The Big Country is a sweeping spectacle, a visual treat along with excellence in narrative. Truly a timeless picture, The Big Country is also a classic western with grand scenery for the action to take place. With a title this film has, anything less would have been unacceptable. And the cast matches the terrain, with a bigger than life Gregory Peck in the leading role. Charlton Heston co-stars, and the fist-fight these two share onscreen is still one of the best in celluloid history. Burl Ives also co-stars in a performance which garnered him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Four time Academy Award-winning director William Wyler directs this exhilarating 1958 western, which is about a civilized sea captain’s venture into the Wild West. Once the sea captain (Gregory Peck) arrives in the west, everyone insist on warning him of the vast nature of the land. They are all afraid that without landscape markings that he will find himself lost, though they never stop to consider how much larger the ocean must have been to navigate through. Equipped with a compass and a modest sense of pride, he comes across big egos and bitter rivalries. Determined not to be pulled into any fight he doesn’t believe in, the captain takes his own path.
This 165 minute masterpiece is fit onto one Blu-ray disc, although this is with very few special features to crowd it. The highlight is not the bonus features, however, but the high definition presentation instead. All that is included beyond the film is a brief featurette and a few trailers.
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