I'm a sucker for a good Western and they don't come much bigger or better than William Wyler's 1958 epic The Big Country.
Beautifully photographed in Technirama (a higher-resolution alternative to Cinemascope) and featuring more stars than a clear prairie night, The Big Country tells the story of Jim McKay (Gregory Peck), a former ship captain who heads out west to meet his fiance Pat's (Caroll Baker) rancher father Major Henry Terrill (Charles Bickford). Pat hopes McKay will get a feel for the land and decide to settle there.
A bowler hat-wearing fish out of water, it doesn't take long before McKay's resolve is tested by the local boys, first by chronic troublemaker Buck Hannassey (Chuck Conners) and then ranch foreman Steve Leech (Charleton Heston). Not one for petty violence or proving his worth before a crowd, McKay takes the high road, much to Pat's dismay.
Looking to find his way on his own terms, McKay becomes smitten with a valuable piece of land owned by Pat's childhood friend Julie Maragon (Jean Simmons) and soon finds himself in the middle of a bitter feud over water rights between Major Terrill and fellow rancher Rufus Hannessey (Burl Ives in a Oscar-winning performance).
Newly released on Blu-ray by 20th Century Fox as a Walmart exclusive, the high-def Big Country is a vast improvement over its faded 2001 DVD release. Presented in its native 2.35:1 aspect ratio and featuring a 2007 Academy Film Archive-restored print, the disc offers rich, detailed colors that once again return the vivid, expansive Technirama photography to its previous glory. The sprawling ranch, the bright blue, cloud-infused skies and the perilous trek through the canyon never looked better, especially on a 47" screen.
There is a fair amount of grain visible throughout, especially during the opening credits, but it never really distracts. Also present is an occasional digital fluttering at the top of frame but you really only notice it if you take your eyes of the action. While not a restoration in the class of the recent Ten Commandments disc, this transfer is a welcome one and should not disappoint.
The Blu-ray features an English Mono DTS Master Audio track. Dialog is clear at minimal levels for the most part. I think I found myself only raising the volume a couple of the times, mainly during interior scenes.
Extras include a vintage five-minute making-of documentary narrated by Jean Simmons, a TV spot and theatrical trailer.
The only complaint, more an observation really, is that the disc has no menu screen. The film starts up immediately and only displays the extras and scenes icon when pressing the pop-up menu button. You also can't toggle between the three extras. You watch one, return to the film and then press the pop-up button again for the next extra. At just $10, I guess you get what you pay for.
The Big Country remains one of my favorite Westerns, a lasting tribute to the genre and the grand widescreen epics of the '50s and '60s. Fox's new Blu-ray is a worthy, inexpensive upgrade over the 2001 DVD and only helps boaster my admiration for this classic film.
The Big Country ( 1958 )
Restored Blu-ray Disc, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Running Time: 165 minutes
50GB Dual Layer; AVC Encoded @ Average 32 MBPS; English Mono DTS Master Audio
SRP: $10 ( Walmart Exclusive )
Picture: A -
Sound: B
Extras: C
Worth Upgrading From DVD: Yes
