The Big Country uses a few of the Western Tropes, like a damsel in distress, the fish out of water, the expected showdown, but they are turned on their head.
We have a character, Jim McKay played by Gregory Peck, who is the fish out of water character, however, he is the catalyst for a change in the dynamics among the Texas ranchers he plans to join. He’s engaged to Pat Terrill played by Carroll Baker and arrives to find that her father, Major Terrill, Charles Bickford, is in a feud with Rufus Hannessey, Burl Ives over who will be able to buy the valuable Big Muddy Ranch.
Jim is a former ship captain and has traveled the world. Because of this he’s confident in who he is and doesn’t need to prove himself. This puts him in stark contrast to the rest of the men in the area who are always proving their manhood either by raiding their neighbors, or getting to fights.
Unfortunately the Major is the biggest trouble maker. He sees himself as the big man in the area. He wants to expand his land holdings by purchasing “The Big Muddy” from Julie Maragon, Jean Simmons. Her grandfather used to allow all the ranchers to bring their cattle to water at the Big Muddy during the dry season. But ever since he died tensions have been rising. When the Hannessey boys harass Jim on his first day with Pat on the way to her ranch, the Major uses it as the excuse he’s been waiting for to escalate the feud.
Willam Wyler wanted this film to be an anti-war statement. And in a way it is, but it also examines the different kinds of masculinity. Ramon, a hand on the Terrill ranch and friend of Jim’s says it best speaking about Jim, “A man like him is very rare”. And he is. He doesn’t play by the other men’s rules and that causes many of them to rethink what it mean to be a man.
Celeste and I hope you will watch the movie and our analysis and make comments. We’d love to start a discussion.
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