Bluebell Alcock
Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies
Asad Almond
A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.
Beulah Bram
A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
jazerbini
Spencer's Mountain is one of my favorite movies. Maybe because it was filmed in an era that still cultivated certain values and perhaps because it is set in one place - in the vicinity of Jackson Hole - WY, which has a special meaning for me. There were filmed, among others, Jubal (also Delmer Daves) and Shane (George Stevens. The film is an amazing simplicity. Shows the simple life of a family within the Wyoming, with magnificent interpretations of the stakeholder group. Fonda and Maureen O'Hara dispenses reviews but James MacArthur repeats here his remarkable performance in "Third Man on the Mountain", another unforgettable film. The story, as everyone knows, was used for the series "The Waltons", years later and that was a huge success on TV. It is a film to always review.
ma-cortes
Fun and wholesome story about a Wyoming landowner called Clay Spencer (Henry Fonda) , he is a hard-working man who loves his wife (Mauren O'Hara) and large family. Clay abhorring religion , though allows his wife to raise the children as Christians and keeps promising to build another family house . Spencer runs a loving and attractive family and the kids long for a permanent home . Clay is respected by his neighbors and always ready to give them a helping hand . Meanwhile , his son Clayboy wants to go at University , and the schoolteacher impresses upon Clayboy the following phrase, "The world steps aside to let a man pass, if he knows where he is going" . Problems start when the misfit kiddies join themselves as the free spirits and the undisciplined preppies, along with troubled Clayboy (James MacArthur) who falls in love with Claris Coleman (Mimsy Farmer) . There are various family crisis but it is all very heartwarming . Henry Fonda's entertaining vehicle with young people and agreeable actors . The film deals with a happy family , the father is a notorious handy man and the mother is a brilliant housewife . Charming tale though stuck with average screenplay based on the Earl Hamner Jr novel . Henry Fonda and Mauren O'Hara ought to keep the familiar order involving in their own home while at the same time occupy the works . Nice work by filmmaker Delmer Daves in demonstrating his skill at all areas : as technical , using all kind of resources for illustrating the interesting as well as enjoyable story with an engaging screenplay , adding great actors , professional filmmaking and correct narration , including his characteristic use of landscape .The picture is pretty entertaining and amusing , the film contains bemusing scenes , zany shenanigans , continuous laughters and various chuckles with lots of fun . Humanity and humor are high in the priorities of the director Delmer Daves who shows a considerable talent recapturing funny situations . Fine settings and adequate local colour , in fact , many locals of Jackson Hole, Wyoming were used as extras for scenes in the movie , such as the graduation of Clayboy . The picture belongs to family sub-genre whose maxim representation is ¨Cheaper by dozen ¨ with Myrna Loy and Clifton Webb and a modern version starred by Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt ; ¨Yours , mine and ours¨ also starred by Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball, being recently remade (2005) by Raja Gosnell with Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo . Formidable main cast , very well featured by Henry Fonda and Mauren O'Hara . Secondary cast is frankly good such as Virginia Gregg as Miss Parker , Whit Bissell as Dr. Campbell , Hayden Rorke as Colonel Coleman , Dub Taylor as Percy Cook , Mike Henry ¨Tarzan¨ as Spencer Brother and Victor French of "Little House on the Prairie" as Brother . And film debut of Barbara McNair and final film of Donald Crisp. Besides , there appears as sons ,some young actors who will have an acceptable career as TV or cinema stars such as Verónica Cartwright of ¨Alien¨. Director Delmer Daves' granddaughter, Michele Daves, made her only film appearance to date in this movie, appearing as the youngest Spencer child, baby Donnie . Maureen O'Hara's real-life daughter, Bronwyn FitzSimons, plays the part of the college dean's secretary. Colorful as well as evocative cinematography by Charles Lawton Jr filmed on location in Grand Teton National Park, Moose, Wyoming, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Raymond , California . Rousing and lively musical score by the classical composer Max Steiner .The motion picture was well directed by Delmer Daves , though results to be excessively maudlin . His films have a special penchant for recapturing a particular atmosphere , many of this movies are about real people but they remain muted in impact . He was a notorious screenwriter , but Daves was especially a expert on Western genre , for the reason he lived a long time of his boyhood with the Navajo and Hopi Indian tribes as he realized the notorious trail-blazing ¨Broken arrow¨ the first movie for many years not treat the Indians as cannon-fodder for the cavalry , which made the picture unpopular in some quarters . He went on directing the suspenseful ¨3:10 to Yuma¨, other pro-Indian as ¨The last wagon¨ and about Modoc Indians as ¨Drum beat¨ , the Shakespearian style of ¨Jubal¨ , ¨Return of the Texan¨ and ¨Cowboy¨ which a fairly spectacle about a long cattle drive . He also realized Noir films such as ¨Dark passage¨ and ¨The red House¨ that is absolutely recommended . From 1959 Delmer Daves becomes embroiled for the remainder of his career with teenage love epics and very popular at the Box-office as ¨A summer place¨, ¨Parrish¨, ¨Susan Slade¨, and ¨Rome adventure¨, and family movies such as ¨The Spencer's mountain¨ . Worthwhile seeing .
moonspinner55
Quarry employee Henry Fonda, living on a cows-and-chickens estate in Wyoming with his wife and nine children, works on building the couple's dream home in the hills while also trying to get his book-learnin' eldest son into college. Sudsy adaptation of Earl Hamner Jr.'s thinly-disguised memoir, which led in due course to TV's "The Waltons", is full of now-familiar elements: the whiskey-sippin' grandpa, the gaggle of young 'uns who bathe together in one tub, the fiery-tempered Mrs. (Maureen O'Hara, giving us nothing new) who asks her husband to work overtime so she can buy her son a graduation ring, the funeral which brings all the scattered relatives together. Given a pictorial sheen by writer-director Delmer Daves and his team of cinematographers, this location-rich drama is so well-intentioned that it becomes rather turgid. James MacArthur seems a tad mature to be just coming-of-age and noticing girls, though Daves feasts on his creamy skin and masculinity--the only instance where the director gets some sensuality going (it sure isn't there between the adults). "The Waltons" usually managed to add a dash of vinegar to its mix of homilies and cracker-barrel wisdom; here, when papa Fonda explains sex to son MacArthur by saying, "Just remember, you ain't no bull and she ain't no cow," the incredulous will not be won over. ** from ****
Karl Ericsson
Big families, beautiful surroundings and everybody honest and good. Not a business-man or banker anywhere. People building houses and doing other honest work. Families sticking together without excluding other families - in fact, everybody members of one big happy family. Accidents and deaths, yes but not by villains or exploiters. One for all and all for one. There is an owner of a mill but he is, at least seemingly, not taking more than his fair share. In other words, by today's measure, this is a fairy-tale and more so than anything Grimm or Andersen ever dreamed up.In fact, what is described here is an anarchist society, which so far has never been but, as the film shows, might very well be. OK, it's not quite an anarchist society - there is still an outside world of "bettering oneself" and having "victory and honor" but this is in the periphery and it is easy to imagine studies and other things being incorporated in the core society described here.The people are free and independent and the work they do in the mill could easily be seen as community work for which they receive medical attention, education and infra-structure.Yes, this is surely not the USA but somehow I believe that many Americans are mad enough to believe so.Towards the end of the film the actual USA moves in a little and this review is only valid for the first 106 minutes and not for the last 12 minutes. Let's forget about these last 12 minutes and let's try to make these first minutes come true. It's about time.
