Meanwhile, Terrill insists on riding into the canyon. Initially, Leech refuses to accompany him, and the other men follow his lead. However, after Terrill rides out alone, Leech catches up with him. The remaining hands again align themselves with Leech by following. The group soon rides into a trap in the canyon. Acknowledging the truth of McKay's accusation, Hannassey orders his men to stop shooting and challenges Terrill to a one-on-one showdown. Hannassey and Terrill kill each other, and McKay, Julie, and Ramon ride out of the canyon together.

Cast

Actor	Role
Gregory Peck Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...	James McKay
Jean Simmons Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons, OBE was an English actress. She appeared predominantly in motion pictures, beginning with films made in Great Britain during and after World War II – she was one of J...	Julie Maragon
Carroll Baker Carroll Baker Carroll Baker is a former American actress who has enjoyed popularity as both a serious dramatic actress and, particularly in the 1960s, as a movie sex symbol...	Patricia Terrill
Charlton Heston Charlton Heston Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...	Steve Leech
Burl Ives Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was an American actor, writer and folk music singer. As an actor, Ives's work included comedies, dramas, and voice work in theater, television, and motion pictures. Music critic John Rockwell said, "Ives's voice .....	Rufus Hannassey
Charles Bickford Charles Bickford Charles Bickford was an American actor best known for his supporting roles. He was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for The Song of Bernadette , The Farmer's Daughter , and Johnny Belinda...	Maj. Henry Terrill
Alfonso Bedoya Alfonso Bedoya Alfonso Bedoya was a Mexican actor who frequently appeared in U.S. films.- Early life :Bedoya was born in Sonora. He had a nomadic childhood upbringing in Mexico, though he was educated in Houston, Texas.- Film career :...	Ramón Guiteras
Chuck Connors Chuck Connors Chuck Connors was an American actor, writer, and professional basketball and baseball player. His best known role from his forty-year film career was Lucas McCain in the 1960s ABC hit Western series The Rifleman....	Buck Hannassey

Reception

Ives won the Academy Award

Academy Awards

An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...

 as Best Supporting Actor

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...

 as well as the Golden Globe Award

Golden Globe Award

The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...

. The film was also nominated for an Academy Award

Academy Awards

An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...

 for the musical score by Jerome Moross

Jerome Moross

Jerome Moross was an American-born composer for the stage, and a composer, conductor and orchestrator for motion pictures.-Biography:...

.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...

 liked the movie very much and showed it on four successive evenings in the White House during his second administration.

A theme from Moross' score of The Big Country (as performed by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra) was sampled, somewhat bizarrely, by MC Tunes

MC Tunes

MC Tunes is a British rapper from the suburb of Moss Side in Manchester. His name was legally changed to Lockett in 1981. Tunes was one of the big promoters of the Madchester-era during the 1980s and 1990s.-808 State:Tunes first worked with 808 State on the 1990 album, The North At Its Heights...

 versus 808 State

808 State

808 State are a British electronic music outfit, formed in 1987 in Manchester, taking their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine and their common state of mind...

 in a top 10 UK

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 chart hit, The Only Rhyme That Bites, in 1990. A decade later, girl-group Atomic Kitten

Atomic Kitten

Atomic Kitten were an English girl group from Liverpool, first established in 1997. Created by Andy McCluskey, the final line-up, and most commercially successful, consisted of Natasha Hamilton, Liz McClarnon, and Jenny Frost...

 used the same sample on their Top 20 hit I Want Your Love in 2000. It is also quoted heavily in Yes' 1970 cover of Richie Havens' song "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed".

In a poll of 500 films held by Empire Magazine

Empire (magazine)

Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. From the first issue in July 1989, the magazine was edited by Barry McIlheney and published by Emap. Bauer purchased Emap Consumer Media in early 2008...

, it was voted 187th Greatest Movie of all time.

American Film Institute

American Film Institute

The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...

 Lists

• AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores
  AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores
  Part of the AFI 100 Years… series, AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores is a list of the top 25 film scores in American cinema. The list was unveiled by the American Film Institute in 2005.-The List:-External links:**...
  
   — Nominated
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers — Nominated
• AFI's 10 Top 10
  AFI's 10 Top 10
  AFI's 10 Top 10 honors the ten greatest American films in ten classic film genres. Presented by the American Film Institute , the lists were unveiled on a television special broadcast by CBS on June 17, 2008....
  
   — Nominated Western Film

Comic book

A comic book adaptation of the novel and tie-in to the movie was first released in 1957.

Locations

The Blanco Canyon scenes were filmed in California's Red Rock Canyon State Park

Red Rock Canyon State Park (California)

Red Rock Canyon State Park features scenic desert cliffs, buttes and spectacular rock formations. The park is located where the southernmost tip of the Sierra Nevada converges with the El Paso Mountains....

. The ranch and field scenes with greenery were filmed in the central California Sierra foothills near the town of Farmington

Farmington, California

Farmington is a census-designated place in San Joaquin County, California, United States. The population was 207 at the 2010 census, down from 262 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Farmington is located at ....

.