Danielle Solzman
William Wyler’s star-studded Western, The Big Country, recently received a reissue on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
It’s a weird world when Charlton Heston gets 4th billing in a film after doing The Ten Commandments. Here’s an actor that could do any film he wanted to and yet, he opts to work with Wyler. Plus, it gave him an opportunity to work with Gregory Peck, a screen legend in his own right. Who would turn down that kind of opportunity?!? At the same time, working with William Wyler would later lead to an opportunity to star in Ben-Hur. Life has a funny way of working out.
William Wyler utilizes the deep focus camerawork that Orson Welles utilized in Citizen Kane. Not surprisingly, he uses up a lot of film to get the perfect take, no matter how many times it took for an actor to get it right. If you know anything about Wyler’s reputation as a filmmaker, this should not come as a surprise at all.
Synopsis
From William Wyler, the legendary director of Mrs. Miniver, The Best Years of Our Lives and Ben-Hur, comes this epic western featuring an incredible cast of screen legends Gregory Peck (The Guns of Navarone), Jean Simmons (Elmer Gantry), Charlton Heston (The Ten Commandments), Carroll Baker (The Carpetbaggers) and Burl Ives (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) in his Oscar-winning performance (Best Actor in a Supporting Role). This bold, sweeping tale of a ship’s captain (Peck) who ventures west to find a hotbed of jealousy, hatred and dangerous rivalries. As the reluctant hero is thrust into the maelstrom, he must summon all of his resolve to save not only his own life, but also the life of the woman he loves. The Big Country is an action-packed adventure that triumphs as a work of art. The film’s legendary rousing score by Jerome Moross (The War Lord) was nominated for an Oscar.
Bonus Features
- Audio Commentary by Flm Historian Sir Christopher Frayling
- Directed by William Wyler: Documentary
- Wyler Doc Outtakes with Gregory Peck, Charlton Heston and Billy Wilder
- Interviews with Cecilia Peck, Carey Peck and Tony Peck
- Interview with Fraser Heston
- Interview with Catherine Wyler
- Fun in the Country – Featurette
- Larry Cohen on Chuck Connors
- Image Gallery
- TV Spot
- Theatrical Trailer
- Optional English Subtitles
DIRECTOR: William Wyler
SCREENWRITERS: James R. Webb & Sy Bartlett, Robert Wilder
CAST: Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Charlton Heston, Carroll Baker, Burl Ives, Charles Bickford, with Alfonso Bedoya and Chuck Connors, Chuck Hayward, Buff Brady, Jim Burk, Dorothy Adams, Chuck Roberson, Bob Morgan, John McKee, Jay Slim Tabot
United Artists released The Big Country in theaters on August 13, 1958.
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