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Sometimes a Great Notion

Sometimes a Great Notion

Action · Adventure · Drama · 1971

Hank Stamper and his father, Henry, own and operate the family business by cutting and shipping logs in Oregon. The town is furious when they continue working despite the town going broke and the other loggers go on strike ordering the Stampers to stop, however Hank continues to push his family on cutting more trees. Hank's wife wishes he would stop and hopes that they can spend more time together. When Hank's half brother Leland comes to work for them, more trouble starts.

Movie details

Sometimes a Great Notion

“"Never give a inch" was the motto of the Stampers of Oregon. And live it they did!”

1971 Action · Adventure · Drama 1h 54m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.9 / 10

Community rating

Hank Stamper and his father, Henry, own and operate the family business by cutting and shipping logs in Oregon. The town is furious when they continue working despite the town going broke and the other loggers go on strike ordering the Stampers to stop, however Hank continues to push his family on cutting more trees. Hank's wife wishes he would stop and hopes that they can spend more time together. When Hank's half brother Leland comes to work for them, more trouble starts.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Sometimes a Great Notion?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Paul Newman

Written by

John Gay

Paul Newman

Paul Newman

Hank Stamper

Henry Fonda

Henry Fonda

Henry Stamper

Lee Remick

Lee Remick

Viv Stamper

Michael Sarrazin

Michael Sarrazin

Leland 'Lee' Stamper

Richard Jaeckel

Richard Jaeckel

Joe Ben Stamper

Linda Lawson

Linda Lawson

Jan Stamper

Cliff Potts

Cliff Potts

Andy Stamper

Court is in session

Put Sometimes a Great Notion on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.