The Big Country

(William Wyler, US 1958, 171 min., 35mm)

William Wyler. Wyler’s epic western drama returns him full circle to the genre in which he began his career. Jim McKay (Gregory Peck) arrives in San Rafael to reunite with his fiancée, Patricia, whose family owns a large cattle ranch. His desire for a quiet life is thwarted by repeated challenges from the ranchers on two sides of a long-standing feud. Disappointed by his seeming cowardice, Patricia questions their relationship and McKay unwittingly becomes the fulcrum in a brewing range war. The only way out may just be the piece of land between the ranches—and its beautiful trustee Julie Maragon (Jean Simmons).