Rating: 
Summary: Great, fun, non-western of a western
Review: This is an exceptionally fun, sprawling-big, bold William Wyler western. It has a fantastic, bold soundtrack, and it uses every inch of screen space inside those letterboxes. Gregory Peck makes a great western star, basically because you always see the civil gentleman behind the role. In some ways, this is a sort of anti-western. It isn't about gunfights and purifying violence through confrontation, anyway, that's for sure.The performances in this movie are all winning. If you're going to idolize someone for having integrity, well, you may as well cast Gregory Peck. He's a little too good for words, maybe, but he plays the role with real humanity and a wonderful sense of humor. Jean Simmons, Chuck Connors, Charlton Heston, and Burl Ives all turn in really lively, engaging performances in supporting roles. This is one of those films that makes you really curious about the lives of all the supporting characters, as well as about the protagonist. (Its only Oscar was for supporting actor -- Ives won.) The cinematography's a pleasure too. This is a big, broad-shouldered movie, and it shows it. Last but not least, this movie has a moral center, like any good western. Let's not give it any Nobel nominations, but there is a heart here, and it's not entirely without moral nuance. I ordinarily swear away from this but... I've never seen an Amazon review that completely missed the boat as much as the "homoerotic" one for this movie. That take is... just bizarre. If you really do want homoeroticism from this era, try the Spartacus "director's cut." You may as well get what you're asking for, rather than projecting it where it isn't.
Rating: 
Summary: An incredibly well-acted and directed western.
Review: This movie is almost a one-of-a-kind. The only film which I feel even comes close is the classic western "Shane" which if my memory serves me correct was made around 1955. "The Big Country" boasts an all star cast: Gregory Peck, Charlton Heston, Burl Ives, Charles Bickford, Jean Simmons, Carol Baker, and Chuck Connors. One of the things which makes this one of my favorite movies is the acting. This cast is nothing less than superb. The basic story is a tale of conflict between two radically different frontier families over rights to the use of a river for watering cattle and the destruction this conflict causes. The prominent theme is: we are a lot better off if we all just try to get along. It's a refreshing break from the shoot-em-up, let's get even theme in so many films. I would recommend getting this in the wide-screen version. The cinematography is awesome and it's really lost in the pan and scan version, which I currently have.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely stunning music. Peck and Heston in their prime
Review: Clearly, the most enduring "character" of this larger than life western is the score by Jerome Moross. Regularly named as one of the ten best movie scores of all time, it's hard to imagine that it lost the Oscar in 1958 for Best Score to "The Old Man and the Sea!" Who remembers the music to THAT?????? Peck and Heston are in their primes here, and Heston courageously took a role that didn't make him heroic every minute..a much more complex and conflicted character than most he has played. Gregory Peck's style and grace were never more evident than in this role. For 1958, the female roles in this movie were ahead of their time. Their roles drive the story, they are not just ornamentation along with the big skies and canyons. But again, the star of this movie is the incredible score. If you can find the boxed set soundtrack release, covet it!
Rating:
Summary: If you love Westerns, you'll love this one now on 16:9 DVD!!
Review: MGM's Western Legends Series presents William Wylers (Director of BEN-Hur) 1958 epic western classic "The Big Country". Now on DVD presented in WideScreen and enhanced for WideScreen HDTV's (16:9) format. This DVD is beautifully presented with the huge panoramtic display of "The Big Country". This western was overshadowed in the late 1950's by the new "Rebel Without A Cause" youth gendre films. Now we can recapture this 165 minute WideScreen western epic in the home on this fabulous DVD. Perfect script, magnificent photography, superb musical score, masterful direction of William Wyler & a brilliant ensemble cast providing all the elements for a great story. Lead by Gregory Peck - at his best, Jean Simmons - beautiful & intelligent, Charleton Heston - excellent Peck nemesis, Carrol Baker - rich & spoiled, Burl Ives - strong & rough (Oscar Winner - Best Supporting Actor), Chuck Connors - outstanding villian & Charles Bickford - arrogant & vane. Summary: An Eastern Sea Captain / Dude (Peck) with a high moral code arrives in "The Big Country" to marry spoiled rich girl (Baker). Immediately he discovers he is in the middle of a range & water rights war against two feuding families, the Terrills (Bickford, Baker & hired foreman Heston) vs the Hannasseys (Ives & Connors). A local school teacher (Simmons) holds the deed & control of the water rights in "The Big Country". Who will get control of the water & will Peck be able to maintain his high morale ethical code? We journey throughout this epic western captured in the plot complexity & magnificent scenes discovering these answers & lots more. A great family film. This is when Hollywood provided us with all the key ingredients for a great story, including the classical happy ending. An epic western you'll enjoy over & over. This DVD has an excellent transfer of sight & sound. The only extra is a trailer. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Possibly the best western I've ever seen
Review: I would recommend this movie to people who don't even like Westerns. Charlton Heston plays a bad guy. Gregory Peck's character has a personality that's constant throughout the movie, and one that you can't help but admire and wish you'd be more like. The women are great in the movie, and how their stories play out as the movie goes on is terrific. Chuck Connors is hilarious as the bad guy. And Burl Ives. He REALLY deserved the Oscar he won. When I watched this movie, I stayed up way later than I should've. But I couldn't turn it off, just because Burl Ives kept stealing scenes. As the country hick father who's battling for water rights and against the snob on the hill, he doesn't compromise his integrity and he's not too old to learn new things. The fight between Peck and Heston is fantastic. Actually, everything about this movie was fantastic. There are some movies that are simply impossible to dislike or be bored with. Some movies that come along that are just plain Good. The Big Country is one of those movies. The plot is great, the characters are great, the acting is great, the scenery is great, the dialogue is great, and the action is great. It's a long movie, and I wish it were even longer. I bought this movie based on how great the other reviews were. Never even viewed the movie prior to buying it. I'm kinda daring in that way once in a while (On the flip side, I bought the Englishman who went up a hill and came down a mountain, and thought it was a total Bore). I recommend this movie as one you could buy without even renting it first. If you like Peck, it's reason enough to own it.
Rating:
Summary: Only rarely the t'wain shall meet....
Review: What we have here is a blood feud over water rights between two ranching families headed by Major Henry Terrill (Charles Bickford) and Rufus Hannassey (Burl Ives), with school teacher Julie Maragon (Jean Simmons) caught in the middle. Directed by William Wyler with stunning cinematography by Franz Planer, we follow a narrative which involves the engagement of Easterner James McKay (Gregory Peck) to Terrill's beloved daughter Pat (Carroll Baker). Frankly, what he sees in her continues to elude my understanding. Some reviewers have dismissed this as a "B" movie but I do not. The quality of the acting (notably Ives's which earned him an Academy Award for best supporting actor) is outstanding. Although in what I guess could be considered a minor role as Steve Leech, Terrill's ramrod, Charlton Heston delivers a remarkably nuanced and controlled performance as does Chuck Connors as Buck Hannassey. This is much less a western than a study of two patriarchs (Terrill and Hannassey) who play a zero sum game to gain control of access to water on which they and their herds obviously depend. But there is something else at work in this great but (for whatever reasons) under appreciated film. Julie Maragon is quite willing to allow both patriarchs access to the water. That is not the core issue: rather, it is the conflict between the inflated egos of two proud and stubborn men who detest each other. For me, one of the most memorable scenes occurs when, just before dawn, McKay and Leech finally have it out. It is an awkward but inevitable and immensely effective fist fight, with much of it filmed as if we were observing it at a distance. Of course, the fist fight achieves nothing other than demonstrating that McKay is more of a "man" than Leech once thought. Before they begin throwing punches, McKay insists that no one know about their fight. Leech totally misunderstands McKay's reasons. Another memorable sequence of events focuses on Terrill and Hannassey as they slowly and carefully work their way through a canyon to their final confrontation. To repeat, theirs is a zero sum game except that neither wins. In these and other scenes, Planer's cinematography and Jerome Moross' music score blend effectively with the cast's superb performances under Wyler's direction. Why has The Big Country been under appreciated, if not totally ignored among western films? I have no idea. I really don't.
Rating:
Summary: The only Western that I highly recommend watching
Review: Although my tastes in film are very broad, I am not fond of Westerns. However, "The Big Country" is an excellent film. It is a Western, but in many ways it doesn't FEEL like a Western. The film's intelligence, strong characters, and reliance on humanity provide a superior storyline to the traditional shoot-'em-up mentality so common in Westerns. The basic premise concerns retired sea captain James McKay (Peck), who travels West to marry his fiancé Pat Terrill (Baker), whom he met while she was visiting Baltimore. He is quickly thrown in the middle of a huge family feud between the wealthy Terrills and the struggling Hannasseys, presumably over water rights at the Big Muddy, a dormant ranch owned by the lovely schoolteacher Julie (Simmons). However, McKay, the intelligent outsider, sees through the feuding patriarchs (Bickford and Ives). What follows is, in my opinion, one of the most effective showdowns in Western cinema (forget "High Noon"). The characterization in this film is particularly strong. Gregory Peck is very good, as always, even though his McKay character has a level of integrity that may be just a BIT hard to swallow. Carroll Baker's role as the spoiled only child is sickeningly good. Jean Simmons is sweet and demure, but strong and self-sufficient, a perfect contrast to her friend, Pat. Charles Bickford's egotistical role as Major Henry Terrill is great, and his questionable relationship with his daughter raised my eyebrows. Charlton Heston's role is relatively small, but he provides the necessary tension and jealousy between himself, Baker, and Peck. In addition, his character's loyalty to Terrill, although misplaced, is touching. Chuck Connors' character as Buck Hannassey is vile, trashy, and degrading, but his performance is one of the most credible in the film. And, saving the best for last, Burl Ives is absolutely superb in the role of Rufus Hannassey, the overweight, bullying patriarch who simultaneously loves and hates his son Buck. He deserved the Best Supporting Actor Oscar that he won for this role. There is one flaw to this film that stands out, and another reviewer mentioned it below: watch the canyon barricade scene near the end. The Terrill bunch HAD to see that coming, yet they acted surprised. Wyler missed it there, I think, but overall the film is a beautiful piece of cinema. One last praise: the score. From the opening credits, this beautifully motivating music resounds throughout the film and is one of my favorites. Just beautiful.
Rating:
Summary: An incredibly well-acted and directed western.
Review: This movie is almost a one-of-a-kind. The only film which I feel even comes close is the classic western "Shane" which if my memory serves me correct was made around 1955. "The Big Country" boasts an all star cast: Gregory Peck, Charlton Heston, Burl Ives, Charles Bickford, Jean Simmons, Carol Baker, and Chuck Connors. One of the things which makes this one of my favorite movies is the acting. This cast is nothing less than superb. The basic story is a tale of conflict between two radically different frontier families over rights to the use of a river for watering cattle and the destruction this conflict causes. The prominent theme is: we are a lot better off if we all just try to get along. It's a refreshing break from the shoot-em-up, let's get even theme in so many films. I would recommend getting this in the wide-screen version. The cinematography is awesome and it's really lost in the pan and scan version, which I currently have.
Rating:
Summary: A Western as Shakespearean Tragedy
Review: This film has everything going for it. A stupendous landscape that is used as its backdrop; photography that is second to none and a stirring musical soundtrack. The script is well-written and does much to explore the tensions and antagonisms between the character. The main tension in the film, however, are the apparent class antagonisms that exist between the richer and classier cattle magnate Terrills and the apparent down-at-heel Hannesseys. Burl Ives turns in a very emotive performance as Rufus Hannassey, who appears to have a noble heart and admires and respects James McKay played by Gregory Peck. It is a tragedy that ends in a duel between Hannasey's low-life son, Buck Hannasey (played by Chuck Connors). Although Rufus has little time for Buck, he becomes completely grief-stricken by his demise. Ives' performance is full of pathos that one can help feeling for him. It's a Western to end all Westerns.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely stunning music. Peck and Heston in their prime
Review: Clearly, the most enduring "character" of this larger than life western is the score by Jerome Moross. Regularly named as one of the ten best movie scores of all time, it's hard to imagine that it lost the Oscar in 1958 for Best Score to "The Old Man and the Sea!" Who remembers the music to THAT?????? Peck and Heston are in their primes here, and Heston courageously took a role that didn't make him heroic every minute..a much more complex and conflicted character than most he has played. Gregory Peck's style and grace were never more evident than in this role. For 1958, the female roles in this movie were ahead of their time. Their roles drive the story, they are not just ornamentation along with the big skies and canyons. But again, the star of this movie is the incredible score. If you can find the boxed set soundtrack release, covet it!
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