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.

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Plot Keywords:

rancher | epic | texas | oil | rivalry | 

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Taglines:

Jett Rink's shack. No one has ever set foot in it,--and then, suddenly, Leslie...ELIZABETH TAYLOR AS LESLIE LYNNTON

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Genres:

Drama | Western

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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)

Gross USA:

$177,909

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$177,909

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

Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Anthony Quinn, Sydney Chaplin, Richard Basehart, José Ferrer, Van Heflin, Cameron Mitchell, Richard Boone, John Ireland, Brian Keith, Robert Mitchum, Jack Palance, Rod Steiger, Ben Gazzara, Rick Jason, Alex Nicol, Aldo Ray and Frank Sinatra were considered for the role of Jett Rink.

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Goofs

Near the end, when Jett and Luz are in the bar together, the amount of liquor and ice in Jett's glass changes.

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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.
[...]

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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.

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Connections

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies: America's Greatest Movies (1998)

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Soundtracks

Clair de Lune
(1905) (uncredited)
Music by Claude Debussy

User Reviews

Sprawling, slow-moving epic about the dying days of cattle ranching

In 1920s, a wealthy Texan cattle rancher (Rock Hudson) travels to East Coast in order to buy a prize horse. There he meets a woman (Elizabeth Taylor), the daughter of his soon-to-be business partner, who he ends up marrying after a quick romance. The movie follows their lives down in Texas as the seasons change and the old ways begin to give ground to the new century.

Giant is an epic. It covers years and years of time and deals with all the prominent themes and problems of those decades. Things like oil business, racial issues, societal status, responsibility of the rich to the poor, and so many others, make an appearance and are addressed in turn. Taylor's character is the voice of the new age, while Hudson's is the voice of the old and their interactions are the driving voice of the film.

And it works. It is a very interesting film to follow if you know anything about that particular span of history. The film is over three hours long, and can thus cover a lot of ground and give each subject its due time. Though that can be a problem as well. It is a very slow film, with deliberate, calm pacing. Nothing much really happens most of the time, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that things happen very slowly. Personally I found the film to be perhaps a bit too slow and deliberate, but if old epics are your thing, you'll definitely get what you're looking for.

Giant is to be applauded for its vision. It set out to tell a family saga in its full glory and in that regard it definitely delivers. From modern point of view it can a bit tedious, but I cannot in good faith condemn it for that.