Giant (1956)

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

Director:

George Stevens

Writers:

Edna Ferber (from the novel by), Fred Guiol (screen play)

Stars:

Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean

Won 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Texan rancher Bick Benedict visits a Maryland farm to buy a prize horse. Whilst there he meets and falls in love with the owner's daughter Leslie, they are married immediately and return to his ranch. The story of their family and its rivalry with cowboy and (later oil tycoon) Jett Rink unfolds across two generations.

---

Plot Keywords:

rancher | epic | texas | oil | rivalry | 

---

Taglines:

THEY'RE CALLING IT ANOTHER "GONE WITH THE WIND"! (original print ad - all caps)

---

Genres:

Drama | Western

---

Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

24 November 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gigante

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,400,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,649, 22 September 1996, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$35,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

George Stevens Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

201 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (WarnerColor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

George Stevens considered casting Audrey Hepburn as Leslie, before deciding that she was too sophisticated for the role.

---

Goofs

The opening sequence shows Bick arriving in Ardmore, MD on a Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) passenger train. Ardmore did not have train service and the closest line was the Pennsylvania Railroad. The C&O did not have service in Maryland. It did have service in Charlottesville, VA where the Maryland scenes were actually filmed.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Dr. Horace Lynnton: [they pull up to the Lynnton estate and stop as horses jump over the fence in front of them] There he is, there's the stallion. That's War Winds.
Bick Benedict: Beautiful.
Dr. Horace Lynnton: That's my daughter riding him, Leslie.
[turns to Bick]
Dr. Horace Lynnton: Leslie's my daughter. She's riding him.
Bick Benedict: [slyly referring to Leslie instead of the stallion] Doctor, that sure is a beautiful animal.
Dr. Horace Lynnton: Yes she, well we'll get to the hoses first thing in the morning. Right now you're coming up to the house and get ready for dinner.
[...]

---

Crazy Credits

There are no cast and crew credits given at the end of the film. Just the words "The End" and a final slide for George Stevens and Warner Bros.

---

Connections

Referenced in Ruckus (1980)

---

Soundtracks

Oh My Darling Clementine
(1884) (uncredited)
Music by Percy Montrose

User Reviews

Great old-Hollywood stuff.

Director Stevens doesn't just show us Texas but puts us there, with his beautiful cinematography & detailed attention. The melodrama is strong, & the humor is great. Hudson is unsung as the hero at the center, but whenever Dean & Taylor are on screen it's like we're watching otherworldly beings of beauty & talent. Best of all, the Mexican / American relation stuff is shockingly timely; penetrating & difficult to ignore it's unintended connections to current world politics.