The Big Country

"Big they fought! Big they loved! Big their story!"

1958 2h 47m EN

🙌

7.6

BANGER

★7.6TMDB · 431

DramaWesternRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Retired wealthy sea captain Jim McKay arrives in the Old West, where he becomes embroiled in a feud between his future father-in-law, Major Terrill, and the rough and lawless Hannasseys over a valuable patch of land.

“Big they fought! Big they loved! Big their story!”

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Cast

Gregory Peck
James McKay
Jean Simmons
Julie Maragon
Carroll Baker
Patricia Terrill
Charlton Heston
Steve Leech
Burl Ives
Rufus Hannassey
Charles Bickford
Major Henry Terrill
Alfonso Bedoya
Ramón Guiteras
Chuck Connors
Buck Hannassey

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: William Wyler
Writers: Robert Wilder, Sy Bartlett, James R. Webb
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Clocks in at 167 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

68 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by William Wyler, shot by Franz Planer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jerome Moross. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert Belcher shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gregory Peck and Jean Simmons and Carroll Baker carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Big they fought! Big they loved! Big their story!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

William Wyler directs. Franz Planer behind the camera. Jerome Moross scores. Robert Belcher cuts. A long sit — settle in. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 167 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
268 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
4Directed by William Wyler, shot by Franz Planer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jerome Moross. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Robert Belcher shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Gregory Peck and Jean Simmons and Carroll Baker carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Big they fought! Big they loved! Big their story!".
9IMDB entry: tt0051411 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 24 themes, including "love triangle", "parent child relationship", "ranch", "honor".
11Released under 17 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Franz Planer
Original score: Jerome Moross
Editing: Robert Belcher
Costume design: Yvonne Wood
Makeup / hair: Dan Greenway
Runtime: 167 min · 2h 47m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $3,500,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Big Country (1958)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

William Wyler

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2017-02-07
★ 8/10
I'm not going to go on living in the middle of a civil war. Retired sea Captain James McKay (Gregory Peck) arrives in the sprawling land of the West to marry fiancée Patricia Terrill (Carroll Baker). With an amiable, almost pacifistic approach to life, McKay confounds the ranchers he is now mixing with. Particularly the Terrill ranch foreman Steve Leech (Charlton Heston) who takes an immediate dislike to him. Not only that but it seems that James has landed right in the middle of a family rivalry between the Terrill's and the Hannassey's: just as it's about to fully ignite into war. Directed by William Wyler (Ben-Hur/Mrs. Miniver), The Big Country is adapted from a short story called Ambush at Blanco Canyon that was written by Donald Hamilton. Beautifully photographed by Franz Planer on location at the Red Rock Canyon in Mojave, California and at the three-thousand acre Drais ranch in Stockton, the film is epic in many ways. Though the story, with its twin themes of violence begets violence and you don't have to act tough to be tough, is a thin one, it's given such an operatic make over by Wyler that it's not hard to be swept away by it all. Helped enormously by the afore mentioned Planer, music composer Jerome Moross, and an impressive and on form cast (Heston in superb tough guy mode and Burl Ives delivering a Oscar winning performance as head Hannassey patriarch Rufus), it's a big production in many ways. Overall, The Big Country sees a small story made big as it's told in an astutely classic style. With memorable acting, gorgeous scenery, big music and notable moments of action (a fist fight between Peck & Heston alone is epic and apparently took three days to get right) it's a must see for the Western enthusiast. 8/10
CinemaSerf2023-04-13
★ 7/10
Gregory Peck ("McKay") is a well off, retired, sea captain who arrives to marry his fiancée "Pat Terrill" (Carroll Baker) and finds himself amidst the mother of all turf wars between her father "Major Terrill" (Charles Bickford) and his arch rival "Rufus Hannassey" (Burl Ives) and his disparate sons. Add to the mix, quite a bit of rivalry from Charlton Heston ("Leech") who is the Major's right hand man, and a man who has designs on "Pat" and finally Jean Simmons who own the "Old Muddy" - the river that both are essentially fighting over and we've got a great recipe for a top class action adventure. It has the greatest of cinematography, a score that you instantly recognise and performances - especially, I felt, from Ives that really do resonate - they engender a sense of just how tough, dangerous, uncompromising and beautiful life for these pioneers must have been. Also how civilised it could be with men of honour and principle prepared to stand their ground - however misplaced that might have been. It's well written, with potent, occasionally sparse dialogue and William Wyler is on top form bringing the big country to the big screen; the bigger the better....