Thursday, September 29, 2005

Big Country


One of my favorite scenes in any film is in The Big Country (which was on TCM last night), an amazing western by one of the greats, William Wyler (see favorite directors to your right). In the scene Greg Peck, the eastern seaman, is at a party for his engagement to the local caudillos' daughter, played by Carroll Baker. At the party a yocal asks Peck, "have you ever seen anything so big?" Peck answers, "well yes, a number of oceans." It goes to the small world of the big country, get it? Jeane Simmons and Berle Ives are amazing not to mention outstanding characters played by Chuck Connors and Chalrles Bickford. Charlton Heston isn't that bad either, he actually plays a complex fellow. The star though is the West, IT'S SO BIG! It's close to a perfect film.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is totally irrelevant to what u wrote--but have u read "The World is Flat" by Tom Friedman? I like it thus far--but u always seem to have different views from everyone else on everything. I was just curious?

Anonymous said...

oh and I know "I was just curious" is not a question, thats a typo

Fons said...

If you notice almost EVERY article TF writes now he mention the "flat earth." This is very unoriginal idea that because of the new technology/information based economy anyone with a little gumtion and training can be a millionaire whether their from Bangladesh or Switzerland. I think it's Haratio Alger for the 21st century. The guy is a cheerleader for neo-liberalism and at times a major western chauvinist. Again I will refer to Thomas Frank who has made mincemeat of the other TF. See: http://www.tcfrank.com/essays.html, Frank vs. Freidman. Also, I think you have to pay for the Le Monde article, see: http://www.centerforbookculture.org/context/no6/frank.html or http://www.progressive.org/?q=mag_apal0705