film

Ken Kesey's 1964 novel Sometimes a Great Notion is a complex and affecting piece of work that explores big themes such as individualism, family loyalty and the struggle against nature. Though Paul Newman;s 1971 adaptation of it is by necessity a streamlined and smoothed out distillation of the source text, it's a highly credible version of it and should send you running for the novel if you're yet to have the pleasure of reading it.

Stunningly set against the misty forests and roaring rivers of Oregon, the film follows the Stamper family, and in particular Hank (Newman, also the film's director) and his half-brother Leland (Michael Sarrazin), as they fight the elements and each other during a logging strike. An excellent study of strained relationships brought further to life by Henry Fonda's turn as Hank and Leland's domineering father Henry.