Review of The Big Sky (1952) by Ken T — 14 Jun 2009

The Belcourt, the local independent and classic theater, mentioned in their advertising for this how rare it was, especially to have in a print. Having seen it, I think I understand why. The Big Sky is an almost spectacularly dull film; it's as if it goes out of its way to avoid scenes in which anything interesting happens (at one point, it starts into an action sequence only to cut away to a scene of men cooking), and constantly reminds us of the slow flow of time.

Coming from an arthouse director, this might work, but coming from someone like Hawks, who's a blockbuster man, the result is just interminable, especially at 140 minutes long. There's some interesting bits here, especially with the many different languages spoken - it's nice to see a classic Western that lets the French speak in their own language, let alone the Native Americans.

And, yes, there's a more realistic, less good/evil take on the relationship with the Native Americans. But none of that makes up for a film that drags on and on, ultimately feeling like it goes nowhere and takes the dullest route to get there.