The Big Country (1958)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

Donald Hamilton (novel)
Jessamyn West (adaptation) ...
(more)

Release Date:

1 October 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Western

Tagline:

Big they fought! Big they loved! Big their story!

Plot:

A New Englander arrives in the Old West, where he becomes embroiled in a feud between two families over a valuable patch of land.

Plot Keywords:

Sea Captain | Ranch | Cattle | Beautiful Woman | Water Rights

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Gregory Peck	...	James McKay
Jean Simmons	...	Julie Maragon
Carroll Baker	...	Patricia Terrill
Charlton Heston	...	Steve Leech
Burl Ives	...	Rufus Hannassey
Charles Bickford	...	Maj. Henry Terrill
Alfonso Bedoya	...	Ramón Guiteras
Chuck Connors	...	Buck Hannassey
Chuck Hayward	...	Rafe Hannassey
Buff Brady	...	Dude Hannassey
Jim Burk	...	Blackie / Cracker Hannassey
Dorothy Adams	...	Hannassey woman
Chuck Roberson	...	Terrill cowboy
Bob Morgan	...	Terrill cowboy
John McKee	...	Terrill cowboy
Slim Talbot	...	Terrill cowboy (as Jay Slim Talbot)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Alexander	...	Party guest (Oceans) (uncredited)
Harry Cheshire	...	Party guest (uncredited)
Jay W. Jensen	...	Cowboy (uncredited)
Donald Kerr	...	Liveryman (uncredited)
Carey Paul Peck	...	Boy (uncredited)
Jonathan Peck	...	Boy (uncredited)
Stephen Peck	...	Boy (uncredited)
Ralph Sanford	...	Party guest (uncredited)

Directed by
William Wyler

Writing credits
Donald Hamilton		(novel)
Jessamyn West		(adaptation) &
Robert Wyler		(adaptation)
James R. Webb		(screenplay) &
Sy Bartlett		(screenplay) and
Robert Wilder		(screenplay)

Produced by
Gregory Peck	....	producer
Robert Wyler	....	associate producer
William Wyler	....	producer

Original Music by
Jerome Moross

Cinematography by
Franz Planer		(director of photography) (as Franz F. Planer)

Film Editing by
Robert Belcher
John Faure

Casting by
Dorothy Whitney

Art Direction by
Frank Hotaling

Set Decoration by
Edward G. Boyle

Costume Design by
Emile Santiago
Yvonne Wood

Makeup Department
Dan Greenway	....	makeup artist
Harry Maret	....	makeup artist (as Harry Maret Jr.)
Joan St. Oegger	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Tom Andre	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ray Gosnell Jr.	....	second assistant director (as Ray Gosnell)
Henry Hartman	....	assistant director: second unit
Robert Swink	....	second unit director
Ivan Volkman	....	assistant director
John Waters	....	second unit director

Sound Department
Del Harris	....	sound effects editor
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound recordist (as Roger Heman)
John K. Kean	....	sound recordist (as John Kean)

Stunts
Bill Babcock	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jim Burk	....	stunts (uncredited)
Martha Crawford	....	stunt double: Carroll Baker (uncredited)
Martha Crawford	....	stunt double: Jean Simmons (uncredited)
Donna Hall	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hayward	....	stunts (uncredited)
John McKee	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Morgan	....	stunts (uncredited)
Hal Needham	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Wallace Chewning	....	director of photography: second unit

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eddie Armand	....	costumer
Neva Rames	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Robert Swink	....	supervising editor
Hal Ashby	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Lloyd Young	....	music editor
Alexander Courage	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Gil Grau	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Bernard Mayers	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Conrad Salinger	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Saul Bass	....	title designer
Carl P. Benoit	....	location manager
Sam Freedle	....	script supervisor
Clarence Marks	....	assistant: William Wyler

Production Companies

• Anthony Productions
• Worldwide Productions

Distributors

• United Artists (1958) (USA) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1959) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Image Entertainment (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1997) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS) (widescreen)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• ClassicLine (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Continental Home Vídeo (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1962) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Tocantins (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Runtime:

165 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #18972) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Australia:PG | USA:Not Rated (DVD) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Anthony Productions

Trivia:

Gregory Peck and co-star Charlton Heston both played the infamous Nazi war criminal Dr. Josef Mengele: Peck in The Boys from Brazil (1978), Heston in My Father, Rua Alguem 5555 (2003).

Goofs:

Continuity: There are two kinds of mouth pieces cowboys use to handle a horse. In the scene where James McKay keeps on mounting and falling from that horse Thunder, sometimes the horse is using a "bridlle" and sometimes he's using a "brake".

Quotes:

Steve Leech: I don't know that I would wear that hat too long around here, Mr. McKay.
James McKay: Oh, why not?
Steve Leech: Oh, one of these wild cowboys might take it into their head to shoot it off ya.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Simpsons: The Seemingly Never-Ending Story (#17.13)" (2006)

"How Many Times Does A Man Have To Win You?"

The Big Country is one big and fun western with concurrent plot lines. The first is the struggle between two implacable enemies, Charles Bickford and Burl Ives. The second is a four sided romantic triangle involving Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Charlton Heston, and Carroll Baker with Chuck Connors trying to horn in.

William Wyler directed the almost three hour western with a sure hand and your interest does not wane for one minute in this film. Gregory Peck also was a co-producer on this film as well as the first billed. He had a hand in casting a lot of the film, specifically Burl Ives in his Academy Award winning performance as Rufus Hannessy.

It's the Terrills versus the Hannessys. Charles Bickford is the local Ponderosa owner Major Terrill. Presumably the title comes from the Civil War. Bickford does play Terrill with a military bearing. My guess is that he was a Yankee soldier.

The Hannessys would now be called white trash. They look like hillbilly folk who also came west for fame and fortune. They've also got a big spread in a place called Blanco Canyon. They hate the Yankee Major as much as he hates them.

Sitting between them is Jean Simmons who has inherited a modest piece of land that sits across a river that both outfits water their cattle on as per an agreement with her late grandfather. She doesn't work the land herself any more, she teaches school in town.

Simmons tries to keep above the feud. She is friends with Carroll Baker, Charles Bickford's daughter. She's been east and is bringing home a prospective bridegroom who is a former sea captain played by Gregory Peck. That doesn't sit well with Charlton Heston who is the Terrill foreman. He's got eyes on Baker himself and Chuck Connors who is Burl Ives eldest son has eyes for Simmons when he's not in the local bordello.

A lot of started and broken relationships and a few of the cast members being killed occurs in The Big Country. My favorite scene and line in the film is when Burl Ives gives some advice to Chuck Connors on how to woo and win Jean Simmons. His big advice is to show her how much you care by taking a bath occasionally.

Charlton Heston took a role that was fourth billed because he wanted the opportunity to work with William Wyler. That was one great career move because Wyler and he hit it off so well that Wyler signed him for the lead in his next film which turned out to be Ben-Hur. Heston in his memoirs, conservative as he became, says he also got along very well with Gregory Peck who he called a "thinking man's liberal."

Peck and Wyler had worked together previously on Roman Holiday and had done good work there and also hit it off. However with Peck as a co-producer as well as star they had some clashes on the set. One notable one involved Peck wanting to retake the carriage scene where the Hannessy brothers attack Peck and Baker on the way to the Bickford ranch. Peck wasn't satisfied and wanted a retake. Wyler who was legendary for doing scenes dozens of times until he got what he wanted refused. Later when shown the finished film, Wyler had edited out and around what Peck didn't like and it came out OK. They remained friends, but never worked together again.

Simmons as the independent minded school teacher and Baker as the spoiled daddy's little girl acquit themselves well in their roles. Baker is disappointed in Peck not seeing him as her ideal western man and Simmons upbraids her with the quote I put in the review title.

This is also the final film of Alfonso Bedoya who never did get a role in an American film as good as the one he had as Gold Hat in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Still this is a fine farewell performance to a very colorful and talented player.

When he's on the screen Burl Ives dominates and fills it and not just physically either. Rufus Hannessy may not be to the manor born, but he has his own sense of integrity and fair play. All that Burl Ives captured in Rufus and The Big Country is worth watching just for him alone.

And that Jerome Moross score; simply one of the best ever done in the history of film.