← Back to Reviews
in
1956's Giant is a sprawling epic based on a novel by Edna Ferber, that touches upon subjects like race relations, big business, social class, and traditional male/female roles that was a Best Picture of 1956 nominee, won George Stevens his second Oscar for Best Director, and was probably a partial inspiration for the CBS television series Dallas.
+-+spurs.jpg)
The engrossing story basically revolves around three characters: Rock Hudson plays Jordan "Bick" Benedict, a wealthy Texas cattle baron who has definite views on marriage, children, and race but ends up finding them all challenged during the course of this story. Leslie Lynnton (Elizabeth Taylor) is a Washington DC socialite who marries Benedict after a two day romance, but refuses to be the obedient seen-but-not-heard wife that Benedict expected. James Dean had the final role of his too-brief career as Jett Rink, Benedict's former ranch hand whose inheritance of a small parcel of land from Bick's sister ends up leading to Rink striking oil and becoming a millionaire, a business rival for Benedict and a continued thorn in his personal life with his attraction to Leslie and his eventual relationship with Bick and Leslie's daughter.
Director Stevens has mounted a wonderfully entertaining story here that actually validates its over 3-hour length, which I didn't feel at all. Rock Hudson gives the performance of his career as Benedict, which resulted in his first and only Best Actor Oscar nomination. Dean was also nominated for Best Actor for his riveting performance as Jett Rink. Pay special attention to the scene where he is alone with Leslie at his new house and serves her tea or his drunken tirade near the film's climax where he drunkenly delivers a scheduled speech to an empty banquet room. For those new to cinema history, Dean's role in the film was cut short due to the actor's death in a car accident during production of the film on September 30, 1955. Elizabeth Taylor offers one of her strongest performances as Leslie, the strong-willed woman who loves her man but refuses to sit silently in a corner...love the scene where Bick tries to get her to leave while he and his men friends discuss politics and Leslie has no intention of being summarily dismissed like a 10 year old. Taylor commands the screen like she hadn't prior to this and looks absolutely breathtaking doing it.
The story actually spans some 25-30 years and all three leads are very convincing as their characters age. It's fun watching Bick and Leslie go from fussing newlyweds to parents concerned about their teenage children, played by newcomers Dennis Hopper and Carroll Baker. Love the way the story comes full circle when Bick and Leslie's daughter actually starts dating Jett Rink.
Mercedes Macambridge was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her brief but effective turn as Bick's, sister, Luz. She is too funny near the beginning of the film when Bick and Leslie first return to the ranch and she shows Bick which room he'll be in and which room Leslie will be in. Her combination of shock and disgust at the thought of them sleeping in the same room, as well as her insecurity about Leslie taking over her role at the ranch is fun to watch.
Chill Wills, Jane Withers, Earl Holliman, Paul Fix, Rod Taylor, and Judith Evelyn offer solid support and there is a brief cameo by Dean's co-star in Rebel Without a Cause, Sal Mineo. Some lush cinematography and a gorgeous musical score are the finishing touches of this classic from the 50's that turns out to still be pretty solid entertainment. 7.5/10
1956's Giant is a sprawling epic based on a novel by Edna Ferber, that touches upon subjects like race relations, big business, social class, and traditional male/female roles that was a Best Picture of 1956 nominee, won George Stevens his second Oscar for Best Director, and was probably a partial inspiration for the CBS television series Dallas.
The engrossing story basically revolves around three characters: Rock Hudson plays Jordan "Bick" Benedict, a wealthy Texas cattle baron who has definite views on marriage, children, and race but ends up finding them all challenged during the course of this story. Leslie Lynnton (Elizabeth Taylor) is a Washington DC socialite who marries Benedict after a two day romance, but refuses to be the obedient seen-but-not-heard wife that Benedict expected. James Dean had the final role of his too-brief career as Jett Rink, Benedict's former ranch hand whose inheritance of a small parcel of land from Bick's sister ends up leading to Rink striking oil and becoming a millionaire, a business rival for Benedict and a continued thorn in his personal life with his attraction to Leslie and his eventual relationship with Bick and Leslie's daughter.
Director Stevens has mounted a wonderfully entertaining story here that actually validates its over 3-hour length, which I didn't feel at all. Rock Hudson gives the performance of his career as Benedict, which resulted in his first and only Best Actor Oscar nomination. Dean was also nominated for Best Actor for his riveting performance as Jett Rink. Pay special attention to the scene where he is alone with Leslie at his new house and serves her tea or his drunken tirade near the film's climax where he drunkenly delivers a scheduled speech to an empty banquet room. For those new to cinema history, Dean's role in the film was cut short due to the actor's death in a car accident during production of the film on September 30, 1955. Elizabeth Taylor offers one of her strongest performances as Leslie, the strong-willed woman who loves her man but refuses to sit silently in a corner...love the scene where Bick tries to get her to leave while he and his men friends discuss politics and Leslie has no intention of being summarily dismissed like a 10 year old. Taylor commands the screen like she hadn't prior to this and looks absolutely breathtaking doing it.
The story actually spans some 25-30 years and all three leads are very convincing as their characters age. It's fun watching Bick and Leslie go from fussing newlyweds to parents concerned about their teenage children, played by newcomers Dennis Hopper and Carroll Baker. Love the way the story comes full circle when Bick and Leslie's daughter actually starts dating Jett Rink.
Mercedes Macambridge was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her brief but effective turn as Bick's, sister, Luz. She is too funny near the beginning of the film when Bick and Leslie first return to the ranch and she shows Bick which room he'll be in and which room Leslie will be in. Her combination of shock and disgust at the thought of them sleeping in the same room, as well as her insecurity about Leslie taking over her role at the ranch is fun to watch.
Chill Wills, Jane Withers, Earl Holliman, Paul Fix, Rod Taylor, and Judith Evelyn offer solid support and there is a brief cameo by Dean's co-star in Rebel Without a Cause, Sal Mineo. Some lush cinematography and a gorgeous musical score are the finishing touches of this classic from the 50's that turns out to still be pretty solid entertainment. 7.5/10