The film is based on Ken Kesey's complex novel of a contemporary family of lumberjacks who stubbornly maintain 19th-century frontier values, and whose motto is "Never Give a Inch."
The Stamper's patriarch, Henry (Henry Fonda), his son Hank (Newman) and nephew Joe Ben (Richard Jaeckel) alienate the entire community by refusing to participate in a local strike, because they're anti-union and want to honor their contract to deliver lumber They overcome hostility, sabotage and violence, but succumb to nature
Hank is another of Newman's tough, macho individualist, somewhat like "Hud." He brawls, hunts, drinks beer constantly, has no social conscience, and is coldly sarcastic, especially toward the strikers and his half-brother Lee (Michael Sarrazin), a hippie with pro-union and women's lib ideas Hank shares his father's professional pride, rigid conservatism and purpose in life: 'To work and eat and sleep and screw and drinkthat's all there is." The women play a marginal role, as is customary in male adventure filmsthey cook, clean and are passive sex objects
Despite the ideological schizophrenia, ill-defined relationships and implausible plot resolutions, the film is surprisingly stirring
Newman captures with zest the details of logging and the robust family life, as well as the kind of exhilarating camaraderie and professionalism that characterized the best thirties adventure films
This extroverted masculine adventure contrasts sharply with the two introverted, confined, feminine dramas he has directed, but, interestingly, the combination of toughness and sensitivity constitutes Newman's own screen image...
The delicate balance between humor and horror, the suspenseful drawing out of time, the genuine feeling of brotherly love, the finely judged performances (Jaeckel was nominated for an Oscar), and Newman's expert use of long shots (emphasizing their utter desolation) and closeups (giving us a sense of claustrophobia) create the best scene he ever directed
The Stamper's patriarch, Henry (Henry Fonda), his son Hank (Newman) and nephew Joe Ben (Richard Jaeckel) alienate the entire community by refusing to participate in a local strike, because they're anti-union and want to honor their contract to deliver lumber They overcome hostility, sabotage and violence, but succumb to nature
Hank is another of Newman's tough, macho individualist, somewhat like "Hud." He brawls, hunts, drinks beer constantly, has no social conscience, and is coldly sarcastic, especially toward the strikers and his half-brother Lee (Michael Sarrazin), a hippie with pro-union and women's lib ideas Hank shares his father's professional pride, rigid conservatism and purpose in life: 'To work and eat and sleep and screw and drinkthat's all there is." The women play a marginal role, as is customary in male adventure filmsthey cook, clean and are passive sex objects
Despite the ideological schizophrenia, ill-defined relationships and implausible plot resolutions, the film is surprisingly stirring
Newman captures with zest the details of logging and the robust family life, as well as the kind of exhilarating camaraderie and professionalism that characterized the best thirties adventure films
This extroverted masculine adventure contrasts sharply with the two introverted, confined, feminine dramas he has directed, but, interestingly, the combination of toughness and sensitivity constitutes Newman's own screen image...
The delicate balance between humor and horror, the suspenseful drawing out of time, the genuine feeling of brotherly love, the finely judged performances (Jaeckel was nominated for an Oscar), and Newman's expert use of long shots (emphasizing their utter desolation) and closeups (giving us a sense of claustrophobia) create the best scene he ever directed