The Big Trees is a 1952 Western film starring
Kirk Douglas and directed by Felix E. Feist.
It was Kirk Douglas's final film for Warner Brothers,
a film he did for free in exchange for the studio agreeing
to release him from his long-term contract.
The film has fallen into the public domain.
Douglas plays a greedy timber baron who seeks to exploit the Sequoia forest,
while facing the protest of the Quaker colonists.
User Review
Western tycoon tall tale
15 July 2006 | by djensen1 (northern Indiana)
QuoteDisplay MoreOkay western tells the tale of Kirk Douglas as a would-be lumber baron with more charm than business savvy. Not as good as it could have been with a little sharper direction, but the dialog has some spark and Douglas shines like a new penny when he smiles.
He gets adequate support from the usual suspects, with Patrice Wymore particularly good as his dance hall prostitute girlfriend. Eve Miller as the real love interest is a bit flat by comparison, even granted that she's stuck in the role of a holy roller trying to protect California's giant redwoods.
The plot manages to get genuinely clever at times, with the local judge conspiring to help the Quakers foil Douglas's lumber scheme, Douglas scheming right back, and then the whole thing going topsy-turvy. Still, something is missing (and the faded print I saw didn't help) but the ending goes big to try to save it and nearly succeeds. Worth the time for fans of Douglas, but not a must-see title.