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Giant (1956) ft. Kieran B. and Peterson W. Hill

Writer: Thomas Duncan
Thomas Duncan
15 hours ago
5 min read

Guests:


Cast:

  • George Stevens, Director

  • Fred Guiol and Ivan Moffat, Writers

  • William C. Mellor, Cinematography

  • Dmitri Tiomkin, Music

  • William Hornbeck, Phillip W. Anderson, Fred Bohanan; Editing

  • Elizabeth Taylor as Leslie Lynnton Benedict

  • Rock Hudson as Jordan "Bick" Benedict Jr.

  • James Dean as Jett Rink

  • Carroll Baker as Luz Benedict II

  • Jane Withers as Vashti Hake Snyth

  • Chill Wills as Uncle Bawley

  • Mercedes McCambridge as Luz Benedict

  • Dennis Hopper as Jordan "Jordy" Benedict III

  • Sal Mineo as Ángel Obregón II

  • Rodney Taylor as Sir David Karfrey

  • Judith Evelyn as Mrs. Nancy Lynnton

  • Earl Holliman as Robert "Bob" Dace

  • Robert Nichols as Mort "Pinky" Snyth

  • Paul Fix as Dr. Horace Lynnton

  • Alexander Scourby as Old Polo

  • Fran Bennett as Judy Benedict

  • Charles Watts as Judge Oliver Whiteside

  • Elsa Cárdenas as Juana Villalobos Benedict

  • Carolyn Craig as Lacy Lynnton


Background:

  • Based on the 1952 novel by Edna Farber, Giant premiered on October 10, 1956.

  • On a budget of $5.4 million, Giant grossed an estimated $25 million worldwide. It would remain Warner Bros.' highest grossing release until Superman (1978), and was the third highest grossing film of 1956.

  • Giant was a hit with minimally American critics and was an awards darling at the Oscars garnering 10 nominations for Best Picture, Actor (Dean and Hudson), Supporting Actress (Mercedes McCambridge), Adapted Screenplay, Art Direction - Color, Costume Design - Color, Film Editing, and Score for a Comedy or Musical. It won George Stevens his second Best Director Oscar (after a Place in the Sun).

  • Giant was recognized by the AFI on its list of 100 Years....100 Movies (1998) at #82.

  • The February 2020 issue of New York Magazine selected Giant as among "The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars."

  • In 2005, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

  • Giant currently holds a 86% among critics on RT, an 84 score on Metacritic, and a 3.9/5 on Letterboxd.


Plot Summary: Giant is a sweeping Texas epic. Bick Benedict (Rock Hudson), a proud cattle rancher and multi-generational Texan marries Leslie (Elizabeth Taylor), a spirited woman from Maryland. Meanwhile, Jett Rink (James Dean), a resentful ranch hand, strikes oil and becomes fabulously rich. Over twenty-five years, the film follows their rivalry, a changing Texas, and the family's struggles with prejudice and tradition.


Did You Know:

  • During breaks in filming, James Dean got the local cowboys to teach him how to handle a lariat, as well as his hat, until he could act as if he had been working with them his entire life.

  • James Dean finished principal photography on Friday, September 23, 1955, and died in a car crash a week later.

  • When the production moved to Marfa, Texas, on June 6 for location filming, the Victorian mansion set was shipped from California on six train cars. The set was built on the Evans Ranch, twenty-one miles outside of Marfa, and lashed to four telephone poles to hold it upright. It was really just a façade - three walls with no back, no roof, and no interior. Interiors at the mansion and other Texas locations were filmed at Warner Brothers Studio in Burbank, California.

  • Elizabeth Taylor forged a close bond with James Dean. Some nights they would sit up late as he vented his frustrations with his life as an actor, the restrictions of Hollywood life, and past traumas. Unlike Rock Hudson, however, he rarely acknowledged their closeness on-set, often ignoring her completely after a night of baring his soul to her.

  • Rock Hudson and James Dean did not get along with each other during filming. Although later rumors would suggest that Dean had rejected a sexual pass from Hudson, most sources reported that both men had little respect for each other's approach to acting. It was said that while Hudson took his acting work seriously, he resented what he considered Dean's off-camera behavior to be erratic and unprofessional.

  • Elizabeth Taylor and husband Michael Wilding invited Rock Hudson and his future wife to their house for get-to-know-you drinks one night at the start of production. Hudson described it as a "liquid evening" - they all got exceedingly drunk, finishing the evening at 3:00 a.m. Taylor's call-time was 5:30 a.m, and Hudson's wasn't long after that. Fortunately, the scene being shot that morning was a wedding scene with no dialogue, so instead of talking, all they had to do was look lovingly at each other. Hudson and Taylor were concentrating so hard on not being sick that they were quite surprised when some of the people on set started to cry, so convinced were they of their supposed looks of adoration at each other.


Best Performance: George Stevens (Director)

Best Secondary Performance: Elizabeth Taylor (Leslie)/Rock Hudson (Jordan)

Most Charismatic Award: Elizabeth Taylor (Leslie)/James Dean (Jett)

Best Scene:

  • Vienticito

  • Cavemen

  • Back Home in Virginia

  • Jett Strikes Oil

  • Birthday Party

  • Family Dynamics

  • Sacrifices

  • Bick Lets Drilling Start

  • The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You

  • Diner

Favorite Scene: Back Home in Virginia/Diner/Birthday Party

Most Indelible Moment: Diner/The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You


In Memorium:


Best Lines/Funniest Lines:

Uncle Bawley: Bick, you shoulda shot that fella a long time ago. Now he's too rich to kill.


Leslie Benedict: Money isn't everything, Jett.

Jett Rink: Not when you've got it.


Bick Benedict: Just remember, one of these days, that bourbon's gonna kill you.

Uncle Bawley: Okay, it'll be me or it. One of us has gotta go.


Jordie Benedict: Easy up on that bourbon, dad. It isn't good for ya.


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


Jordan 'Bick' Benedict: We Texans like a little vinegar in greens, honey.


Bick Benedict: Leslie... don't behave like that... making a fuss o'er those people. You're a Texan now.

Leslie Benedict: Is that a state of mind? I'm still myself...

Bick Benedict: You're my wife now honey, you're a Benedict.

Leslie Benedict: I still have a mind of my own. Elsewhere being gracious is acceptable.

Bick Benedict: Uh, well, but... we're gracious.


The Stanley Rubric:

Legacy: 5.63

Impact/Significance: 9.5

Novelty: 7.5

Classic-ness: 9.38

Rewatchability: 4.88

Audience Score: 8.15 (7.6 IMDB, 87% RT)

Total: 45.04


Remaining Questions:

  • How much older is Jett than Luz II?

  • How do they divide up Reata on Jordan and Leslie's death?

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