365 High-Def Days of Oscar: Day 8
Year: 1958
Oscar Wins:
Best Supporting Actor
Oscar Nominations:
Best Original Score
THE PLOT THUS FAR
A New Englander arrives in the Old West, where he becomes embroiled in a feud between two families over a valuable patch of land.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“The Big Country” opens on sea captain Jim Mackay traveling to the Wild West to reunite with a lady he met back east, the beautiful Pat Terrill. However, Jim finds nothing but hostility and danger in the west, and is quickly taunted by some the locals who find him effeminate and cowardly because of his belief that violence doesn’t solve anything. Pat’s father Major Henry Terrill is a wealthy rancher, but Jim is troubled when he discovers that the Major is locked in a long-standing feud over water rights with a rival family, the Hannasseys. It doesn’t take Jim long to figure out that Pat is not the woman for him – she may have seemed the perfect match back in the polite society of the East, but in her home region of the West she is dedicated to her father’s aggressive attitudes and treats Jim differently, belittling him almost, because of his pacifist views.
Peck and Baker are engaged to be married, but their relationship seems doomed from the start. In the opening scenes they are harassed by the Hannassey’s, mortal enemies of the Terrell’s. Peck and Baker are fundamentally incompatible. He doesn’t measure up to her father, and she is upset that he doesn’t ride Old Thunder or accept Steve Leach’s challenge. McKay does both, but he does these things on his own terms. He is not a show off. He may be a little unsure of himself, but he does not give up easily. His efforts to ride Old Thunder demonstrate this. He is also modest. “I had a little trouble with a horse”, he later tells Julie Maragon in a classic understatement. Pat Terrell is disappointed in her fiance and dumps him.
Later, when she tries to make peace, McKay rejects her overtures. “It goes much deeper than that”, he tells her, referring to her comment that the estrangement was a simple misunderstanding. In a pique she compares him unfavorably to her father and walks out of his life. McKay’s courage shows at the end when he rides into Blanco Canyon to rescue Julie Maragon. Why did he do it? He did it for love. He loves Julie Maragon. The relationship between Rufus Hannassey and Henry Terrell sets the tone for the movie. Terrell is a “gentleman” living in a mansion. The Hannassey clan lives in rough shacks in Blanco Canyon. Rufus is not as uncultured as the Terrell’s make him out. Indeed, he appreciates the fine dueling pistols he finds in McKay’s saddlebags. “Gentlemen’s weapons”, he derisively tells his definitely uncouth son.
The Blu-Ray comes with a featurette, TV spot and trailer. The AVC encoded 1080p transfer comes with an insanely high bitrate for a classic film that’s nearly three hours long. Plus, you get a DTS-HD mono track for the first time in forever. But, guess what? It’s an original audio appropriate track. I love it when studios do that for older films. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!
