Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Micransix Crappy film

ThrillMessage There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Timber Vance 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.

elcoat This is a great, expansive ... and quite profound ... Western.On its message boards, someone has raised the question as to whether Pat's idolization of her father the Major may been ... to an unnatural extreme. But the foreman Leech (Charlton Heston) would have known if it had been, and that would have destroyed his own idolization of the Major and probably his romantic interest in Pat, so no I don't think it was that ... although my skin crawls too during that one scene where Pat (Carolyn Baker) upbraids McKay (Gregory Peck) for not being (like) her father.I know a girl who is quite like Pat. She is/was a farm girl from farming country who had lost her father at a young age. After marrying, she was unhappy in her husband's town and moved back to her home locale. The husband followed for their little son to have his father.Suddenly, the hushand could do no right. He was not especially mechanical, and that was just one of the complaints. Her family had told him he was kind. She was NOT and was instead quite stupid and insensitive and downright mean - note the correlation.By contrast McKay and Julie Maragon (Jean Simmons) *are* VERY intelligent and sensitive and nice. They immediately like each other, but try to deny their mutual attraction.In two ways McKay is out of his element. He is a long way from the sea, and he is a good, intelligent person who comes to a place of bitter, internecine competition.But he *is* above the strife, and yes he's condescending, because he soon realizes that it's not just the Hannasseys who are the savages, and he's repelled. In fact, old Rufus shows far greater gentility and humanity than The Major.Burl Ives' performance is one of the most vivid and memorable in film history. He fully earned his Best Supporting Actor Oscar.And Chuck Connors played his part as his vicious son well too ... to the point I am surprised it didn't destroy his career. (And yet you can see how condemnatory Rufus may have made him that way.) Ironically, Connors went on to portray a fine father on TV in The Rifleman.The Big Country does attack patriarchs.

grantss A big western, with big ideals.The story of a former sea captain (played by Gregory Peck) who settles in a western town, only to discover a bitter feud exists between the two main families in the area.Decent plot. Starts off looking like a standard good guys vs bad guys drama, but the further you go the more you discover that things aren't anywhere near as simple as that. A bit idealistic though. Gregory Peck's character is overly goody- two-shoesy and the movie does feel quite sappy from time to time. Incredibly long too, at nearly three hours. Some scenes weren't entirely necessary, or could have been edited to a shorter length.Overall, a good western, with a good message. Just takes some time to deliver the message..

john_seater I love Westerns. Even so, most of them are weak to terrible, and most of the rest are fair to middlin' at best. I watch most of those that are fair or better anyway because they are fun. Most of them stop there. Few have a deeper element than pure fun. Some, though, really stand out in that regard, and "The Big Country" is one of them. It is fun but also thoughtful and interesting."The Big Country" isn't an action movie. There is action in several places, but action is neither the strength nor the point of the film. If an action flick is what you want, this isn't a movie you will like much. Instead, this movie is about character and plot development. The characters are interesting, and the plot is good. Both the characters and the plot take unexpected turns, which I will leave unexplained here so you can discover them for yourself. The cast is outstanding. Even the secondary characters are portrayed by first-rate actors, all of whom turn in strong performances. The directing is equally outstanding. The Western setting provides a good excuse to add enjoyable action to the movie. It's a fine package.I have watched "The Big Country" several times. I'm sure I will watch it again one of these days. Even though I know what is coming in all the important scenes, I still find them entertaining and captivating. That's a testament to the directing, acting, and writing.The ending is slightly weak (just a little too predictable). It's the only part of the movie with any hint of weakness, though, and it detracts little from the film. I recommend this movie most highly.