Giant

Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, Carroll Baker, Jane Withers, Dennis Hopper, Mercedes McCambridge
Directed by: George Stevens
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Drama, Romance, Western
1956

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: The Benedict family is followed through a generation as they live, love, and grow in Texas.

Review:

Tim: Giant is a pretty stunning achievement. The film is absolutely massive (a staggering 201 minutes), a truly sprawling Western epic. I loved the scope of this film. Director George Stevens creates a very large film here, and it's impressive. While I can't say that I loved every aspect of the film, I admit this is an achievement.

The film follows a generation of the Benedict family. We first see Jordan Benedict travel to Maryland and woo Leslie. She makes the move to Texas, and eventually, they start a family. We watch as the kids grow up into adulthood. The film is long enough so that we really feel connected to these characters as they grow old together. I enjoyed the focus on this family and getting to know them over the course of the film. It made the whole movie feel important.

For me, the early scenes were the best. It was great fun watching Jordan and Leslie (played by Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor) in the early stages of their marriage. A great deal of time is spent watching the eastern-raised Taylor making the adjustments to a very different Texas lifestyle. The film really felt like a true Western early on- the cattle, the horses, etc. Eventually, the film shifts its focus to oil, and the Benedict family (and our viewing experience) changes significantly.

I thought Elizabeth Taylor was quite impressive in the film. It's a shame she was not nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress- she deserved some recognition. She was believable, both as a young, naive girl in Texas for the first time, and then later, in make up, as an older woman. I thought she was very convincing in her performance with her daughters, actresses who were roughly the same age as Taylor. In the film, though, she seemed much older and wiser. Her performance was quite good. Unfortunately, she's the only major cast member who did not receive a nomination.

Rock Hudson received a nomination for Best Actor for his role as the patriarch of the Benedict family. I suppose he deserved it, as he worked well in the role, and like Taylor, convincingly played an older man in the latter half of the film. Unfortunately, I just did not love his performance. When I think of this film, my mind returns to Taylor and her performance- not necessarily to Hudson. He worked well, but could have been better. James Dean also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, which happened posthumously. He really should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but whatever. Dean is good in the film, especially early on. He gave an odd, hard to describe performance. He's quiet and mysterious, but as he opens up, it was really an odd portrayal of this Jett Rink character. Dean was quite convincing as the older man later in the film, and his drunken speech to no one is fairly memorable. I enjoyed Dean in the role, but he didn't completely wow me. Mercedes McCambridge was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. I admit she makes a big impact on the film with minimal screen time, but she's on screen so little in the grand scheme of this film that her nomination surprised me a bit. She is certainly memorable, though, so I don't have a huge complaint here. It was also fun to see a young Dennis Hopper as Hudson's son. He actually has a good deal to do in the film, and he did it quite well.

None of the cast members nominated won, and in fact, despite receiving a total of 10 Academy Award nominations, Giant only picked up 1 win- Best Director for George Stevens. I feel like that is symbolic of the film. It's certainly a stunning achievement, and if it was going to win anything, Stevens wins for creating this "giant" film. However, it's not quite good enough to be one of the all-time classic films. The run time gives the film an epic quality, but that's more about the 201 minute length and the subject matter of the film than anything Stevens creates on an emotional level. I was blown away by the scope of the film, but the story was good, not great. This film has a lot going for it, but it doesn't work enough to truly be considered a classic.

I did like the different aspects of the film. The movie tackles the subject of a working Texas ranch, of the oil boom, of class issues, racism among Mexican-Americans (one of the best aspects of the film, and a topic too-little discussed on screen), the nature of family, and standing up for what is right. There's quite a lot involved in this film, and it really gives you a lot to think about.

I very much did enjoy Giant. The scope is impressive, the cast is good, the direction is outstanding, and this is a film that I will remember. I wish I could have connected with the characters more, and the 201 minute run time was a little tough to get through. I would consider this a very-well made, very strong, good film. It's not quite a great movie, which is a shame, but this isn't a film I will soon forget.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5



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