Gigante

"Giant" is a sometimes forgotten masterpiece which is remembered for its massive budget (becoming the most expensive movie ever made at that time) and of course James Dean's death during the final stages of production. All the sub-stories during the making of this film overshadow the fact that this is easily one of the top ten movies ever made. Definitely in the class with epics like "Gone With the Wind" and "Lawrence of Arabia", "Giant" is a 200-minute symphony of a movie about the life of a Texas cattle rancher (Oscar-nominee Rock Hudson) and his wife from the East Coast (Elizabeth Taylor). Immediately following their marriage, Hudson's older sister (Mercedes McCambridge, Oscar-nominated) dies after falling off the same horse that Hudson had bought from Taylor's father. Disgusted with the fact that Hudson had married Taylor, McCambridge had decided to leave a small part of her land to quiet cow-hand James Dean (in his finest performance, garnering him his second consecutive posthumous Oscar nomination). Hudson is advised to buy the land from Dean, but Dean refuses to sell. Now Dean is trying to strike oil and is ultimately successful. He becomes a huge oil baron and one of the richest and most powerful men in Texas. Hudson continues to make money as well, but eventually has to swallow his pride and become a wild-catter himself. The hate and friction between Hudson and Dean is sure to lead to fireworks for all associated with the two volatile men. Secretly, Dean has always loved Taylor and even goes so far as to try and get with Taylor's youngest daughter (a brilliant turn by Carroll Baker). Dean is trying to substitute Baker for the lover he has always had for Taylor. By this time Dean is well in his 50s (due to heavy makeup), but he is trying to capture the failed dreams of his youth. Ultimately, Dean has everything except the one thing he really wanted. He lacks love in his life and he suffers miserably through as the film progresses. The older twin children of Hudson and Taylor's both grow up to go in very different directions. The daughter (Fran Bennett) marries and wants to run the ranch, to Hudson's approval and Taylor's dismay. However, the son (a very young Dennis Hopper) marries a Hispanic woman (very taboo back in those days) and wants to go north to become a doctor. Of course Hudson is outraged at this development and nearly disowns Hopper all together. Hudson then decides that Bennett's new husband (Earl Holliman) may be the best for the job. Holliman though is immediately drafted into World War II, along with Hispanic laborer Sal Mineo. Hudson worries about change after he passes away, but he eventually learns that most of the things he obsesses about are not as important as other matters. Equality for females and Hispanic Americans are major messages throughout here. Much like novelist Edna Ferber's equally excellent "Cimarron" (which dealt with sexism and racism toward Native- and African-Americans in Oklahoma), "Giant" paints a wonderfully complex picture of humanistic relationships from varying cinematic angles. Overall, "Giant" is a huge motion picture that is so smart, multi-layered and deep-thinking that it requires over three hours to tell the entire story. Everything here is so magnificent. The Oscar-winning direction by George Stevens, the screenplay, the art direction, the editing, the costume design, the makeup, the sound and the original musical score are all superb. Almost every actor does the best work of their respective careers as well. James Dean and Rock Hudson are the best. Mercedes McCambridge (albeit in a very small role) is super. Dennis Hopper and Carroll Baker (Baker even received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in 1956 for "Baby Doll") both show amazing range at their very young ages. Chill Wills (who plays Hudson's old wise uncle) and Elizabeth Taylor give stellar performances as always. Overlooked in 1956 (the unmemorable "Around the World in 80 Days" won the Best Picture Oscar), "Giant" is easily the best film from that weak year and is ranked as the best movie of that decade in my book. One of the most excellent productions of all time. 5 stars out of 5.

I am of the opinion that it is impossible to make a bad film out of an Edna Ferber book. Her backgrounds are epic and she creates characters who fill the backgrounds that their stories take place.

Such is the case of Giant and the story of Bick Benedict, Leslie Lynnton, and Jett Rink and all the Texans here, native and transplanted. Giant's story begins with Bick Benedict coming to Maryland to buy a prize stallion and in a whirlwind courtship, marrying and bringing back the stallion and it's owner as well who becomes Leslie Lynnton.

Benedict as played by Rock Hudson is co-owner with his sister Mercedes McCambridge of one large piece of Texas real estate named Reata which makes the Ponderosa look like a homestead. 595,000 acres Hudson modestly states to the Lynnton guests at dinner. He's also incurred the jealousy of one of his ranch hands, James Dean as Jett Rink who envies Hudson in all things including his new bride.

Hudson and Dean were both up for Best Actor in 1956 losing to Yul Brynner in The King and I, but I've always felt that this was Elizabeth Taylor's film. Liz showed what she could do in George Stevens's A Place in the Sun and unfortunately she went back to MGM and got a bunch of films that were really beneath her talents. It was George Stevens again who even though he wanted Grace Kelly in the part first, got a great performance out of Elizabeth Taylor. Although she's overawed at first by the Texans and their ways, she warms gradually up to the role of mistress of Reata and brings a touch of compassion and humanity to Reata and its people.

The leading man was also borrowed by Warner Brothers. Rock Hudson got his one and only Oscar nomination for this role. His character of Bick Benedict ages and grows in every way. Maybe because its Rock Hudson playing the part, but I think it's Hudson innate and underrated skill as a player that makes you know there's a latent decency that's eventually going to overcome the bad things he was brought up with.

Of course Giant marks the early tragic farewell of James Dean as player. In one terrible accident that claimed his life James Dean went from rebel actor to eternal legend. Jett Rink was the final piece of his performing career and only a hint of what we could have expected from him. He's a dirt poor ranch hand, as poor as the Mexicans, who mostly work at Reata, but he doesn't identify with them at all. When he strikes it oil rich, he's just put in a position where he can now inflict terrible things on those people he feels superior to.

When film fans talk about Giant they talk about the differences between Hudson and Dean. Hudson starts out rich and prejudiced, Dean is poor and prejudiced. Dean strikes it rich and becomes an oil billionaire, but it's brought him no happiness, just richer surroundings to be miserable in. The difference is that Hudson had Taylor and the children they both had. Their lives together, Taylor's love and devotion and his children's respectful rebellion made him see things differently and grow as a person. If Dean had an Elizabeth Taylor, things might have worked out better for him in a personal sense.

George Stevens won the only Oscar that Giant got that year, for Best Director. The all-star extravaganza Around the World in 80 Days won for Best Picture, though I think Giant has stood the test of time a lot better. Then again Stevens had an Edna Ferber epic story to work from and as I said before, you can't ever go wrong with one of her stories.

George Stevens' 1956 epic "Giant" is the story of the Jordan Benedict (Rock Hudson), the male heir to one of the largest cattle ranching families in Texas. At the start of the film, we see Jordan traveling to Maryland to look at a horse he is interested in purchasing, There he meets Leslie, (Elizabeth Taylor) the daughter of the man he is purchasing the horse from (and the unofficial "owner" of the horse) and immediately falls in love with her. The feeling is mutual, so after an incredibly brief (two day) courtship, they marry and he brings her back to his ranch in Texas, Reatta. At first, life on the ranch is tough, particularly while dealing with Jordan's overprotective, no-nonsense sister Luz. (Mercedes McCambridge) Leslie soon adjusts, however, and the two of them start a family. Meanwhile, Jordan is at constant odds with one of his ranch hands, Jet Rink (James Dean) whom he always wants to fire, but is eternally protected by Luz. When Luz unexpectedly dies, Jet is ready to walk off the ranch for good, but discovers that Luz has bequeathed a parcel of the land to him. Partly to tick Jordan off, partly for his respect for Luz and partly so that he can have something for himself, Jett eschews Jordan's cash buyout and instead sets up a homestead on the land. Five years later, Jet strikes oil, and soon he is again at odds with the Benedicts, as Jet, having become one of the richest men in Texas, wants to buy out Reatta, while Jordan wants to keep the ranch for cattle raising, and most importantly – to keep it in the family. The next 15-20 years are spent raising their children and trying to cope with a changing family dynamic, one where the children may not want to adhere to the roles that have been pre-attributed to them, a struggle that is particularly hard for their son Jordan III (Dennis Hopper) because as the sole male heir, his dream of becoming a doctor is seemingly out of the question. "Giant" is about life, and the ever-changing role of the American family.

"Giant" is a very long film, (about three and a half hours) but this time frame is necessary because the story is so rich. Despite its running time, there are no pacing issues, and no real superfluous scenes. The cinematography is lush and rich (I never really thought Texas to be all that intriguing, but William C. Mellor's photography was exquisite. The performances by the principals were very good, particularly since they had to age 25 years in the film. This wasn't a mere makeup job, you could feel the aging in the way they carried themselves, and their facial expressions. James Dean in particular, perhaps because he had such a fascinating character, was stunning. Jet Rink is a complex character, and Dean really worked the role fantastically. I was also impressed, considering the overly idealistic Hollywood of the 1950's, that "Giant", while ending on a happy note, did not compromise its characters in any way to achieve its ending. Jordan for example, is typical old-guard Texas, and therefore looks down on Mexicans. When his son marries one, he has marginal acceptance and is always polite, but even after engaging in a fight to defend the honor of his grandson, he still expresses his woe that his grandson is who he is. Also, Leslie is an unabashed free-thinker who often challenges the Texas traditions, much to Jordan's chagrin. Throughout their years together however, she does not compromise her views and need to express them. I really liked this about the film, because it is rare for the time, particularly when the genre is melodrama.

I really liked this film, though when recommending it, have to caution because of the sheer length of the film. Watching "Giant" is an investment of time, but it is certainly a worthwhile investment. 7/10 --Shelly

George Steven's epic western GIANT, based on Edna Ferber's roman-fleuve about a wealthy Texas rancher household that spans over decades, rightfully won him a second Oscar for BEST DIRECTOR, but this is the sole trophy out of the picture's 10 nominations (although Mercedes McCambridge's coattail nomination is a fluke in hindsight, she has nothing to wield but a frosty front), mostly lost out to Michael Anderson's less time-honored AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (1956), another taint forever besmirches the Academy's credibility.

The couple under the limelight is Jordan "Bick" Benedict Jr. (Hudson), the said rancher and his wife Leslie Lynnton (Taylor), a socialite from Maryland, who must adapt herself to the a completely different lifestyle but never flinches from her modern view of treating their Mexican employees (yes, they are referred as wetbacks) with equal respect, which collides with Bick's more entrenched racist frame of mind, and this "progressive East Coast vs. traditional Western Inland" leitmotif maintains as the pillar of the film and later evolves into Bick's epic defeat of his paternalistic arrangement in relation to their three children. Throughout, it is Bick's glacial change of his old-world attitude that flourishes during all the long years, Rock Hudson gives an endearingly no-nonsense impersonation that not unlike his first name, becomes a bedrock of the film, a pretense-free Texan learns to brave a new world that beyond his widest imagination and eventually transmutes into a better person, a titular "giant" in the end, even he is beaten up for standing up for the right cause, why it is so inspiring because it is a personal victory, and means the world to them, good deeds must be carried out no matter how formidable adversity looks, who can refute that?

Taylor, on the other hand, dazzles in Leslie's bluff honesty and impeccable integrity that makes us root for her right out of box, Leslie's life orbit is less tectonic, but incredibly, both she and Hudson acquit themselves convincingly under their senior makeup, to parent fresh-faces like Dennis Hopper and Carrol Baker, and a strong sense of affinity between the two never get attenuated, not even during their not-so-infrequent spats.

Of course, the biggest selling point is James Dean in his final picture, although for sentimental reasons, he received his second posthumous Oscar nomination in the leading actor category, but his indecipherable upstart Jett Rink is a substantial supporting character in the whole picture, and he would be a shoo-in to win if he could have competed in the category where his character truly belongs, however, his name had already become too big a legend to be relegated at that point. His portrayal of Jett, emphatically registers a false layer of insouciance that defies operatics, vaguely masks his touching vulnerability and troubling uneasiness towards the unattainable object of his desire, Leslie, whose footprint inadvertently strikes gold for him, but whose heart he can never conquer.

Thus, it is the black gold that sounds the death knell of the Western genre as we know it, Stevens and DP. William C. Mellor employ stunning imagery to exhibit the burgeoning modernization that invades the vastness where materialistic gain lies beneath and beckons, as an answer to the prior un-warped long shots which retain the Old West in its most august splendor, the cattle herd sequences, or the majestic take on Benedicts' singular mansion for instance, but at the end of the day, it is the story's sagacious message that transcends its racist, patriarchy milieu, and makes GIANT a culturally, historically and aesthetically significant American tome that takes us through an elemental learning-curve of open-mindedness and righteousness that flouts the specious "winner takes it all" precept, without forging its tangy nostalgia for a bygone era.

I am a sucker for long, sprawling epics about history or social issues. Ben-Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, and Doctor Zhivago are films I could watch on repeat. Now we can add 1956's Giant to the list. It's one of the only films to tell the story about Texas and how the state transitioned from the old-fashioned cattle/cowboy era to the modern oil industry. I adored every minute of this three-hour and twenty-one minute feature. Yes, it's long but it is a film that has big, ambitious ideas and characters you'll come to know and fall in love with.....just as I did.

The film is based off an Edna Ferber novel. If you are familiar with her work, you'll know that her books capture social injustice issues such as racism. In her book this movie was adapted from, she gave us big ideas to think about along the lines of racism and women's rights. From the 1920's to 1940's, the Mexican Americans on the ranches were treated with contempt and just a tad better than slaves. Also, the idea of a woman coming into an industry dominated by men and speaking her mind freely was something nearly unheard of. Like the book, the movie tackles these ideas and rather successfully. After all, the early-to-mid 1900's were changing times for the Lonestar State. I think the screenplay, written by Ivan Moffat and Henry Ginsberg, captured the tone and spirt of her vast epic.

The film was directed by George Stevens. If that name sounds familiar to you, maybe you have seen 1951's A Place in the Sun or the lovely 1936 film, Swing Time. Stevens handsomely directed the film and put together a very worthy cast. In his long career creating tons of good movies, it's hard to believe that he only won one Academy Award. That was for this movie and he deserved it. This is one of those movies that stand the test of time.

Giant tells the story than spans over two decades. It tells the story of poverty versus wealth, along with racial discrimination and deep feelings such as prejudice. All of this is centered around one Texas ranch- The Reata. The Reata is ran by his cattle baron Jordan Benedict (Rock Hudson) and his sister, Luz (Mercedes McCambridge). They run a tight ship and treat the Mexican Americans on their farm with disdain. When Benedict travels to Maryland to buy a beautiful stallion, he meets the even more beautiful Leslie (Elizabeth Taylor). The two get married and Leslie moves to the ranch where she makes it a life goal to institute social changes. Then there is the ranch hand, Jett Rink (James Dean) who is jealous of Jordan's success. When he strikes oil, he instantly becomes a billionaire. Not just these central characters, but how will the entire family take in all of these changes?

I loved the performances in the film. This film garnished Rock Hudson his only Academy Award nomination. He has always been an undervalued actor, but I loved his performance. There was a sequence towards the end, a fistfight at the cause of social injustice, and that shows his capability. Elizabeth Taylor previously worked with George Stevens in 1951's A Place in the Sun and showed how talented she was. Even though she was not Stevens's first choice for this picture, she once again rose to elite level. Then we have James Dean. Dean had his career cut extremely short due to his untimely death toward the end of this film's production. Stevens had another guy come in to dub the actor's lines which may have been why the film took more than a year in post-production. He captured the distrust of Jett Rink very well and easily showed that money cannot guarantee happiness. You may recognize other faces here. Dennis Hopper as Jordan's son, Carroll Baker as Jordan's daughter, and Rod Taylor as Sir David Karfrey.

The film is so beautiful to look at. Cinematographer William C. Mellor gave the deserts of Texas its own beauty. I felt so alive and even romantic gazing at the Texan landscape. I truly felt transported to another time and place. The music by Dmitri Tiomkin fits the epic format easily with recognizable themes.

Ultimately, I really enjoyed the vast movie that is Giant. It's one of the few early movies that gives it due to social causes like racism and women's rights. It harshly criticized the way of Texan life. I found it ironic that many Texans actually adored the movie when it came out. But based off an Edna Ferber novel, of course these themes will be prevalent. Beautiful landscapes, powerful acting from the lead trio, and great direction are just some of the reasons to see the movie. The movie tackles multiple generations, so be prepared to fall in love....or possibly hate some characters.

My Grade: A