It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

The Big Country is great for so many reasons, but the greatest reason to me has always been Jerome Moross' s magnificent score. From the signature sweeping opening theme to the subtle background for the fight between Gregory Peck and Charleton Heston the music simply amplifies the majesty of the film. One scene in particular leaps out as genius. Early in the film Moross employs a rugged theme for the "war party" riding off for some vengeance. Later, when the culminating showdown approaches in Blanco Canyon, Heston and Charles Bickford have a divisive argument that ends with Bickford riding off alone. Listen at this point for the way Moross accompanies Bickford with a simple lead up to the "war party" theme. Then, as the contrite Heston rides around a bend in the canyon, Moross adds a more complex second peroration of the theme as Heston joins Bickford. Finally, the rest of the war party gallops around the bend to join their leaders Bickford and Heston as Moross adds all the rest of the musical elements of the "war party" theme. The musical moment is simply thrilling!

This is in response to the many critics who have slated the "The Big Country" for being too long (a famous cry of derision) and for dragging along without the proverbial action. What I cannot understand is how many of these same critics wax lyrical about so many other films that "drag on" for well nigh three hours. I am thinking about some of David Lean's epics, for example ("Doctor Zhivago" and "Ryan's Daughter") which come to mind here. I am not for one moment suggesting that these films are boring or lacking in artistic merit. I am simply curious as to why "The Big Country" is constantly singled out in almost the all the opening lines of the commentaries that have been written.Is this tendency, perhaps, attributed to the fact that the film is a western? Is the western, then, supposed to adhere strictly to the time honoured formula of blood and thunder, hell and leather bang-bang served up in the customary ninety-minute time capsule? Strait-jacketed? Comparisons, I concede, are odious. Pray, allow me a moment to allude to another Western purely in an attempt to illustrate my point.A fellow reviewer on this forum, in his denunciation of "TBC" ("boring, boring") drew comparisons with Sergio Leone's "Once Upon A Time in the West" (a brilliant film, no doubt). In the words of respected critic, Leonard Maltin, the film is, "a languid operatic masterpiece". Maltin however, dismisses "TBC" as "an overblown western". And herein lies the rub!Both these films are thematically rich and complex, layered with gripping sub-plots emerging in all the respective stages of development. Both films are enrich by stellar performances from star-studded casts. There is never a dull moment in each. Even though the viewer may guess the outcome of "TBC", he or she is intrigued as to how the plot will finally resolve itself. This is what sustains the heart and soul of the picture.There is not a single flawed performance in "TBC". The actors remain true to the script. The action, like in "Once Upon a Time ..." and in Lean's masterpieces, is measured and seamless. It represents a study in the concentrated stream of consciousness (personified in the character of James Mackay). This is diametrically opposed by the smouldering temperments of many of the other characters in the fabric of the work; a classic case of antithetical counter-balancing, here. Pound for pound, ounce for ounce, "TBC" stands up to "Once Upon a Time ..." and its counterparts. Why then this prejudice against, "The Big Country"? It intrigues me!

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.

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..