IMDb RATING
6.9/10
4.5K
YOUR RATING
A family of fiercely independent Oregon loggers struggle to keep the family business alive amidst changing times.A family of fiercely independent Oregon loggers struggle to keep the family business alive amidst changing times.A family of fiercely independent Oregon loggers struggle to keep the family business alive amidst changing times.
- Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 2 nominations total
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- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis film was the first movie ever shown on HBO when the service premiered in 1972.
- GoofsIn the fox hunt scene, when the fox jumps over the fence you can see the fox is wearing a 1/4" black collar with a little tiny bell on it.
- Quotes
Hank Stamper: [singing] Don't ever hit your mother with a shovel. It will leave a dull impression on her mind. Paul Newman said the same line in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid".
- Alternate versionsIn the earliest video release version, circa 1982, when Leeland first arrives, there is a crane shot to reveal Hank looking down below at the family reunion. In the most current VHS release, circa 1994, the crane shot is edited out and is replaced with just a single cut from Viv, with an audio bridge to Hank on the roof.
- SoundtracksAll His Children
Lyrics by Marilyn Bergman and Alan Bergman
Music by Henry Mancini
Sung by Charley Pride
Featured review
I wish someone would take another crack at this one.
I have read Kesey's novel several times over the last 30 years or so. While I see some merit in this movie version, I'd like to see someone have another go at it. The movie only captures the novel in broad strokes. It hits the major point (brother returns to hometown to exact revenge on older sibling), but misses a lot of the flavor. I think Paul Newman, Henry Fonda and Lee Remick were perfect, as were many of the supporting cast. But Michael Sarrazin didn't quite do it for me. Maybe it was the hair, idunno. I always pictured a sort of geeky-looking, bespectacled, beatnick-looking guy with scruffy hair, but still fairly short, and sideburns. Sarrazin probably could have pulled it off, but back in the early 70s, actors were into looking like people from the early 70s.
But more to the point, the movie needed more back-story. We needed to see Johah Stamper "heading west" with young Henry and his brother. We needed to see Jonah fail and surrender to the dampness of the Pacific Northwest and desert his family. We needed to see young Henry take charge ("we're gonna whup her") and begin the logging business that becomes the crux of the story. Also missed were a lot of great scenes when Henry and Leland were children (Henry rescuing Leland from the Devil's Stovepipe, for one). Also missed was the passing of narrative from character to character. One small portion of the novel is actually narrated by a dog. The novel is written, mostly, in the first person from various points of view. There is a little second person narrative at the beginning of most chapters that pull the reader out of the story to offer additional flavor for the surroundings. Obviously, a novel needs to be pared in order to fit into the standard movie length. It would have to be a rather long movie, three hours or so, to portray the texture presented in the novel. But I'd like to see another go at it, maybe even starring Paul Newman as Henry.
But more to the point, the movie needed more back-story. We needed to see Johah Stamper "heading west" with young Henry and his brother. We needed to see Jonah fail and surrender to the dampness of the Pacific Northwest and desert his family. We needed to see young Henry take charge ("we're gonna whup her") and begin the logging business that becomes the crux of the story. Also missed were a lot of great scenes when Henry and Leland were children (Henry rescuing Leland from the Devil's Stovepipe, for one). Also missed was the passing of narrative from character to character. One small portion of the novel is actually narrated by a dog. The novel is written, mostly, in the first person from various points of view. There is a little second person narrative at the beginning of most chapters that pull the reader out of the story to offer additional flavor for the surroundings. Obviously, a novel needs to be pared in order to fit into the standard movie length. It would have to be a rather long movie, three hours or so, to portray the texture presented in the novel. But I'd like to see another go at it, maybe even starring Paul Newman as Henry.
helpful•2611
- bongo_fury
- Jun 11, 2004
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $3,660,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 54 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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