Wonder what this would have looked like....

You can get an idea of what The Big Sky might have looked like in color and widescreen by watching The Far Horizons (1955), with Fred MacMurray and Charlton Heston as Lewis and Clark. Much of it was shot in the same locations, and using a similar (maybe even the same) keelboat. That film was in color and VistaVision, not as wide as CinemaScope, but it'll give you some sense of what TBS could have looked like.

However, I think black-and-white and the standard aspect ratio suit this movie far better than color and widescreen would have. The cinematography (nominated for an Oscar) is almost like seeing Ansel Adams photographs come to life, and captures the beauty of the scenery in a different and more intriguing way than the "reality" of color. More to the point, b&w is far more intimate in the way it emphasizes character and story, as well as locations, and is much more suitable for a tale driven by characterizations as much as spectacle. In widescreen and color, The Big Sky might still have been good, but would not have had that special quality that makes it stand out. It would have been just another outdoor adventure tale, with the superficiality of the picture overwhelming the crucial human elements.

This is reputedly Clint Eastwood's favorite "western" (which it isn't exactly), and its look and feel are among the reasons he apparently likes it so much.

Agreed, a good story is what makes this a good film. Also, personally, I think b&w films work as well as colour. Maybe that's because I grew up watching them but I think faces and character often work more strongly in b&w.

According to Hawks's biographer, Hawks wanted to do The Big Sky in b&w, just as he had filmed Red River in b&w, and never even considered color. At this point he had still never made a color film and preferred the look of b&w. The fact that it cost less than color might have impressed RKO studio boss Howard Hughes but cost wasn't a concern to Hawks since he planned to shoot in b&w anyway. Maybe you should read the facts before sounding off on a topic.

And you can knock off that "regular Joe" pose, the guy without fancy airs who likes to make himself feel superior by making fun of people he calls "pretentious" and "purists". Pretty lame and obvious.