Sometimes a Great Notion (Never Give an Inch) (1971)
Average Rating: 7.3/10
Reviews Counted: 12
Fresh: 12 | Rotten: 0
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 7.3/10
Critic Reviews: 6
Fresh: 6 | Rotten: 0
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 616
Movie Info
Also known as Never Give an Inch, this film was based on a novel by Ken Kesey. Paul Newman (who also directed) stars as Hank Stamper, the oldest son of an Oregon logging family headed by Henry (Henry Fonda). Hank's half-brother, Leeland (Michael Sarrazin), embittered over Henry's treatment of his late mother, returns after a ten-year absence to work in the family business. Leeland's presence causes friction with Henry, who resents his prodigal son's hippie mindset, and Hank, who perceives
Jan 1, 1971 Wide
Universal Pictures
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Cast
-
Paul Newman
Hank Stamper -
Henry Fonda
Henry Stamper -
Lee Remick
Viv Stamper -
Michael Sarrazin
Leeland Stamper -
Richard Jaeckel
Joe Ben Stamper -
Linda Lawson
Jan Stamper -
Jim Burk
Biggy Newton -
Lee de Broux
Willard Eggleston -
Roy Jenson
Elwood -
Joe Maross
Floyd Evenwrite -
Roy Poole
Jonathan Draeger -
Cliff Potts
Andy -
Dean Smith
Bit part -
Charles Tyner
Les Gibbons -
-
Bennie E. Dobbins
Bit part -
-
Mickey Gilbert (II)
Bit part -
Sam Gilman
John -
Terry J. Leonard
Bit part -
Fred Lerner
Bit part -
Gary McLarty
Bit part -
Hal Needham
Bit part -
J.N. Roberts
Bit part -
Fred Zendar
Bit part -
Fred M. Waugh
Bit part -
Dick Hudkins
Bit part
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All Critics (12) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (12) | Rotten (0) | DVD (2)
A New Hollywood movie suffused in Old Hollywood values.
It's not a classic, in the sense of being perfectly formed. But the craft work is one of a kind.
The result is rather good -- a sort of contemporary 'western' in the timber territory.
Newman's handling of the outdoor scenes, especially those involving work, is -- like his own acting -- restrained but powerfully evocative.
Top CriticSurprisingly effective.
Newman starts tunneling under the material, coming up with all sorts of things we didn't quite expect, and along the way he proves himself as a director of sympathy and a sort of lyrical restraint.
Based on Ken Kesey's book, Newman's second film as helmer is not effective or cohesive as the first (Rachel Rachel), but Oregon locations and good acting by Henry Fonda and others compensate for uneasy fit between melodrama and action
When the film cuts away from the family soap opera dramatics and shows the macho men at work wielding their chainsaws at the logging camp among the giant trees, it has a buzz.
Kesey's 600-plus-page novel would have made a fine six-hour mini-series, and it's a tribute to scenarist Gay that he managed to condense that much material into under two hours.
Terrific family drama
Newman handles the emotional drama well and directs one outdoor scene with consummate brilliance.
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Movie: ID: 770672339 Title: Sometimes a Great Notion (Never Give an Inch) Release Date: 1971-01-01 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 2 Status: 1
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Foreign Titles
- Sometimes a Great Notion (DE)
- Sometimes a Great Notion (UK)
