A
Critique of the Motion Picture : The
Big Country (1958)
Genre: Romance,
Western
Director: William
Wyler
Music:
Jerome Moross
Writer: James
R. Webb, Sy Bartlett, Robert Wilder
Stars: Gregory
Peck, Jean Simmons, Carroll Baker, Charlton Heston, Burl Ives, Chuck
Connors
The
overall story. A New England Sea Captain in the 1880s arrives at his
fiancée's sprawling Texas ranch, where he becomes caught up in
a feud between two families over a valuable patch of land through
which runs a River………very
valuable when running a Cattle Ranch.
I
saw this movie and was impressed with the land so wide that a giant
movie screen could not provide enough space to encompass it - but
could only show tiny bits of it. Aside from the following mild
critique, it was an excellent film and the music was notable in that
it set the stage for giant soundtracks as might be used for epic
films of the ilk by Cecil B. DeMille.
Herein,
I am concentrating on a sub-plot of the script that generated about
20 minutes of the film and was a direct consequence of our Hero’s
past service in maritime travels as a Sea Captain. I believe that the
writers missed a good chance to lean heavily on the history of
Navigation . . . namely, it’s tools were just as useful around
The Big Country
as they had been at sea.
The
ex-Sea Captain (played by Gregory Peck) was
handed over by the Ranch Owner (an
ex-MAJOR of the Army and Father of the Fiancée) to
the Ranch Foreman
(played by
Charlton Heston - who was secretly in love with the Ranch Owner’s
Daughter) to
establish his living
arrangements while staying at the Ranch until the Wedding.
It goes without saying that the Foreman will become the Cat that toys
with a Mouse instead of a provider of excellent hospitality.
For
instance, when the Sea Captain asks for a horse to ride around the
countryside, the Foreman gives him the meanest beast that they owned.
While all the Ranch Hands were out rounding up cattle, our Hero
solves that problem by stubbornly re-climbing on board numerous times
after being pitched off - until the Horse was worn out and obeyed him
. . . . all in secret except for a Mexican Ranch Hand who saw with
awe the whole heroic process. A Skipper of a sailing vessel in the
1800s (where there were no Unions for the Ordinary
Seaman to
arbitrate his grievances)
who faces possible Mutiny on a daily basis has a kind of toughness
leading to perseverance that a mere untamed horse could not soften
!
Then
he took the horse and some provisions and, saying that he wanted to
scout out the country, left the ranch and was gone for several days.
The Mexican Ranch Hand told both the Major and the Foreman, that our
Hero had said, when he got on the horse, that all would be well as
long as he had a curious looking “watch” that he was
carrying along with a map that he had been given in town at the Train
Station.
Here,
I use my imagination fix the Manuscript, slightly, where it is
wanting For the next few days, the Ranch went crazy with the Fiancée
paining about letting her future Husband loose in a half-desert land
of 10,000 acres and with no landmarks. The result was the sending
out of large search parties one after another. . . . all with
negative results. The Foreman got grumpy, then angry, because all his
men were being worn to a frazzle searching and were letting their
normal work slip.
When,
at last, he turned up unscathed and not dying of thirst (because he
had found the River right where the Map said it would be) he made
light of his trip and described the country-side eloquently to a
visiting party of neighbors who happened to be there at the Ranch
when he showed up. This was “arrogance of the worst kind”
the Foreman said and for
him to
pretend that he was not ever lost was just a quickly dreamed-up lie! He called him a LIAR right out loud and
challenged him to “put
up his dukes and defend himself”. Our Hero said: “No
thank you. You just want to show off to an audience in front of my
future wife. I’ll pass now on this issue - but right here and
now, as a Gentleman, I proclaim my word to you and to all who hear me
that, I will give you full satisfaction some other time and place”.
Later,
when alone with the Major, he said: “Major, as an educated man,
you must have known that a Sea Captain is required to know the
science of Navigation.” Using the Constellations as his guide
and with a good Compass (that curious little “Watch” of
mine as the Mexican Ranch Hand called it) and with fairly accurate
maps, he can never be lost and will find his way - - all over the
World ! I have Captained several sailing ships on many trips to the
Orient without problems. This big country of yours gave me no
problems, as well. I’m sure you could have calmed both your
Daughter and your ignorant
Foreman
by citing these well known facts to them. The concerned Search
Parties were totally a waste of time and effort”.
The
MAJOR said: “Yes - now as I look back, you are right” and
mumbled something about overlooking all
that in the
hectic of his battle
with a neighbor that had become a full blown feud. The ex-Skipper
continued: “I could have made these same remarks in front of
that audience that was there when I came back - but I did not want to
seem like I was putting you (my esteemed Host) down for not thinking
of and telling your neighbors and employees about the historical
background of geographical orientation.”
As
for “full satisfaction some other time and place,” it was
not long in taking place. One morning, the Foreman was awakened by a
loud knocking on his door. When he opened it, there stood the Sailing
Skipper saying: “I came to say GOODBY to you in
private and
to keep my word about
“putting up my Dukes”. The Foreman pointed out back to a
hilly place behind the house. They walked silently a ways and then
the Foreman whirled around taking a boxer’s stance. They fought
for about a half hour with the Skipper slightly ahead. The Foreman
said all covered in sweat: “This is the longest GOODBY that I
have ever bespoken.” They left each other the wiser and IN
RESPECT; the Foreman no longer carried a chip on his shoulder . . . .
either about losing the possibility of getting the Daughter for
himself or about the honesty of her future Husband.
THE
MORAL OF MY “FIX” TO THIS STORY: Science and Technology
go hand in hand and one should never take for granted that the masses
are “keeping up” with the oldest techniques being used
for some purpose or the newest changes to them. It is especially
important to recognize that certain techniques may be Centuries old
but still so effective that they are used regularly by laymen in
their daily rounds. So it is with NAVIGATING a Ship (or an Airplane
or an Automobile or a Horse).