Gregory Peck in The Big Country (1958).

Filmed in Technirama, this widescreen epic Western, co-produced by star Gregory Peck and director William Wyler, features an Oscar®-winning performance by Burl Ives and a classic Oscar-nominated score by Jerome Moross.  Peck portrays a successful sea captain who retires to the West to marry his fiancée (Carroll Baker), the daughter of a wealthy landowner.  When conflicts erupt between her family and rival landowners over watering rights for their cattle, Peck finds himself among men whose very nature is as alien to him as his is to them.  The brutal clan war that ensues was intended, according to Peck, to serve as a “left-wing allegory for the Cold War.”  Showcasing the spectacular vistas of the open range and a cast that includes Jean Simmons, Charlton Heston and Chuck Connors, this new restoration returns the film to its original glory.  With the advertising tagline of “Big they fought! Big they loved! Big their story!” The Big Country demands to be seen on the big screen.

Cast Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Carroll Baker, Charlton Heston, Burl Ives, Charles Bickford, Alfonso Bedoya, Chuck Connors, Chuck Hayward, Buff Brady, Jim Burk.

Directed by William Wyler.  Produced by William Wyler, Gregory Peck.  Associate Producer Robert Wyler.  Screenplay James R. Webb, Sy Bartlett, Robert Wilder.  Based on the novel Ambush at Blanco Canyon by Donald Hamilton.  Adaptation Jessamyn West, Robert Wyler.  Cinematography Franz F. Planer.  Supervising Editor Robert Swink.  Film Editing Robert Belcher, John Faure.  Art Direction Frank Hotaling.  Set Decoration Edward G. Boyle.  Costume Design Emile Santiago, Yvonne Wood.  Music Jerome Moross.  Sound Recording John Kean, Roger Heman.  Anthony-Worldwide Productions; United Artists.  1958.  35mm.  166 mins.  Print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive.

Academy Award® winner: Actor in a Supporting Role (Ives).

Academy Award nominee: Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (Moross).

Tickets are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members. Tickets for this event will be available beginning June 1 at the Academy during regular business hours, by mail (HTML or PDF format), or on the night of the screening, if still available. Please note, we do not take phone reservations. If ordering by mail, please remember to include a self-addressed, stamped envelope along with a check made out to THE ACADEMY FOUNDATION. The Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved. For additional information, please call the Academy at (310) 247-3600.