MovieChat Forums > Sometimes a Great Notion (1972) Discussion > Book about the filming of 'Notion'

Book about the filming of 'Notion'


I just finished reading a book about the filming of "Notion" called "Sometimes a Great Movie" by Matt Love. It can be ordered from Powell Books online. He is a writer from Oregon who interviewed many of the locals who were involved in making it. He did some excellent research on how the film was made and what went on.

There are dozens of photos from the sets you won't find anywhere else. The Stamper house was built for the film and is still standing today, in fact supposedly you can rent it. It was built as a shell without a foundation but there were some interiors set up inside. It remains largely intact and hasn't been modified much at all other than the owners building a proper foundation. It can be seen from a highway across the water.

Oddly the author was not a fan of the film as he reveals in the final chapter. He prefers the Kesey novel as others have mentioned. I can't agree with him on that. I liked the more straightforward narrative in the film. Apparently the book focuses more on Hank's marriage and the affair between Hank's wife and Leeland. I could care less about that myself.

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Apparently? If you enjoyed the movie and the book about the movie you've got to read the novel. It was superior to Cuckoos Nest, which I admit may have been a better movie. The expansiveness of Notion, the novel, made it difficult to truncate into a palatable movie but this crew did as well as they could. Thanks for the tip...

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Got sold the book in the Lincoln City OR Visitor's Information Center.

How could I not buy it after making a cross-country trek just to - finally - see
the Stamper River House.

Multi-decade desire fulfilled and getting regaled by the 2 visitor center volunteers
was almost as much fun as driving the rental car down to the Stiletz River itself after.

House still there in all its glory but the boathose/pier across from it is gone. Oh well
seeing the house there across the river WAS truly a BLAST.

PS- Spent 4 days in Portland misty rain the entire time but for the 2 hours I was on the coast the sun was shining. Was just beautiful to see & experience. Highly recommended to any who might consider so ...

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I had no idea there was a book about the filming. Thanks for the information!

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Sad there's a book about the movie, but no DVD




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