The Big Country (1958)

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

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

James R. Webb (screenplay), Sy Bartlett (screenplay)

Stars:

Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Carroll Baker

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Gutierrez
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

Storyline

Retired, wealthy sea Captain Jame McKay arrives in the vast expanse of the West to marry fiancée Pat Terrill. McKay is a man whose values and approach to life are a mystery to the ranchers and ranch foreman Steve Leech takes an immediate dislike to him. Pat is spoiled, selfish and controlled by her wealthy father, Major Henry Terrill. The Major is involved in a ruthless land war, over watering rights for cattle, with a rough hewn clan led by Rufus Hannassey. The land in question is owned by Julie Maragon and both Terrill and Hannassey want it.

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Plot Keywords:

revisionist western | rancher | family feud | utah | based on book | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

October 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Horizontes de grandeza

Filming Locations:

Ione, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Anthony Productions, Worldwide Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

166 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jean Simmons was so traumatized by the experience making the film that she refused to talk about it for years until an interview in the late 1980s when she revealed, "We'd have our lines learned, then receive a rewrite, stay up all night learning the new version, then receive yet another rewrite the following morning. It made the acting damned near impossible."

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Goofs

The Major says of the dueling pistols McKay gives him as a gift, "Made by John Nock of London--none better". "Henry" Nock was the famous London gunsmith who was renowned for his fine weapons, both dueling pistols and shotguns, not "John".

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Quotes

Buck Hannassey: Remember, the Terrills ain't no friend of ours.
Julie Maragon: I'll choose my own friends.
Buck Hannassey: Oh, that won't do. You got to be on one side or the other. You can't have it both ways.

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #22.3 (2005)

User Reviews

A Big Film

There are many things to enjoy in 'The Big Country'. The landscape itself is a character that seems overwhelming. There are many panoramic shots of it, sweeping out to a misty horizon. All beautifully photographed. This big country seems to glow and the film gets an appropriate music score, sweeping and colourful. It must be one of the most perfect film scores written.

In this breathtaking landscape the story of the characters unfold with their prides, jealousies, fears, loves, pretensions, hopes, disappointments. The actors are first rate and convey lots of feeling not just in dialogue but in looks. It is worth seeing more than once to catch the emotional nuances. This is a film with space in lots of senses and it gives the cast time to flesh out their characters. In all the splendid acting I have a particular admiration for Chuck Connors in a performance of a lifetime. His Buck Hennassey is a coward and a bully yet you can't help feeling sorry for him in the end.

There is also the political undertones, the oft quoted Cold War parallels, embodied in the confrontation between Bickford and Ives of mutually assured destruction, that was an ever present issue in the late fifties. Bickford and Ives have narrow self interested vision that portends destruction, while the Peck character has a wider view of co-operation and fairness. (In an illuminating exchange at the engagement party a guest asks Peck if he has seen anything bigger than the 'big country' and Peck replies to the guest's astonishment that he has, a couple of oceans!) It is the outsider who sees clearest.

William Wyler was a great director and made a great film to be enjoyed on many levels. It is an aural and visual treat but the film also has believable characters performed by a superior cast. And I can't stop humming that theme tune....