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Editorial Reviews
The New York Times
"The Roan Group, consistently responsible for some of the best-looking DVD editions"
Product Description
Kirk Douglas, Eve Miller. Ruthless lumbermen battle homesteaders and a religious sect for possession of a verdant forest valley. 1952/color/89 min/NR/fullscreen.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
In 1900, a corrupt timber baron Jim Fallon (Kirk Douglas) plans to take advantage of a new law and make millions of Dollars off the California redwood ( trees as you can imagine ). Much of the land he hopes to grab has been homesteaded by a Quaker colony, who try to persuade him to spare the giant sequoias...but Jim Fallon wants the sequoias the most. Expert at manipulating others, Fallon finds that other sharks are at his own heels, and forms an unlikely alliance.
The movie is a remake of VALLEY OF THE GIANTS with stock footage from that earlier color movie.
If you like Kirk, and particularly his earlier work you should like this one! This is a great DVD to have in your collection! It comes in its original Aspect Ratio!
15 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
THE BIG TREES starts out with a great deal of promise - Kirk Douglas stars as Jim Fallon, a Wisconsin timber baron who plans to take advantage of a new law that will allow him to `harvest' California's giant sequoias and make a fortune in the process.
The movie opens in Wisconsin where Fallon is facing down a growling work crew. The pay is late, again, and the men have just about had it. Drawing on his deep well of nerve and blarney and charm, as well as a well-timed gunshot from soon-to-be sidekick `Yukon' Burns (Edgar Buchanan), Fallon not only avoids a bloody mutiny but he even manages to talk the crew into migrating to California where, seemingly, money does indeed grow on trees.
So far so good. THE BIG TREES might be a cut above. The first scene in California (the movie was filmed in Orlick) has Fallon and Yukon measuring the diameter of a giant redwood. It measures out at twenty-eight feet, and the scene is only slightly jarred by the shadow of the camera and boom during this attractive tracking shot.
The hitch in Fallon's plans take the form of Friends, or Quakers, who regard the ancient redwoods as sacred objects. They hold their religious services outdoors, nestled in this majestic sequoia cathedral. Nestled in the bosom of the Quaker community is the beautiful Alicia Chadwick (Eve Miller) (the dvd biography on Miller tells us she was a Playmate of the Month a couple years after THE BIG TREES was released.)
Love trumps Greed and, the last time I looked, Beauty is batting 1.000 against the Beast. Fallon doesn't stand a chance, but before this movie loses all momentum and devolves into a group tree-hug a second group of lumber hungry sociopaths make their presence felt.
It's about then that THE BIG TREES took a big turn and morphed into a Starched Shirt western. Characters chop down trees and wrestle the bad guy on a shaky rope bridge spanning a deep gorge and then show up in the next scene in a spotlessly clean starched shirt. The last half of this movie is corny and formulaic, and betrays the promising start.
Still and all THE BIG TREES is entertaining, well-acted, and good looking.
The movie opens in Wisconsin where Fallon is facing down a growling work crew. The pay is late, again, and the men have just about had it. Drawing on his deep well of nerve and blarney and charm, as well as a well-timed gunshot from soon-to-be sidekick `Yukon' Burns (Edgar Buchanan), Fallon not only avoids a bloody mutiny but he even manages to talk the crew into migrating to California where, seemingly, money does indeed grow on trees.
So far so good. THE BIG TREES might be a cut above. The first scene in California (the movie was filmed in Orlick) has Fallon and Yukon measuring the diameter of a giant redwood. It measures out at twenty-eight feet, and the scene is only slightly jarred by the shadow of the camera and boom during this attractive tracking shot.
The hitch in Fallon's plans take the form of Friends, or Quakers, who regard the ancient redwoods as sacred objects. They hold their religious services outdoors, nestled in this majestic sequoia cathedral. Nestled in the bosom of the Quaker community is the beautiful Alicia Chadwick (Eve Miller) (the dvd biography on Miller tells us she was a Playmate of the Month a couple years after THE BIG TREES was released.)
Love trumps Greed and, the last time I looked, Beauty is batting 1.000 against the Beast. Fallon doesn't stand a chance, but before this movie loses all momentum and devolves into a group tree-hug a second group of lumber hungry sociopaths make their presence felt.
It's about then that THE BIG TREES took a big turn and morphed into a Starched Shirt western. Characters chop down trees and wrestle the bad guy on a shaky rope bridge spanning a deep gorge and then show up in the next scene in a spotlessly clean starched shirt. The last half of this movie is corny and formulaic, and betrays the promising start.
Still and all THE BIG TREES is entertaining, well-acted, and good looking.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The Big Trees"(1952), Stars Kirk Douglas, as a lumberman intent on claiming ownership and cutting down the beautiful Redwood trees in Northern, California. His oppostion are a group of Quakers who feel that God gave them those trees for their church and do everything in their power to protect the trees from the money hungry businessman! The most outspoken of the group is of course a beautiful woman(Eve Miller), that Douglas falls for, and must decide between the trees and her. Also look for notables Edgar Buchanan as "Yukon", Allen Hale Jr., and Miss Ellen Corby. This one, by BCI Eclipse looks great on the DVD. The original technicolor is beautiful,the picture is clear and the sound quality is very good.
This film is perfect for fans of Kirk Douglas and westerns.You really can't go wrong for the price. And for just a few dollars more, you can also get it in a great set that BCI has put together called "Legends of the West". It's a two disc set with four films(one on each side) and includes this one, the wonderful "One Eyed Jacks" starring Marlon Brando and Karl Malden(also happens to be directed by Brando),"The Sundowners"(1950) with Robert Preston, Robert Sterling and John Barrymore Jr, and "Vegeance Valley" starring Burt Lancaster and Robert Walker.
Kirk Douglas Fans - check out his open, honest and funny memoir:The Ragman's Son
Happy Trails.....Laurie
This film is perfect for fans of Kirk Douglas and westerns.You really can't go wrong for the price. And for just a few dollars more, you can also get it in a great set that BCI has put together called "Legends of the West". It's a two disc set with four films(one on each side) and includes this one, the wonderful "One Eyed Jacks" starring Marlon Brando and Karl Malden(also happens to be directed by Brando),"The Sundowners"(1950) with Robert Preston, Robert Sterling and John Barrymore Jr, and "Vegeance Valley" starring Burt Lancaster and Robert Walker.
Kirk Douglas Fans - check out his open, honest and funny memoir:The Ragman's Son
Happy Trails.....Laurie
Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Big Trees
The Big Trees with Kirk Douglas is really a great movie. It has a lot of action and is fun to watch. Kirk Douglas is one of my favorites of the classic movies. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Ronald W. Wagner
The Bit Tree's
Kirk plays a great part and this is a fine movie everybody should buy this movie
Published 20 months ago by Joseph R. Seals
Good old Kirk...good or bad...he's always fun to watch
Kirk Douglas is a real actor considering the crap we get these days that dont
like to get dirty and please not too physical...they might break a nail. Read more
like to get dirty and please not too physical...they might break a nail. Read more
Published on December 4, 2009 by Andre Villemaire
Great Film
Kirk Douglas works with wood and wants to make money quick by grabbing land in California and cutting the giant and very old trees. Read more
Published on January 21, 2009 by Jenny Goodrich
Pretty good Kirk Douglas western.
CONTAINS SPOILERS
"The Big Trees" is a western mystery starring Kirk Douglas and Edgar Buchanan. Read more
"The Big Trees" is a western mystery starring Kirk Douglas and Edgar Buchanan. Read more
Published on June 15, 2005 by J. Connor
Just fun to watch
No, this film wasn't a masterpiece, but there weren't a lot of films made in 1952 that *were* masterpieces by most standards. Read more
Published on January 10, 2005 by L. Harris
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