Everything about William Wyler’s 1958 western The Big Country is B-I-G. The story tells of sea captain Gregory Peck’s arrival in the magnificent grandeur of the old West to marry firebrand Carroll Baker but instead discovers feelings for schoolmarm Jean Simmons. He becomes embroiled in a war between two families over water rights, which expands into a visual metaphor for people’s insignificance in the vast western landscape. The case assembled for this film is equally grand: besides Peck, Baker and Simmons, the film also stars Charlton Heston, Burl Ives, Charles Bickford, Chuck Connors and Alfonso Bedoya. And to top it off, Jerome Moross’ score for The Big Country is one of the five greatest western scores of all time; I place it in the top three, along with Elmer Bernstein’s score for The Magnificent Seven (1960) and John Williams’ score for The Cowboys (1972).
Perhaps surprisingly, considering the grand sweep of The Big Country‘s scale and cinematography, the story itself is pacifistic. The film has its share of action and gunfights, but hero Peck always enters them reluctantly. It is from his perspective as an outsider entering this often lawless realm that the story is told, and it is he who attempts — peacefully — to end the bitter range war which threatens to destroy everything he has grown to love since his arrival. Such pacifism is atypical for a western adventure, yet I feel it is extremely well-handled.
In addition to its superb music score, the film is beautifully photographed by Franz Planer. Note how the inevitable fistfight between Peck and Heston is shot, starting from 200 yards away, rendering the two figures almost invisible against the stark landscape. And how the widescreen frame is so well-utilized, often filled with resonant space.
Burl Ives won an Oscar for his role as Rufus Hannassey, yet Peck, Heston, Simmons and Chuck Connors are equally as fine. The film is a tad overlong at 166 minutes, yet it stands as one of the most entertaining western adventures in cinema history. It’s one of my favorites. My rating: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½. (8:3).