Strong and Moving!

Sadly Over-hyped

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I enjoyed this movie very much until the end of it. The scene from afar made it difficult to see what was happening and the conclusion was very weak. Loved the scenic views and the complication of story, but it fizzled out at the end. Wonderful stars and action were awesome. Loved seeing several high quality people involved in this movie.

The Big Country is great for so many reasons, but the greatest reason to me has always been Jerome Moross' s magnificent score. From the signature sweeping opening theme to the subtle background for the fight between Gregory Peck and Charleton Heston the music simply amplifies the majesty of the film. One scene in particular leaps out as genius. Early in the film Moross employs a rugged theme for the "war party" riding off for some vengeance. Later, when the culminating showdown approaches in Blanco Canyon, Heston and Charles Bickford have a divisive argument that ends with Bickford riding off alone. Listen at this point for the way Moross accompanies Bickford with a simple lead up to the "war party" theme. Then, as the contrite Heston rides around a bend in the canyon, Moross adds a more complex second peroration of the theme as Heston joins Bickford. Finally, the rest of the war party gallops around the bend to join their leaders Bickford and Heston as Moross adds all the rest of the musical elements of the "war party" theme. The musical moment is simply thrilling!

This is in response to the many critics who have slated the "The Big Country" for being too long (a famous cry of derision) and for dragging along without the proverbial action. What I cannot understand is how many of these same critics wax lyrical about so many other films that "drag on" for well nigh three hours. I am thinking about some of David Lean's epics, for example ("Doctor Zhivago" and "Ryan's Daughter") which come to mind here. I am not for one moment suggesting that these films are boring or lacking in artistic merit. I am simply curious as to why "The Big Country" is constantly singled out in almost the all the opening lines of the commentaries that have been written.Is this tendency, perhaps, attributed to the fact that the film is a western? Is the western, then, supposed to adhere strictly to the time honoured formula of blood and thunder, hell and leather bang-bang served up in the customary ninety-minute time capsule? Strait-jacketed? Comparisons, I concede, are odious. Pray, allow me a moment to allude to another Western purely in an attempt to illustrate my point.A fellow reviewer on this forum, in his denunciation of "TBC" ("boring, boring") drew comparisons with Sergio Leone's "Once Upon A Time in the West" (a brilliant film, no doubt). In the words of respected critic, Leonard Maltin, the film is, "a languid operatic masterpiece". Maltin however, dismisses "TBC" as "an overblown western". And herein lies the rub!Both these films are thematically rich and complex, layered with gripping sub-plots emerging in all the respective stages of development. Both films are enrich by stellar performances from star-studded casts. There is never a dull moment in each. Even though the viewer may guess the outcome of "TBC", he or she is intrigued as to how the plot will finally resolve itself. This is what sustains the heart and soul of the picture.There is not a single flawed performance in "TBC". The actors remain true to the script. The action, like in "Once Upon a Time ..." and in Lean's masterpieces, is measured and seamless. It represents a study in the concentrated stream of consciousness (personified in the character of James Mackay). This is diametrically opposed by the smouldering temperments of many of the other characters in the fabric of the work; a classic case of antithetical counter-balancing, here. Pound for pound, ounce for ounce, "TBC" stands up to "Once Upon a Time ..." and its counterparts. Why then this prejudice against, "The Big Country"? It intrigues me!

A ship's captain ventures out west in pursuit of his intended bride, only to get caught up in a feud between rival ranch families.Epics were popular in the latter 50's, including, for example, Giant (1955), Raintree County (1957) and this one (1958). Typically, they involved A-productions with headliner casts and sweeping dramatic canvasses. Of course, as epics, run-times usually exceeded 2-hours plus, so the challenges to both filmmakers and viewers were obvious.To me, this epic western is as good as any from that cowboy-obsessed period. The secret, I think, lies in an unusually persuasive male cast, and a cleverly suspenseful screenplay. I don't think I've seen more broad-shouldered male leads in one movie than are featured here with Peck, Heston, and Connors. Add the commanding Ives and Bickford as feuding patriarchs, and the sum-total makes for an unusually compelling male cast. Then split them all into rival families with outsider Peck caught in the middle, and the subplots almost smolder with tension. And, oh yes, mustn't forget the ladies, Baker and Simmons. Baker seems a little too Hollywood to be convincing, but both hang in there.Peck's character McKay amounts to an interesting variation among western stereotypes. He's very much self-enclosed. First and foremost, he must answer to his own self-imposed rules no matter how others might view him. As a result, he appears a coward by refusing to respond to provocations like being roughed up or insulted. Thus his apparent pacifism in the face of personal abuse implies a strict inner code and not simply a lack of guts as we eventually find out. Then too, it's this independence of mind plus a sense of humane values that enables him to work out a solution to the debilitating feud over the watering hole. Happily, the results show that Peck is darn near perfect in his under-stated role.Anyway, it really is a big country on screen, a boggling stretch of prairie and sky as far as the eye can see. From the sheer emptiness, it looks like location for cast and crew was not much fun. And mustn't forget the film score, which, as I recall, made it onto the pop-charts of the day. In fact, hearing again the distinctive opening melody brought back welcome memories. Speaking of memories, who would have thought Ben Hur would make such a delectable villain, but Heston did. Same goes for The Rifleman Connors whose menacing squint is a real grabber. I was hoping for a face-off between the two brawny hunks.All in all, the various threads weave into an effective whole, while cast and visuals add up to a highly entertaining package, despite the lengthy run-time.