Henry Fonda is a domineering old bull but not a monster (except presumably to his unlucky wives). Just the same, audiences of 2012 will be sobered by the sight of a former forest transformed into an endless lumberman's trash heap. John Gay's screenplay makes no particular ecological pitch. We also see what the logging is doing to the country, as the men must drive through miles of previously cut timber to get to fresh stands of trees. Armed with heavy machinery and chainsaws, Henry's tiny crew is far more productive than workers of the past. We see the logging operation in great detail. Henry says "We work, sleep, eat, screw, drink and keep on going, and that's all there is." In other words, Tom Joad has come a long way in a changed America. When Viv finally does beg her husband to honor the strike, Hank puts her off.Īt one point Viv asks what it's all for. Viv and Jan don't speak out at the table and nobody asks for their opinions. The womenfolk and kids might as well be living in the 19th century. Hank has a strong ethical nature but doesn't advertise it. Joe Ben and Jan are born-again Christians and extremely nice people. Otherwise the family has a veneer of harmony. He pushes himself and his clan to the limit and neither Hank nor Joe Ben will openly challenge him. The old bull Henry dictates all he's so difficult that he drove away two wives. The family pecking order is a pure patriarchy. His idea of independence means doing whatever he wants, and to hell with the rest of the world. Henry Stamper never got help from anybody (or so he sees it that way) and feels no obligation to help his union neighbors. Sometimes a Great Notion is about how family identity clashes with social values. It was provided not by Henry but by his brother Hank - who slept with Leeland's mother when he was 14. One reason that Leeland got an education was the monetary support from home. A subtle conflict forms between Hank and Leeland. His talks with Viv cause her to question her own passive role as Hank's wife. Leeland takes the expected guff for his long hair and impresses his brothers by his willingness to learn and work hard. Leeland's presence changes the family dynamic, as his mother committed suicide and he may be hiding a deep grudge. Arriving from back East is a third son, Leeland (Michael Sarrazin), whose mother (Henry's second wife) fled the family years ago. In this family Henry's word is law: Hank and Joe Bob go along with Pop and their wives stay out of the issue entirely. The company employees are on strike but Henry Stamper keeps working, convinced that he's not responsible for the jobs of his neighbors. The Stampers are 'gyppo loggers', independents that cut and sell wood by volume rather than work for a logging company for a wage. Old Henry Stamper (Henry Fonda) runs the Stamper clan, which consists of his two sons Hank and Joe Ben (Paul Newman & Richard Jaeckel) and their respective wives Viv and Jan (Lee Remick and Linda Lawson). The story is set in the beautiful woods of the Northwest. It also takes an honest look at the divisive topic of labor union strikebreakers. The picture can boast a great cast fully engaged in a compelling drama with strong elements of action and danger. The title is a lyric from the folk song Goodnight Irene, with the 'notion' being to "jump into the river and drown." One character has contemplated suicide, and an entire family fights to keep their house from being swallowed by an ever-widening river. After the original director dropped out Newman finished and signed the film as his second directorial effort. All had good qualities, but the most promising was 1970's Sometimes a Great Notion, an adaptation of a novel by Ken Kesey, acclaimed author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
#SOMETIMES A GREAT NOTION DVD MOVIE#
Foreman made one movie after another that didn't click: WUSA, In the four years between his big hits Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting, top star Paul Newman and his producer John C. Written by John Gay from the novel by Ken Kesey Starring Paul Newman, Henry Fonda, Lee Remick, Michael Sarrazin, Richard Jaeckel, Linda Lawson, Cliff Potts, Lee de Broux, Roy Jenson, Charles Tyner. Color / 2:35 enhanced widescreen / 114 min.
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