Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Excellent but underrated film

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

I enjoyed this movie. I would rate it a 7.5 if the rating scale allowed. Director Howard Hawks has quite a varied filmography: comedies like Bringing up baby, westerns like Rio Bravo, noirs like the Big Sleep. And add adventures like this one to his credit. I wish it was done in color! It would have been fitting for it's beautiful setting. I know many of the scenes were shot on a sound stage but the panoramic scenery shots would have sparkled in color.Kirk Douglas rarely gave a bad performance and this is no exception. It might not be Oscar worthy but he is convincing with his natural virility and famous on screen magnetism. His sidekick Arthur Hunnicut adds his endearing quality to the film as he usually does. It's also fun to see Jim Davis before his Dallas days as well as Dewey Martin (The thing from another world, The longest day) and Paul Frees (countless movie voice overs).Although not my favorite adventure film, the story is believable and without any serious gaps. It's simple but includes some humor and added character development. Just a bit on the long side, it's a pleasant 140 minute diversion.

There are elements to this movie which are classic. The obvious location shooting shows up in a lot of scenes which enhances the experience even though the film is black and white. The actors carry the film as it tells several stories in the characters and has a lot of social interaction. This is one of the very few Western films made where fighting Indians is not the central theme.What tends to make it lack classic status is the fact the film really has not been preserved very well judging from the TCM showing I have been watching. There are some scenes and dialogs which are much rougher than the original film was. What really shows up in this film is the lack of money RKO had for pictures at this point.This top notch cast and great director do a great job putting something very watchable on film but the budget for the film is obviously very thin as you can tell watching the film. Kirk Douglas account addresses this as he mentions loving doing this movie in spite of spending more than 2 weeks tent camping.The lack of money for a long feature contributes to the fact this one was shot in black and white in an era where color had taken over for films like this. RKO cut an extra 20 minutes off the film, because they were out of money and afraid that the longer movie would be so long it would not sell tickets.Still, because of the locations and acting, this movie commands attention from viewers. It is a shame it was made on a shoe string which shows very obviously in the finished product.

While not exactly a "Western" film (actually more of an "Americana" movie, it has been one of my favorites since I saw it during its original theatrical release. It is one of those rare films in which everything comes together perfectly. The actors, the story, the scenery, the photography, the music...everything as it should always be (but seldom is) in a film experience. If it has one flaw, it is that it wasn't longer. I enjoyed it so much that I ran out & bought the novel. I wish I hadn't though, as Dewey Martin's character in the book was an evil, murdering psychopath who killed Jim Deakins & his wife & damn near everyone else he ever met. A case of the movie being 100 times better than the novel.

One of my favorites along side "The Bridge On The River Kwai". AMC had found some missing footage which surprised me a good while back. Too bad it and other scenes had been clipped, and it would be good to see it all sometime. No one mentions the scene where the Mandan is tied to the bank on a rest stop. The Frenchmen dance to the accordion. And "smack!!" an arrow lands, without computer enhancement, in the side of the Frenchman La Badie's neck played by Henri Letondal That was great archery from Howard Hill I bet! Slow it down a watch in slow motion! All the actors were born for "The Big Sky". The Tiomkin music score was superb. A Howard Hawks/Kirk Douglas/ Arthur "Arkansas" Hunnicutt/ Dewey Martin/ Elizabeth Threat/ Jim Davis/ Steven Geray movie for the ages. Oh, and not to forget Hank Worden as Poordevil,..Eee? Eeh! Heh!,....Heh!....Heh!,..Eeh!! Ever see a raven fly backwards? It's in the AMC added clip. Great movie recommended for all ages! Nice to read all the comments here!