THE BIG SKY
Country: USA
Year: 1952
Duration: 122'


Two friends, Jim and Boone, and Boone's old uncle, the hunter Zeb, take a long river trip on a boat belonging to French fur traders, lead by Jourdonnais. They cross the region of the great lakes to reach an Indian settlement where they plan to stock up on furs and try to break the monopoly of an arrogant company. They bring an Indian princess, Duck Eye, with them as a hostage and a guarantee of being well received. Despite the tricks and pitfalls the fur company has set for them, and despite the hostile Indians they have stirred up (who will be neutralized when the provokers are unmasked), Jim and Boone manage to arrive at the Indian settlement. During the trip, both of them have fallen in love with Duck Eye, who in turn loves Boone. Boone, though, doesn't want to stay and live with the Indians. He decides to leave, to the girl's sadness. Only Jim's generous intercession manages to make Boone change his mind.

Biography

film director

Howard Hawks

University and moved to Los Angeles, where he entered the world of cinema as a prop master at the Famous Players-Lasky. Hired by Paramount in 1922 as a screenwriter, he debuted in directing at Fox in 1926 and had his first big success thanks to the producer Howard Hughes, who chose him to direct Scarface, Shame of the Nation (1932). One of the top directors during the golden age of Hollywood, he was famous for his eclectic genres and masterly use of the classic style, alternating comedies (Bring Up Baby, 1938; I Was a Male War Bride, 1949), noir (The Big Sleep, 1946), Westerns (Red River, 1948, Rio Bravo, 1959), war movies (Air Force, 1943), and musicals (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1953). He received an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1975.

FILMOGRAFIA

The Road to Glory (Bolidi in corsa, 1926), Fig Leaves (Le disgrazie di Adamo, 1926), The Cradle Snatchers (Amanti per burla, 1927), Paid to Love (Passione di principe, 1927), Fazil (Oasi dell’amore, 1928), A Girl in Every Port (Capitan Barbablù, 1928), The Air Circus (La via delle stelle, 1928), Trent’s Last Case (L’affare Manderson, 1929), The Dawn Patrol (La squadriglia dell’aurora, 1930), The Criminal Code (Codice penale, 1931), The Crowd Roars (L’urlo della folla, 1932), Scarface, Shame of the Nation (Scarface - Lo sfregiato, 1932), Tiger Shark (Le tigri del Pacifico, 1932), Today We Live (Rivalità eroica, 1933), The Prizefighter and the Lady (L’idolo delle donne, 1933), Viva Villa! (id., 1934), Twentieth Century (Ventesimo secolo, 1934), Barbary Coast (La costa dei barbari, 1935), Ceiling Zero (Brume, 1936), The Road to Glory (Le vie della gloria, 1936), Come and Get It (Ambizione, 1936), Bringing Up Baby (Susanna!, 1938), Only Angels Have Wings (Avventurieri dell’aria, 1939), His Girl Friday (La signora del venerdì, 1940), The Outlaw (Il mio corpo ti scalderà, 1941), Sergeant York (Il sergente York, 1941), Ball of Fire (Colpo di fulmine, 1941), Air Force (Arcipelago in fiamme, 1943), To Have and Have Not (Acque del sud, 1944), The Big Sleep (Il grande sonno, 1946), Red River (Il fiume rosso, 1948), A Song Is Born (Venere e il professore, 1948), I Was a Male War Bride (Ero uno sposo di guerra, 1949), The Thing from Another World (La cosa da un altro mondo, 1951), The Big Sky (Il grande cielo, 1952), O. Henry’s Full House (La giostra umana, 1952), Monkey Business (Il magnifico scherzo, 1952), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Gli uomini preferiscono le bionde, 1953), Land of the Pharaohs (La regina delle piramidi, 1955), Rio Bravo (Un dollaro d’onore, 1959), Hatari! (id., 1962), Man’s Favorite Sport? (Lo sport preferito dall’uomo, 1964), Red Line 7000 (Linea rossa 7000, 1965), El Dorado (id., 1966), Rio Lobo (id., 1970).

Cast

& Credits

Director: Howard Hawks.
Plot: dal romanzo di Alfred Bertram Guthrie, jr.
Screenplay: Dudley Nichols.
Director of photography: Russell Harlan.
Costume designer: Dorothy Jenkinns.
Art director: Darrell Silvera e William Stevens.
Music: Dimitri Tiomkin.
Editor: Christian Niby.
Cast and characters: Kirk Douglas (Jim Deakins), Dewey Martin (Boone Caudill), Elizabeth Threatt (Occhio d'anatra), Arthur Hunnicut (Zeb Calloway), Buddy Bear (Romaine), Stevens Geray (Jourdonnais), Hank Worden (Pelle e ossa), Jim Deavis (Streak), Henry Letondal (Labadie), Robert Hunter (Chouquette), Booth Coleman (Pascal).
Producer: Howard Hawks.
Production company: Winchester Productions.
Italian distribution: RKO.
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