The Big Trees

Starring:Kirk Douglas, Eve Miller, Patrice Wymore, Edgar Buchanan, John Archer, Alan Hale Jr., Roy Roberts, Charles Meredith, Harry Cording, Ellen Corby, Lester Sharpe, Frank Hagney, Art Millan, Iris Adrian, Elizabeth Slifer, Lilian Bond, William Challee, Michael McHale, Bill McLean, Kathy Marlowe
Director: Felix E. Feist
Studio: ROAN
Product Type: DVD

Description

Douglas is an ambitious lumberman who wants to make a fortune from the Redwood Forest by pushing a religious sect off of their land. His many adventures include organizing the religious sect to take action and leading them against their enemies as well as saving a heroine from a runaway train.

Customer Reviews:

Pretty good Kirk Douglas western. .......2005-06-16

CONTAINS SPOILERS
"The Big Trees" is a western mystery starring Kirk Douglas and Edgar Buchanan. It concerns conflicts between two warring factions: the environmentalists and the conservationsist profiteers. Kirk Douglas plays a mine leader who's objective is to make use of California's Redwood Trees for his company's profits. A Quaker group attempts to prevent these trees from being destroyed. That is the conflict for half of the movie. However, problems start to get far more complex as the film moves on. The conflicts erupts into full scale when an innocent priest is crushed to death by a falling redwood. Then, members of Kirk Douglas' rival company gun down and murder his pal "Lucky" (Edgar Buchanan) in cold blood. He then ponders over changing his greedy ways. He also battles the bad guys in a climactic showdown and emerges a victorious and reformed man. Overall an action packed and enjoyable film.
It has already been said by another reviewer that there are six DVD versions of the film available. I purchased the Vina Distributor $1.99 disc and found the quality to be adequate. However, I have heard that the Roan Group edition DVD ($14.99) quality is far from impressive. There is no point in spending a fortune on a DVD that is expensive and bad quality. I highly recommend that you search for the inexpensive Vina edition and buy that. Happy viewing!

Just fun to watch.......2005-01-11

No, this film wasn't a masterpiece, but there weren't a lot of films made in 1952 that *were* masterpieces by most standards. This struck me as a standard sort of western for those days, and it was fine in that context. I like Kirk Douglas and this was a Kirk Douglas film, and I like Edgar Buchanan as well. Was it predictable? Sure. No one really thinks Kirk Douglas will *stay* bad, does he? Were there any intriguing plot twists? No, but enough minor ones to keep me interested. But enjoyed it, and that's all I wanted from it. The one thing I don't understand is why there have been six releases of this on DVD.

Where's my chainsaw?.......2004-08-20

As other reviewers have pointed out, "The Big Trees" is no masterpiece. Some elements of "Angel & the Badman" are there, like a bad guy being reformed by an inocent Quaker girl, but this "tree-hugging hippie crap"(as Eric Cartman would say) just never connects with the audience (unless you're stoned). Forget the dvd cover with Kirk Douglas, the real star is the trees. Before I bought this movie I read about the plot but figured surely it was worth the low cost. Well, I have mixed feelings about it. The movie was pretty horrible, but I had a lot of fun watching it with my family because we took turns making fun of the cheesy dialogue! In my opinion Kirk Douglas never gave a bad performance & he's the only reason I gave this 2 stars. I guess he was desperate for money at the time. Overall, I think this is a fun way to spend a rainy afternoon with your friends, just for the unintentional humor of the whole movie!

You like me, don't you?.......2004-06-01

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.

Action and Romance Among The Redwoods..........2004-03-22

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.

Product Description

Kirk Douglas, Eve Miller, Laraine Day, Keenan Wynn. Douglas is a tough California lumberjack who is not the only one who wants to get the land belonging to a religious sectthat is, until he falls in love with one of the zealots in Big Trees (1952/color/89 min.). In My Dear Secretary (1948/b&w/94 min.), the secretary to a successful novelist falls in love with him, marries him and settles down at home to writeuntil egos start clashing when her work is more sought after than his. NR.

Average customer rating:

Pretty good Kirk Douglas western.
Just fun to watch
Where's my chainsaw?
You like me, don't you?
Action and Romance Among The Redwoods...

Big Trees
Starring: Kirk Douglas , Eve Miller , Patrice Wymore , Edgar Buchanan , and John Archer
Director: Felix E. Feist
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Customer Reviews:

Pretty good Kirk Douglas western. .......2005-06-16

Just fun to watch.......2005-01-11

Where's my chainsaw?.......2004-08-20

You like me, don't you?.......2004-06-01

Action and Romance Among The Redwoods..........2004-03-22

Customer Reviews:

Wartime Romantic Farce Salvaged By Capable Actors In Addition To Good Production Values........2006-06-17

Director Andrew Stone is considered by some cinéastes as an auteur predicated upon his later work, but this frothy piece, originally titled BEDSIDE MANNER, is an example made during his earlier period, now available on an Alpha DVD that provides a more than merely acceptable print, utilizing the film's 1950 re-release, titled anew as HER FAVORITE PATIENT under the banner of Astor Pictures, with its rather disjointed plot, after Robert Carson's Saturday Evening Post story, offset by solid performances contributed by cast and crew members. Produced and directed by Stone, the movie is too silly to be dislikeable, depicting a visit to her Midwestern hometown by physician Hedy Fredericks (Ruth Hussey) while on the way to her research position with a Chicago institute. Her uncle, also a doctor, one of only two serving the burgeoning community, is overworked and desires that his niece remain in the town and aid with his practice, but Hedy is very resistant to that idea until her resolve is weakened after she meets a dashing test pilot, Morgan Hale (John Carroll) who, along with her "Uncle Doc" (Charles Ruggles) develop a scheme that, by hopefully eliminating any desire to continue on to Chicago, will enable Hedy to not only assume a portion of local medical responsibilities, but also to favour Morgan's not unwelcome romantic advances. Talented Hussey finds naught to tax her accomplished sense of comic timing, and costumes created for the slender star are first rate; Carroll is oddly appealing in an uncustomary comedic role; Ann Rutherford and Renee Godfrey stand out among many skilled supporting female players; Grant Mitchell effortlessly performs as Hale's boss; veteran character actor Frank Jenks heads a trio of amourous Marines; and pleasing turns come from Syd Saylor, mouthing bromides, and Earle Hodgins, a past master of garrulity. Efficient editing by Cecil De Mille alumnus James Smith is specially valuable for the film's pacing, as is fine sound quality engendered by Frank Webster, while the interior decor of Jacque Mapes and overall art direction under Rudi Feld also enhance this pleasant soufflé wherein occasional weakly composed dialogue is handled crisply by director Stone.

Average customer rating:

Nostalgia

The Fabulous Dorseys
Starring: Sara Allgood , William Bakewell , Janet Blair , Ann Carter , and Edward Clark
Director: Alfred E. Green
Manufacturer: Genius Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000226AKK
Release Date: 2004-01-01

Product Description

The rise of the Dorsey brothers is charted in this whimsical walk down memory lane. Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey appear as themselves in this film. As children their Father encouraged their musical talents, and they eventually were considered among the best bandleaders of the swing era.

Customer Reviews:

Nostalgia.......2004-09-01

I remember watching this movie as a child at my grandparent's house.
I loved the music. The acting was so-so but let's face it. The Dorsey's are not known as actors.
The premise of the movie is quite believable and the music is so typical of the 40's. I love all the movies from that decade.
It's just a good film. Enjoyable and will leave you with a smile on your face. A far cry from today's horrible and violent films. They don't make them like this any more and they should.
If you get to see it, just sit back and enjoy.

The Big Trees DVD Starring Kirk Douglass

Average customer rating:

The Big Trees DVD Starring Kirk Douglass

Manufacturer: Genius Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Product Description

Unscrupulous lumberjack plans to make millions from California redwoods on land owned by the Quakers. An even nastier group is out to claim the sect's territory. The lumberjack's greed is tempered by the love of a pious lady played by Eva Miller. Will love be strong enough to change his devious and manipulative nature?

My Favorite Brunette; Beyond Tomorrow; The Big Trees; and Pardon My Pups 4 in 1 Family Classics Matinee Marathon

Average customer rating:

4 Classic Movies!

My Favorite Brunette; Beyond Tomorrow; The Big Trees; and Pardon My Pups 4 in 1 Family Classics Matinee Marathon
Starring: Bob Hope , Shirley Temple , and Kirk Douglas
Manufacturer: Digital 1 Stop
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002B5598
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Customer Reviews:

4 Classic Movies!.......2005-12-05

This is a 4 in 1 pack; My Favorite Brunette, Pardon My Pups (Shirley Temple), The Big Trees, and best of all Beyond Tomorrow. Decent transfers, good sound.

Average customer rating:

The Master Touch/The Big Trees

Manufacturer: Diamond Ent. Corp.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000244G40
Release Date: 2004-05-18

Average customer rating:

Pretty good Kirk Douglas western.
Just fun to watch
Where's my chainsaw?
You like me, don't you?
Action and Romance Among The Redwoods...

The Big Trees
Starring: Kirk Douglas , Eve Miller , Patrice Wymore , Edgar Buchanan , and John Archer
Director: Felix E. Feist
Manufacturer: St Clair Vision
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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