The Big Sky
The second film club film is pretty much one I would never have watched if I hadn’t gotten a recommendation for it. As much as I love Howard Hawks for “His Girl Friday” (and a number of other films), he made what feels like uncountably many films. (Actually it’s less than Bergman, but it still feels like a lot.) Heck, Howard Hawks did everything, spanning over 40 years of work.
I don’t typically watch western films, and “The Big Sky” is a good reason why. There are just so damn many clichés in this film. Last time I noticed such a thing was when I saw an Indiana Jones movie and its almost unbearable misogyny. This romanticized wannabe-Indian-understanding view of the world is a little outdated, huh? I cringed when I saw the youngun rolling around in the dirt, fighting with the Indian girl (in fact, an Indian-faced white actress) which is their depiction of a budding romance, and generally the Indians look dirty and kind of dumb. Also they provide women with demure-looking braids, ugh. You can’t fool me with the fierce character they gave to the girl – it’s only there to be subjugated later.
Luckily the film has a bunch of things going for it as well – a brilliant Kirk Douglas who puts on a very charming, winning smile, and Howard Hawks’s great directing and storytelling. Clichés and exaggerated manliness aside, it is a fun, well-executed story and certainly recommendable if you are into Western films. As for me, I think I prefer more updated versions of the genre, like “Meek’s Cutoff”.