Giant (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'Giant', is a lonnnnng (3 hours +), but well-acted, sprawling epic drama directed by the great George Stevens, & adapted from Edna Ferber's saga which presents a stunning, decades-spanning portrait of one wealthy Texas family in the era when the cattle barons fought hard, but were still being taken over by big the oil tycoons. Power. Wealth. Esteem. Land. Family. Jobs. Oil completely changed - not only the literal landscape - but also way of life of Texas & its hardworking people. This film showcases the enormously damaging effects of the oil discovery on every single person (character, in this story) who came in contact with it.
Giving, perhaps, his best performance, Rock Hudson plays Bick Benedict, a rich - if cocky - cattle baron married to a spoiled, but beautiful Virginian woman, Leslie (Elizabeth Taylor, and hey, when isn't she depicted as spoiled, but beautiful). Liz Taylor is also excellent in this role; having to age convincingly over the years, ward-off romances by other men, & try to hold her floundering family together. James Dean plays Jett Rink, a sullen, lowly farmhand whose life undergoes an enormous change after he discovers oil on his spot of land & becomes a subsequent millionaire.
As the film progresses, he becomes more confident, as well as a drunkard (as evidenced in his big, climactic scene at a dinner function). This would be James Dean's last film as he was unfortunately killed in a car crash soon afterwards. Also stellar is Mercedes McCambridge as a bitter old maid who finds an unfortunate end. Dennis Hopper, Carroll Baker & Sal Mineo all find room to make impact in smaller roles, as well. Yes, the acting in 'Giant' is overall, quite superlative.
This epic, budgeted at a great $5 million (for that time), was intended to be the BIG Oscar film of 1956 -- "The one to beat". However, while it made fantastic $$ at the box office, received good reviews, & enjoyed a host of Oscar nominations ... it was ultimately eclipsed by 3 other BIG movies that somewhat overshadowed 'Giant'. They were Oscar-winning Around the World in Eighty Days, The Ten Commandments, & The King & I. It was very difficult for 'Giant' to compete against that trifecta; but it DID, at least, win 1 Oscar: for George Steven's astute direction.
Some modern-day critics and/or audiences view 'Giant' as a bloated motion picture that is more impressive in ambition & scope than narrative energy. All can agree that it looks fabulous; that the acting was great; and that any scene btwn. Taylor & Dean crackle with chemistry. But these critics/audiences would be shortsighted to see that 'Giant' also offered social commentary. It subtly comments on the ideological cracks in the notion of 'The American Dream'. With the Liz Taylor character, we see how some women were not content to sit on the sidelines in their allotted wife/mother roles all of the time.
And this movie also touches upon racism, as well as the touchy melting pot mythology (certainly in Texas); I'm reminded of a scene in which Dennis Hopper has married a Mexican-American girl & is thrown out of a diner. Rock Hudson gets the crap beat out of him; but he was fighting for a noble cause. So I greatly enjoyed 'Giant'. There are artistic, thematic & cinematic merits everywhere. I just wish it could have somehow been honed to something in the 2-2.5 hour range, and not 3.
Giving, perhaps, his best performance, Rock Hudson plays Bick Benedict, a rich - if cocky - cattle baron married to a spoiled, but beautiful Virginian woman, Leslie (Elizabeth Taylor, and hey, when isn't she depicted as spoiled, but beautiful). Liz Taylor is also excellent in this role; having to age convincingly over the years, ward-off romances by other men, & try to hold her floundering family together. James Dean plays Jett Rink, a sullen, lowly farmhand whose life undergoes an enormous change after he discovers oil on his spot of land & becomes a subsequent millionaire.
As the film progresses, he becomes more confident, as well as a drunkard (as evidenced in his big, climactic scene at a dinner function). This would be James Dean's last film as he was unfortunately killed in a car crash soon afterwards. Also stellar is Mercedes McCambridge as a bitter old maid who finds an unfortunate end. Dennis Hopper, Carroll Baker & Sal Mineo all find room to make impact in smaller roles, as well. Yes, the acting in 'Giant' is overall, quite superlative.
This epic, budgeted at a great $5 million (for that time), was intended to be the BIG Oscar film of 1956 -- "The one to beat". However, while it made fantastic $$ at the box office, received good reviews, & enjoyed a host of Oscar nominations ... it was ultimately eclipsed by 3 other BIG movies that somewhat overshadowed 'Giant'. They were Oscar-winning Around the World in Eighty Days, The Ten Commandments, & The King & I. It was very difficult for 'Giant' to compete against that trifecta; but it DID, at least, win 1 Oscar: for George Steven's astute direction.
Some modern-day critics and/or audiences view 'Giant' as a bloated motion picture that is more impressive in ambition & scope than narrative energy. All can agree that it looks fabulous; that the acting was great; and that any scene btwn. Taylor & Dean crackle with chemistry. But these critics/audiences would be shortsighted to see that 'Giant' also offered social commentary. It subtly comments on the ideological cracks in the notion of 'The American Dream'. With the Liz Taylor character, we see how some women were not content to sit on the sidelines in their allotted wife/mother roles all of the time.
And this movie also touches upon racism, as well as the touchy melting pot mythology (certainly in Texas); I'm reminded of a scene in which Dennis Hopper has married a Mexican-American girl & is thrown out of a diner. Rock Hudson gets the crap beat out of him; but he was fighting for a noble cause. So I greatly enjoyed 'Giant'. There are artistic, thematic & cinematic merits everywhere. I just wish it could have somehow been honed to something in the 2-2.5 hour range, and not 3.