Big Country (1958)

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.


Poor reproduction   July 5, 2001
William Hopp (Niceville, Fl USA)
11 out of 13 found this review helpful

I love this movie but I hate this DVD. This had to have been copied by high school students, no professional could have done this poor of a job.

I have this movie on VHS, on two tapes, and it looks like they copied it from the VHS rather than the original movie stock. The background fades in and out just enough to be noticeable, obviously someone didn't turn off the security feature all the way. In the middle of the movie there is a moment of very dark video similar to the VHS, which fades to black on the first cassette and then fades back in on the second.

This is sad and I will make sure to never purchase from this production company again!


One of the best movies of all time.   December 31, 1999
Isaac Church (Loomis, California)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

You may be surprised that I consider this film to be one of the best ever made. The true value of the film is the unique story. At first blush it certainly doesn't seem unique, but as the story unfolds it becomes obvious that this is not just another western. This movie deals with elements that most movies won't dare touch, such as morality, honor, and "What makes a real man?" This is one of those rare movies that makes an important point, inspiring the audience and making you think.

Add to that dead-on acting, a terrific cast, and you have a true gem of a film. And unlike so many films today that obvious is never stated. The characters convey their feelings through a look as often as they do in words. One last thing. Do yourself a favor and get the widescreen version, since without it you often can't see characters while they are talking.


Great movie, bad DVD...   July 29, 2007
Thomas Quarles (Austin, Texas United States)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

I got this in the mail from Amazon last week and the Mrs. and I watched it last night.
As a movie, it's one of the classics, no doubt. I was, however, very disappointed with the quality of the DVD presentation. Constant screen flickers, washed out color in corners of the screen and just a generally bad video transfer.
Heck, my old laser disc of this film is of higher quality.
Hope someone decides to produce a decent re-master of this great film as it deserves better.

Now I'm a bit concerned about my recently released copy of Captain Horatio Hornblower, another Gregory Peck classic. I'd hate to see it suffer the same fate as this one.


An incredibly well-acted and directed western.   May 27, 1999
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

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.