The Big Country (DVD)

My mam reckons that you should never rush into a marriage type decision until you have had a chance to look at the intended in their home environment. Sound advice from a wise woman, and, offered up gratis. To support this theory I have to point to the outstanding western "Big Country". Gregory Peck plays a sophisticated and cultured easterner who heads west to meet the family of his new fiance Carroll Baker. What he finds out on the prairie is unlikely to impress him too much. His father in law, Major Terrill, is a wretched little man intent on dominating the prairies. His big rival is the rather more earthy Rufus Hennessy and their ...  Read the complete review

This is a review of the MGM DVD. As a big fan of Westerns, this film was high on my list of ones to check out and I was attracted by the cast and director.'The Big Country' is an epic Western made in 1958 by director William Wyler who is probably most famous for his huge cinematic epic 'Ben-Hur' which was made the year after this film. In many respects 'The Big Country' is a sort of dry run for that. Everything about this film screams 'Epic!' from the huge sprawling vistas, to the rousing soundtrack and the big name cast. The story concerns James McKay [Gregory Peck] a wealthy former sea Captain who has left his life in the 'sophisticated' east to ...  Read the complete review