Cheap The Big Country (DVD) (Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons) (William Wyler) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Big Country

An incredibly well-acted and directed western.
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.

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A wonderful MOVIE movie!
This is one of the great MOVIE movies of all time. Don't expect it to be more than it is, and you'll love every minute of it. The scale of the visuals ("this is a BIG country"), the casting, and the timeless drama of the family feud are all the things you want in a real entertainment.

Among many wonderful moments, two in particular stand out. The early morning fist fight between Gregory Peck, the quiet but dignified transplanted sea captain, and Charlton Heston, the jealous ranch foreman, has become a classic. And Burl Ives' Rufus Hannassey, the mountain man patriarch whose family is threatened by the well-bred flat landers (led by Charles Bickford) is worth the price all by himself, especially when he is forced to do the right thing and ... (well, you'll see).

Jerome Morross's musical score set the direction for just about every Western to follow.

A great American classic.

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Atticus Finch goes West
This is a sprawling, glorious saga that will be appreciated by people who don't even like the Western genre. With fabulous cinematography, an excellent script, and two of my favorite actors, it's a film I never tire of watching.
Gregory Peck is the sea captain with principles who goes west to meet his future bride, only to find feuds and fighting, and some lawless varmints who need his "non violent" ways of resolving territorial issues. He is terrific as James McKay, who is sort of an Atticus Finch in boots, and looks mighty fine as well.
Charlton Heston has the smaller part as Leech, a foreman who is seething with jealousy and obeys the orders of his unscrupulous boss (rancher Terrill, played with subtle menace by Charles Bickford) as he yearns for his daughter. Heston is brilliant as this rather complex character, and would a year later star in director William Wyler's next epic, "Ben Hur", which is perhaps my all-time most viewed and enjoyed film.

Both female leads are wonderful, and are portrayed with enormous strength; Jean Simmons, with her luminous eyes is the schoolteacher, and Carroll Baker is the tough daughter of rancher Bickford, and is too much like her daddy to make a suitable bride for Peck.
Among the many strong performances in the supporting parts are Burl Ives, and received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his gnarly old Rufus, Chuck Connors is his bad to the bone son, and Alfonso Bedoya, is a delight as Ramon, who along with a horse named "Old Thunder", provides some of the humor in the film.
The score by Jerome Moross is lovely (and received an Oscar nomination) and the cinematography by Franz Planner spectacular. The film was shot in the Yuba and San Joaquin Counties in California, as well as canyon country in Chinly, Arizona, and it is breathtakingly beautiful.

If you like a good screen fight like I do, this has a great one, "mano a mano" between Peck and Heston; it initially has no music, just the pounding of the fists and the men gasping for breath, and is very effective.
Romance, drama, and lots of action make this a film that appeals to many, and is suitable for the whole family. Total running time is 165 minutes.