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The Big Country (1958)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
1 October 1958 (USA) moreTagline:
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. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
Won Oscar. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(4 articles)
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User Comments:
Magnificent more (106 total)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 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 |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
165 minCountry:
USAColour:
Colour (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreSound 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:12Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The film is credited with starting the trend for pacifist westerns. moreGoofs:
Continuity: Towards the end of the scene where McKay is learning to ride the bucking horse he is thrown from the horse, lands, removes the straw from his hair and then removes the straw from his hair again when he is helped up. moreQuotes:
Steve Leech: You know, McKay, you're a bigger fool than I thought you were. And to tell you the truth, that just didn't seem possible. moreMovie Connections:
Featured in "The Simpsons: The Seemingly Never-Ending Story (#17.13)" (2006) moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (106 total)
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As a rule, I don't like westerns. This isn't because I'm a city slicker (though now, I do live in a city). I grew up in rural Eastern Oregon where "real" cowboys still herd their cattle through the center of town in John Day, Oregon. My stepfather owned a 10,170 acre cattle ranch. After being raised among "real" cowboys, the Hollywood versions tend to leave me flat. The Big Country was an exception.
Jim McKay (Gregory Peck) introduced us to a different kind of man, far different than most stereotypical men of the Wild West. If I were to compare McKay's character to any other film character, it would be Ghandi. He's a man who doesn't feel obliged to seek the approval of others ... a man who believes that violence doesn't need to be used to solve problems. His secret ride of Old Thunder, making Ramon (Alfonso Bedoya) swear to keep quiet regardless of the outcome, set the tone for McKay's character. His later secret fight with Steve Leech (Charleton Heston), making him swear to keep quiet regardless of the outcome, cemented that tone. This was a REAL man whose opinion of himself was not dependent upon anyone else's opinion ... in stark contrast to anyone else in the film outside of Julie Maragon (Jean Simmons). As Ramon said, "Such a man is very rare."
Outside of McKay, my #2 favorite character in the film was Rufus Hannassey (Burl Ives). I found nothing about him distasteful considering he was a character whose back was against the wall ... whose livelihood was threatened. The things he did make perfect sense in such a situation. His only flaw was his obvious poor parenthood. He really blew it with Buck (Chuck Connors) and Buck's siblings were of the same ilk.
I'm so glad that MGM/UA finally released the widescreen version in 2001. This is a film that deserves such a presence. It may not be playing in theaters anymore but seeing it in any other display size takes so much away from it. I've seen the pan/scan version before and will never go back.
One note. The full listing of writing credits for the film adaptation is lacking. "Ambush In Blanco Canyon," originally serialized in a magazine, was later novelized into "The Big Country" by Donald Hamilton ... and Hamilton also worked on the adaptation as well as Leon Uris ("Topaz," "Exodus," "Gunfight At the OK Corral," etc.).
This epic film was not lacking for anything. It had the best writers, the best actors, the best musical score, and the best scenery of any other film of its time ... western or otherwise. And the film remains one of my favorite films of all time.