The Stamper family credo – “Never give a inch” – is put to the test as they struggle with personal dramas, as well as the locals that try to sabotage their efforts and equipment, when they are ostracized for refusing to support the union walkout in their Oregon logging town. Hollywood icon Paul Newman pulled double duty as both the film’s star and its director – after Notion’s original director dropped out early in filming. Henry Fonda brings his legendary presence as the family’s patriarch, with a work ethic that supersedes any political issues with the town’s union. Michael Sarrazin is Newman’s half-brother Leland, who returns a prodigal son with a grudge against Fonda and a hippie sensibility, while Lee Remick struggles to understand the complicated nature of the family and their work. Newman captures the rough family trade with some incredible logging footage, its inherent danger, and the stubborn mindset the Stamper’s need to tackle it.
“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.” – Roger Ebert
“Mr. Newman knows how to direct actors, and he has obtained lovely performances from Mr. Fonda, Michael Sarrazin and Richard Jaeckel, as well as from Lee Remick” – Vincent Canby, The New York Times
Kim Morgan discusses Sometimes A Great Notion on the New Beverly blog.
