The Big Country 1958

Wealthy sea captain James McKay, very humble and a gentleman, travels to the American west to join his fiancée Patricia at the enormous ranch of her father, Major Terrill. Pat is spoiled, selfish and controlled by her wealthy father. Terrill is a powerful rancher who is feuding with the equally tough patriarch of a poorer, less refined clan, Rufus Hannassey. Patricia's best friend, Julie Maragon, schoolteacher and a true lady, is caught between the two, as she is the owner of the "Big Muddy", a ranch with a vital source of water; Hannassey desperately needs it for his cattle, while Terrill wants it just so he can deny it to his rival. McKay is a puzzle to Major Terrill, his foreman Steve Leech and even Patricia; he refuses to be provoked into proving his manhood.

One morning, McKay rides out without telling anyone, goes to the Big Muddy, and persuades Julie to sell him the ranch by promising that both the Terrills and the Hannasseys will always have access to the river. Everyone believes McKay is lost, and a search party spends two days looking for him. When McKay shows up and says he knew where he was all the time, Leech calls him a liar in front of Patricia and the Major, but McKay refuses to be goaded into a fight. In private, Patricia expresses her shame at what she sees as McKay's cowardice. McKay tells her he will be moving into town to give them both time to think things over. Early the next morning, before anybody else is up, McKay settles with Leech. They fight away from the house, without witnesses, to an exhausted draw. Afterwords, McKay asks "what did we prove?" and Leech gains respect for him


An excellent study in true manliness vs, tough guy, true femininity vs. a selfish girl, pride and peer pressure vs. humility and standing alone.