The Big Trees is a 1952 American lumberjack Western film directed by Felix E. Feist and starring Kirk Douglas.
The film is set in 1900 and follows Jim Fallon, a greedy timber baron who seeks to exploit the sequoia forest in northern California. The land is already settled by a Quaker colonist group led by Elder Bixby, who have a spiritual connection with the redwoods and refuse to log them.
Jim becomes infatuated with Bixby's daughter, Alicia, but his plan to cheat the homesteaders is thwarted by his right-hand man, Yukon Burns, who changes sides and leads the locals in resisting Jim. The film features a dramatic change of heart for Jim, who ultimately marries Alicia and settles down. The story is a classic tale of greed, redemption, and the clash between progress and preservation.
The film features a talented cast, including Kirk Douglas, Eve Miller, Patrice Wymore, Edgar Buchanan, John Archer, Alan Hale Jr., Roy Roberts, Charles Meredith, Harry Cording, Ellen Corby, Duke Watson, Lane Chandler, Elizabeth Slifer, Lilian Bond, Michael McHale, and William Challee. The cinematography by Bert Glennon and editing by Clarence Kolster effectively capture the beauty of the sequoia forest and the drama of the story. The music by Heinz Roemheld adds to the film's sense of adventure and romance.
The Big Trees received mixed reviews from critics, with *The New York Times* calling it a "stormy and sometimes silly saga" based on a script "not terribly far removed from the Warners' *Valley of the Giants*." Kirk Douglas himself recommended skipping this film in his filmography, along with *Along the Great Divide*. Despite this, the film has become a cult classic and is still enjoyed by fans of Westerns and adventure films.
The film has fallen into the public domain and is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive. It can also be streamed on YouTube and other platforms. Overall, The Big Trees is a classic Western film that offers a mix of action, romance, and drama, with a strong performance from Kirk Douglas and a memorable setting in the sequoia forest.