Some of these pictures and descriptions may give away plot details that you might not want to know before watching the film.
"The legendary epic that's as big as Texas."
"Jett Rink was made to get to the top -- so he could have the fun of falling all the way down."
We see a horse ride by a snake that is curled up next next to a bush. It's a fake snake with the tail propped up and a raised head that is manipulated to move. We hear rattling sounds. Then we see a different snake, this time a live western diamond-backed rattlesnake which moves slightly but is not rattling, although we still hear rattling sounds. Jett Rink (Rock Hudson), sitting on a horse, draws his rifle and shoots at what is now a third snake, another dead one with its head raised up. After a small explosion goes off to simulate where the bullet hits, the body moves forward slightly. There was no comment or dialogue at all to explain what he was doing or why. Rink just shot the snake the way someone would swat a fly, then gave it no more thought. The need for a cowboy to kill every rattlesnake he encounters, needs no explanation, right?