Big they fought! Big they loved! Big their story!

Starring: Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Carroll Baker, Charlton Heston, Burl Ives, Charles Bickford, Alfonso Bedoya, Chuck Connors, Chuck Hayward

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"There's some things a man has to prove to himself alone... not to anyone else." - James McKay

Why watch this? This sweeping, scenic Western is as big as its stars and the film's title!

Plot Summary: A former sea captain from the East travels West to marry his fiancée. He finds himself caught in the middle of a bitter and long-standing feud between two powerful families, the Terrills and the Hannasseys, over water rights to a crucial piece of land. Despite the pressures to conform to the macho and violent ways of the West, the captain seeks to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

Dad's Preview: This epic, which essentially is a love story, wrapped in a range war between two stubborn ranch owners, has several strengths: It's cast is stellar. The plot is textured and rich. The cinematography is breath-taking. And it's musical score was nominated for several awards. The tall, quiet Peck portrays a "dude" who heads West. He opposes violence and that doesn't sit well with ranch's bullying cowboys. Amid several fine performances, the one that stands out is Burl Ives for his role as the gruff Rufus Hannassey, one of the two feuding land barons. It was literally shocking to witness the normally jovial Ives play such a hard, brutal man. He deservedly won the Oscar that year for Best Supporting Actor. 

William Wyler, Gregory Peck; United Artists