it were not for the fact that the 21st is so lamentably non-literary and possessed of a cultural attention deficit disorder no Ritalin can cure.Its genius for interwoven characters and plot and innovative and metaphysically truthful timelines were unique in American literature, and remain so to this day. It is coherently presented from at least five points of view simultaneously, giving the reader the pleasure of reading a new book every time one picks it up throughout their life. It is an amazing feat.As for the movie, the acting is consistant with the abilities of the ensemble, a collection of some of the most craftsmanlike actors of the era. The cinematography is beautiful, with effective use of light, a difficult thing to do in the Oregon coastal forest with the technology of the day. The music and the sets are as true to the timeframe as any I've ever seen. The people are real, and anyone who grew up in a hardworking rural environment in the early sixties will be able to smell the barn and the forest and the grease on the hot machinery. When I left the theater I felt like I should go shine a deer, but I couldn't quite talk the taxi driver into it.Both book and movie are apogees of characterization, and the fact that cinema and acting are more restrictive mediums for characterization than literature is the only criticism one can make of the movie. See and enjoy the movie, read and love the book.

This is the movie version of Ken Kesey's novel. The makers of this movie did a good job whittling down a sprawling novel into a two hour movie. But I'm not big on comparing books to movies. It is the story of a very troubled family of gypo loggers thumbing their noses at union logging in the Pacific Northwest. Universal really brought some of Hollywood's finest for this one. Newman, Fonda, Jaekel, Remick, Sarrazin, and collectively known in the film as the Stampers. All do a really convincing job with their roles as loggers and wives. This movie is about a nasty problem. How timber is harvested is like a cold war in the northwest and independents like the Stampers are part of it. Viv (Remick) and Leland (Sarrazin) see the bigger picture and the danger, and grow cynical and depressed over their stubborn loggers who seem to care about little but their logging contract and a good days work. Viv hardly smiles in this movie. She is so down she barely speaks, and her quiet hangs over the entire film, cutting off conversations with her brooding cold stares.Not to blame Fonda, but I think his character Henry is overdone in the script. He is so bull headed he ignores the threat that is coming from the union and the dangerous work logging really is. The movie takes a strange turn when Henry mentions he heard a big log got away at the yarding site. Lee points out the choker was sabotaged. This smells like a murder attempt and Henry blows it off like it was the result of Lee's long hair. I couldn't make up a worse leader as Henry ignores the safety of his crew and insults women at the same time. Lee should rightfully come unglued over a random attempt on his life by some head case. Henry doesn't even miss a bite of his dinner over the situation.Little is said in this film about the wasteland the Stampers are making of the Oregon woods. We get to hear one remark by Lee in his disgust: "nice work you guys do up here". The movie doesn't hide the ugly mass waste of the forest. It doesn't hide the riparian cutting either, causing enough erosion to fill the whole river with ooze. It was very interesting and important film to me and I encourage everyone to watch it. "Where the truth is as plain as the pouring rain." Don't you believe it.

It is always a challenge when film makers attempt to bring a substantial novel to the screen. Look at the examples of "Les Miserables", "War and Peace" and "Moby Dick" to evidence this. No film in fairness would have the time to embroider the rich tapestries that these books contain within the limited medium of film. Often they are heroic but ultimately doomed attempts. So it is with "Sometimes a Great Notion" at a running time of just under two hours. Paul Newman the director is unable to develop characters and sub plots that make Ken Kesey's novel of that name so rich a read. This book is now available as a Penguin Classic which is an indication of its status. In fairness it is probably a better book than his much better known "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest". But having said this it should also be said that this film falls into the "brave effort" category and contains much that makes it worth watching.I first watched the film as part of a film studies course not long after it was first released under the title of "Never Give an Inch", which was the much quoted family motto. It was also the title I preferred and set the tone of the film. Although I knew at the time that it was not a great film, I had to admit to myself that it had made an impression, and that there were scenes from it that stuck in the memory. So when the opportunity came to buy the DVD I grabbed it. The story is set in the rugged and beautiful state of Oregon. The Stamper family headed by patriarch Henry, played by Henry Fonda, and helped by his two sons Hank played by Paul Newman, and Joe Ben played by Richard Jaekel, are independent loggers in the local community of Wakonda. When the local union call a strike against a large lumber conglomerate the Stamper's just keep working as they have always done, despite the protestations of the entire community. Things begin to get nasty when logging machinery is deliberately destroyed. Matters are also complicated by the arrival of Henry's youngest son and Hank's half brother Leland, played by Michael Sarrazin. Leland comes with a history that brings discord into the family relationships. We build to a climax. Will the family be able to fulfil their contractual agreement and deliver four rafts of timber against the wishes of the community?The film benefits from being made on location in Oregon. Some of the outdoor scenes are extremely good and Newman shows a sure hand in the action scenes. Newman himself is shown realistically in the thick of things, and although you know you are watching Hollywood actors trying to be tough loggers they come across pretty well. Henry Fonda is excellent as always in an idiosyncratic role that he enjoyed. It is strange to hear such oaths coming from his usually very pure mouth. The surprise though was Richard Jaekel an under rated actor who was superb in his role. He is particularly memorable in the harrowing scene where Newman tries to save him from drowning. He was deservedly nominated for an oscar but lost out to Ben Johnson in "The Last Picture Show". I guess he can't have had too many complaints there! A mention should also be made of that very pretty and resourceful actress Lee Remick, who is also very good as Hank's disillusioned wife. The lauded composer Henry Mancini provided an excellent country score that seemed to be in tune with the time and place. It was interesting to note that the two brilliant directors Sam Peckinpah and Budd Boetticher were keen to make this film. I wonder if they would have fared any better?At the end of the day despite the fact that the film is unable to develop characters, we do get a flavour of Kesey's anarchic black humour. Especially in the films final scene which is particularly strong and also very funny. The sort of humour you would find in that very treacly dark comedy TV series "The League of Gentlemen". The film is enjoyable to watch if ultimately a little hollow, but life with the Stamper family is never dull! A film that is certainly worth watching if you have never done so. A rather generous four stars for the brave attempt. Recommended.

Newman and Fonda match up well as leaders of a tough small business logging firm. Decent plot , solid cast and good acting. Worthwhile two hour journey to a small town environment that too few people have had a chance to live in. I recommend it and my teenage grand children enjoyed it.Perhaps it was the specific disk I bought, but if this is a remastered video they didn't pay attention to audio copying, the sound was at times weak and/or distorted, so the "fiddling with the volume remote control" kicks in several times during two hours.

NEVER GIVE AN INCH

Der Film entstand 1971 unter der Regie von Paul Newman, der auch die Hauptrolle, Hank Stamper, spielte. In dem Holzfällercamp sehen wir die Stamper-Familie, bestehend aus Hank (Paul Newman), Henry (Henry Fonda), Jo Ben Stamper (Richard Jaeckel), Leeland Stamper (Michael Sarrazin), Viv und Jan Stamper (Lee Remick und Linda Lawson), Andy und John Stamper (Cliff Potts und Sam Gilman). Die Dreharbeiten wurden in Washington und Oregon durchgeführt. Henry Stamper wurde bereits bei den Fällarbeiten schwer am Brustkorb verletzt, aber das Pech bleibt ihm treu und es gibt einen noch tragischeren Unfall. Zur allgemeinen Überraschung findet auch Leeland Stamper (Michael Sarrazin) den Weg ins das Camp. Die körperlich schweren Arbeiten werden noch zusätzlich von dem Ärger mit Gewerkschaftsangehörigen belastet, die einen Streik forcieren wollen. Dann verunglückt auch noch der junge Joe Ben tödlich. Die Frauen sind schockiert. Aber Hank Stamper denkt nicht daran aufzuhören. Irgendwie ist dieser Film für den Zuschauer unbefriedigend. Es wäre vielleicht besser gekommen, wenn ein renommierter Regisseur die Kontrolle gehabt hätte. Es war zunächst auch ein Spielleiter vorgesehen, mit dem sich Paul Newman allerdings zerstritt. So bleibt ein Blick auf die Knochenarbeit der Männer und auf die Baumriesen, die die Wälder Washingtons bedecken und schwer zu fällen sind.Das Bildformat ist 16:9 Technicolor, der Ton DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, Sprachen Deutsch und Englisch. Als Bonus gibt es den Originaltrailer und eine Bildergalerie.

Good item.GOOD DELIEVERY