The Big Sky (1952)
…………………………………………………
The Big Sky Movie Review
The Big Sky is a 1952 western film directed by Howard Hawks and starring Kirk Douglas in the main role. It’s a solid and well made, but problematic movie.
………………………………………………….
“They ain’t deservin’ of it,
but I guess we better bury ’em“
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
Trappers lead an expedition against river pirates and Indians along the Missouri River. They have to keep one Indian girl alive and to protect themselves against the elements as well as various enemies. When it comes to the western genre, I am much more willing to love it when it does not depict Native Americans for obvious reasons of terrible portraiture of them back in the Golden Age of Hollywood.
This one does depict them, so how does it fare against others from this period? It actually ends up being a bit better in that regard, though it’s still very dated and offensive for modern viewers. The fact that one important character is Indian is important and refreshing and the movie isn’t fully racist, but it’s still rather frustrating in its antiquated view of Indians and their way of life.
What is actually worse this time around is the depiction of the fur trappers, especially the French. It was hilarious to me how they were painted so positively here and I have just recently seen their horrible depiction in the Predator movie ‘Prey’. The latter did them justice while this one simply rang false as expected.
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
I would have preferred an emphasis on the elements more so than the people as obviously the latter is going to be problematic in today’s age. The movie simply did not feel as engaging when it dealt with the various arguments and confrontations, but it excelled at the adventurous elements. The trek itself through this vast American wilderness was so glorious that it begs the question why it was not shot in Technicolor.
If ever there was a movie that should have been filmed in color it was this one. The natural vistas on display here are so gorgeous that they were not given justice with black-and-white filming. The film is still spirited and epic, but color would have made it even more spectacular.
The Big Sky also has a strong score, solid editing and it flows well. It is on the slower side of things, but it’s engaging enough and at least it was cut for general release to the two-hour mark, which was a great choice from the studio as otherwise it would have felt bloated.
The main performance from Kirk Douglas is solid, though it’s far from his best works. Dewey Martin is more memorable and of course Arthur Hunnicutt is excellent in an Oscar-winning supporting turn. All of these men were well written as characters and the dialogue is quite strong throughout.
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
This movie would have been incredible had it focused just on the adventure and the imposing nature of the natural world. Whenever it dealt with those sequences, it was phenomenal and very involving to watch. The scene in the rapids was a particularly thrilling piece of filmmaking. The directing from Howard Hawks is reliably strong, but the overall storyline is only serviceable and much more could have been done with this particular premise at the end of the day.
Howard Hawks’ The Big Sky is an epic, adventurous western that benefits from strong technical aspects and excellent acting from everybody involved. Whenever the film focused on the elements and the natural vistas, it was great, though it begs the question why it wasn’t shot in Technicolor when it was just made for that treatment. The overall story is serviceable and it flows well, but the typically dated depictions of the different groups of people involved in the storyline were expectedly problematic.
My Rating – 3.5
