Giant (1956)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

George Stevens

Writers:

Edna Ferber (novel)
Fred Guiol (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

24 November 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Western

Tagline:

From the novel by EDNA FERBER

Plot:

Sprawling epic covering the life of a Texas cattle rancher and his family and associates.

Plot Keywords:

Texan | Epic | Rancher | Texas | Cattle

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 4 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Elizabeth Taylor	...	Leslie Benedict
Rock Hudson	...	Jordan 'Bick' Benedict Jr.
James Dean	...	Jett Rink
Carroll Baker	...	Luz Benedict II
Jane Withers	...	Vashti Snythe
Chill Wills	...	Uncle Bawley
Mercedes McCambridge	...	Luz Benedict
Dennis Hopper	...	Jordan Benedict III
Sal Mineo	...	Angel Obregón II
Rod Taylor	...	Sir David Karfrey (as Rodney Taylor)
Judith Evelyn	...	Mrs. Nancy Lynnton
Earl Holliman	...	'Bob' Dace
Robert Nichols	...	Mort 'Pinky' Snythe
Paul Fix	...	Dr. Horace Lynnton
Alexander Scourby	...	Old Polo
Fran Bennett	...	Judy Benedict
Charles Watts	...	Judge Oliver Whiteside
Elsa Cárdenas	...	Juana Guerra Benedict (as Elsa Cardenas)
Carolyn Craig	...	Lacey Lynnton
Monte Hale	...	Bale Clinch
Sheb Wooley	...	Gabe Target
Mary Ann Edwards	...	Adarene Clinch
Victor Millan	...	Angel Obregón Sr.
Mickey Simpson	...	Sarge
Pilar Del Rey	...	Mrs. Obregón
Maurice Jara	...	Dr. Guerra
Noreen Nash	...	Lona Lane
Ray Whitley	...	Watts
Napoleon Whiting	...	Jefferson Swazey
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nick Adams	...	Jett Rink - Giving Banquet Speech (voice) (uncredited)
Perfideo Aguilar	...	Jordan Benedict IV - As an Infant (uncredited)
Elsa Aguirre	...	(uncredited)
Fernando Alvarado	...	Busboy (uncredited)
Eddie Baker	...	Gov. North (uncredited)
Barbara Barrie	...	Mary Lou Decker (uncredited)
Ray Bennett	...	Dr. Borneholm (uncredited)
Dave Bishop	...	Jordan Benedict III - As an Infant (uncredited)
Richard Bishop	...	Jordan Benedict III - As an Infant (uncredited)
Claudia Bryar	...	Older Beauty Operator (uncredited)
John Caler	...	Driver (uncredited)
Georgann Cashen	...	Judy Benedict - As an Infant (uncredited)
Mary Ann Cashen	...	Judy Benedict - As an Infant (uncredited)
Pat Cortland	...	Vashti's Daughter (uncredited)
Colleen Crane	...	Judy Benedict II - As an Infant (uncredited)
Marlene Crane	...	Judy Benedict II - As an Infant (uncredited)
Dana Dillaway	...	Judy Benedict - Age 4 (uncredited)
Tex Driscoll	...	Clay Hodgins Sr. (uncredited)
George Dunn	...	Vern Decker (uncredited)
Pete Dunn	...	(uncredited)
Juney Ellis	...	Essie Lou Hodgins (uncredited)
Ella Ethridge	...	General's Wife (uncredited)
Vera Lee Friedman	...	Vashti's Daughter (uncredited)
John Garcia	...	Angel Obregón II - As an Infant (uncredited)
Maxine Gates	...	Waitress at Sarge's (uncredited)
Ethel Greenwood	...	Governor North's Wife (uncredited)
Bill Hale	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Marc Hamilton	...	Guard (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Governor's Ball Guest (uncredited)
Stuart Holmes	...	Wedding Guest (uncredited)
David Jiminez	...	Angel Obregón - Age 5 (uncredited)
Steven Kay	...	Jordan Benedict III - Age 4 (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Governor's Ball Guest (uncredited)
Paul Kruger	...	General (uncredited)
Jill Lent	...	Luz Benedict II - Age 2 (uncredited)
Judy Lent	...	Luz Benedict II - Age 2 (uncredited)
Jack Lomas	...	Truck Driver in Diner (uncredited)
Ana Maria Majalca	...	Petra (uncredited)
Kermit Maynard	...	Governor's Ball Guest (uncredited)
Tina Menard	...	Lupe (uncredited)
Charles Meredith	...	Minister (uncredited)
Harold Miller	...	Wedding Guest / Governor's Ball Guest on Dais (uncredited)
Tom Monroe	...	Guard at Governor's Ball (uncredited)
Carl Moore	...	Toastmaster (uncredited)
Tony Morella	...	Busboy (uncredited)
Ina Poindexter	...	Young Woman (uncredited)
Ramon Ramirez	...	Jordan Benedict IV - as an Infant (uncredited)
Martha Randall	...	Young Beauty Operator (uncredited)
Julian Rivero	...	Old man (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre	...	Square Dance Extra (uncredited)
Bob Shurley	...	Extra (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Wedding Guest / Governor's Ball Guest on Dais (uncredited)
Mitzi Sutherland	...	Vashti's Daughter (uncredited)
Slim Talbot	...	Clay Hodgins, Jr. (uncredited)
Guy Teague	...	Harper (uncredited)
Max Terhune	...	Dr. Walker (uncredited)
Wanda Lee Thompson	...	Judy Benedict II - Age 2 (uncredited)
Felipe Turich	...	Gómez (uncredited)
Natividad Vacío	...	Eusebio (uncredited)
Francisco Villalobos	...	Mexican Priest (uncredited)
Christine Werner	...	Luz Benedict II - As an Infant (uncredited)
Dan White	...	Truck Driver in Diner (uncredited)
John Wiley	...	Assistant Manager (uncredited)
Rush Williams	...	Waiter (uncredited)

Directed by
George Stevens

Writing credits
Edna Ferber		(novel)
Fred Guiol		(screenplay) and
Ivan Moffat		(screenplay)

Produced by
Henry Ginsberg	....	producer
George Stevens	....	producer

Original Music by
Dimitri Tiomkin

Cinematography by
William C. Mellor		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
William Hornbeck

Production Design by
Boris Leven

Set Decoration by
Ralph S. Hurst		(as Ralph Hurst)

Costume Design by
Marjorie Best

Makeup Department
Gordon Bau	....	makeup supervisor

Production Management
Tom Andre	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Fred Guiol	....	second unit director
Russell Llewellyn	....	assistant director: second unit (as Russ Llewellyn)
Joseph E. Rickards	....	assistant director (as Joe Rickards)

Sound Department
Earl Crain Sr.	....	sound

Stunts
Eli Bo Jack Blackfeather	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ron Burke	....	stunts (uncredited)
Whitey Hughes	....	stunts (uncredited)
Troy Melton	....	stunts (uncredited)
Paul Stader	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Edwin B. DuPar	....	photography: second unit (as Edwin DuPar)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Moss Mabry	....	costumes: Miss Taylor

Editorial Department
Philip W. Anderson	....	associate editor (as Phil Anderson)
Fred Bohanan	....	associate editor

Music Department
Dimitri Tiomkin	....	conductor
Lucien Cailliet	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Manuel Emanuel	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Michael Heindorf	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Gus Levene	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Paul Marquardt	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
George Parrish	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Leonid Raab	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Herbert Taylor	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Wally Cech	....	craft service (uncredited)
Narciso Gonzalez	....	horse wrangler (uncredited)
Bob Hinkle	....	dialogue coach (uncredited)
Ralph McCutcheon	....	horse trainer (uncredited)
George Stevens Jr.	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Giant Productions
• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1956) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1956) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Pictures (1963) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1972) (USA) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (1985) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (1993) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1999) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1999) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (????) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Runtime:

201 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Warnercolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Spain:T | Australia:G (TV rating) | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | West Germany:12 (f) | South Korea:12 | USA:Approved (PCA #17675) (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1970) | Argentina:Atp | Canada:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Company:

Giant Productions

Trivia:

Carroll Baker, who plays Elizabeth Taylor's daughter, was older in real life than Taylor.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: Shortly after Leslie prepares breakfast for the first time in the ranch, surprising Luz, and as Bick walks down the stairs, a microphone is briefly visible above the shot.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Jordan 'Bick' Benedict: You want to know something, Leslie? If I live to be ninety, I will never figure you out.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Return to 'Giant' (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Besame Mucho

The Eyes of Texas

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.