Warner Bros. Pictures
Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean star in a sweeping saga of jealousy, racism and the clash of cultures set in the vast Texas oilfields. Wealthy rancher Bick Benedict (Hudson) and dirt-poor cowboy Jett Rink (Dean) both woo Leslie Lynnton (Taylor) a beautiful young woman from Maryland who is new to Texas. She marries Benedict, but she is shocked by the racial bigotry of the White Texans against the local people of Mexican descent. Rink discovers oil on a small plot of land, and while he uses his vast, new wealth to buy all the land surrounding the Benedict ranch, the Benedict’s disagreement over prejudice fuels conflict that runs across generations.
Considered by critics as ahead of its time, Giant is admired today for the breadth of its humanity more than its epic scale with its grand themes of generational conflict, racial tolerance, and social change. It exposed the marginalization and segregation of Mexican Americans for the first time on the big screen. At the center of the film, Elizabeth Taylor, as Leslie Benedict, portrays a strong and progressive woman who acts to stem the patterns of injustice.
REVIEW
As a long-time movie buff, I am always aware of pre-1970 classic films out there that movie buffs should see from Gone With the Wind to Citizen Kane to Vertigo and many more in between. Many would also argue that the three films in which James Dean starred before his untimely death are also required viewing. I have to admit I have not seen any of Dean’s films so when Warner Bros. announced the 4K release of Giant, a film he never lived to see released, I decided that it was time to finally take the plunge, but after almost three-and-a-half hours, I had to wonder if I was missing something. Right out of the gate, I was very distracted by the video presentation — but I will get to that in the next part of this review. The story is a sparawling epic that doesn’t really feel like it goes anywhere. It starts with Rock Hudson’s Jordan ‘Bick’ Benedict (I have no idea why he’s listed as ‘Bick’ because most of the time he’s called ‘Jordy’) visiting a Maryland suburb near Washington DC. At the Lynnton estate, he’s there to buy a horse, one that belongs to Leslie Lynnton (Elizabeth Taylor), who takes an immediate liking to the strikingly handsome Benedict, and over the course of the next day or two they have a mutual love-hate relationship … because they really do fancy each other. Benedict decides to buy the horse … and take Leslie back to Texas with him (some of their disagreements come from her unfortunately factual statements about Texas that rub proud Texan Jordy the wrong way, but they get over it). By the time they get back to the Benedict ranch, a huge house set right in the middle of a dust bowl nowhere (quite the opposite of the lush green of Leslie’s home), the pair are married and that rubs Jordy’s sister Luz the wrong way, feeling Leslie is going to try to take over running the household from her. Her feathers are so ruffled that she takes it upon herself to cruelly try to break the spirit of Leslie’s horse and ends up getting herself killed in the process, not to mention getting the horse killed as well after shattering its leg. And surprisingly, Leslie doesn’t even bat an eye. I would have been a bit more furious.
But Leslie has other things to contend with as well. Top of the list is ne’er-do-well ranch hand Jett Rink (James Dean), who seems to have been fired as many times as he was hired to work on the ranch because of his attitude. Luz was like a mother hen to him so when she died it seemed like the perfect opportunity to get rid of him once and for all … except Luz left him a small parcel of land on the ranch. Jordy and his various assembled friends and associates who have nothing better to do than haunt the mansion cook up a plan to buy the land from Jett as a reasonable price, above market, and send him on his way. But he ain’t buying … or selling, determined to find oil and make more money than Jordy and company could imagine. Leslie’s other issue is the rampant — and very uncomfortable — racism directed at the Mexicans who work for the Benedict family. While out one day, Leslie first visits Jett — oblivious that he has a major crush on her — and then is shocked to see the condition in which the Mexican people live in what can only be described as a shanty town. A baby, Angel, is sick and his mother is even more ill but they can’t get a doctor to visit because they are too far away. Leslie decides the Benedict family doctor will go, and Jordy is horrified, telling her that he is their doctor, he doesn’t deal with those people. They’re on their own, as far as he’s concerned … just as long as they show up to work. So this is basically a Western Gone With the Wind.
The Benedicts have their ups and downs but their love never wavers — even when it seems the two are drifting apart and Leslie returns to Maryland with their children. In the meantime, Jett has struck it rich and that sets up further conflict with Jordy, who refuses to sell his land so Jett can put up more oil wells. But Jett finally makes Jordy an offer he can’t refuse and that only sets up more family drama as their oldest daughter, Luz II, has developed a crush on the man old enough to be her father. But will everyone get a happy ending by the time the film concludes? The real question is will you care?
I suppose I’m finally satisfied that I’ve seen this film that is regarded as a classic, and if nothing else it has given me more of an interest to see Rebel Without a Cause mainly to see more of James Dean in his prime (that film also featured Sal Mineo who has a small role here as the adult Angel). Dean certainly was impossibly handsome and the 4K restoration leaves no question to that. It’s just that his character is a complete jerk and you have to think the only reason Luz II is carrying on with him is just because her father hates him. And as he ages and becomes more successful, he becomes even more of a jerk, specifically by enforcing a policy at his new hotel that discriminates against Mexicans (which leads to more fireworks between him and the Benedicts when Jordy III marries a Mexican woman). Jordy himself has his own issues when it comes to his ranch and expecting to pass it down to his son … who wants to be a doctor, not a rancher. In fact, all of their children want to do things neither of their parents planned for them, so the film is mostly about this family drama and the battle between Benedict and Rink. It just doesn’t feel like it goes anywhere by the end.
What is good about the film are the performances. Dean plays the jerk to perfection, and Rock Hudson is actually pretty terrific and believable as Jordy. There are some wonderful moments to his performance, like when he follows Leslie back to her family home. Just the way he looks at her, you know he’s totally in love and his life would shatter if she didn’t come back to Texas. He also becomes quite frightening when he tries to force his son onto a horse he clearly does not want to ride, and you fear they’re all going to end up like Luz. He also plays a little comedic moment when he realizes the children are pitting their mother and father against each other to get what they want, but in the end nothing matters with him except his family. Elizabeth Taylor is also wonderful as Leslie, who has to always act as the mediator (often with the support of Jordy’s Uncle Bawley) and always only has eyes for Jordy (I really though there was a love triangle brewing, especially after she had a spot of tea at Jett’s new shack), she will protect her children at any cost, and proudly thinks of herself as a Texan even when her arrival sparked assumptions that she was not cut out for the Texas lifestyle. The only drawback for the three leads is the unfortunate old age make-up they have to endure later in the film.
The film is populated by a large cast of actors, some very well-known at the time like Chill Wills, Jane Withers and Mercedes McCambridge, but there are some fresh faces who went on to become very well-known actors in their own right including the very young Sal Mineo, Earl Holliman, Dennis Hopper and Carroll Baker. Over all, Giant is basically a spawling soap opera with an A-List cast, some stunning production design, and a competent director. I have to wonder, though, if it has attained the status of a classic simply for the fact that one of its major stars died before the film was released.
Warner Bros. Pictures
VIDEO
I took the opportunity to see Giantfor the first time specifically because it was being released on 4K, and I have to say I was quite shocked by the presentation. Unfortunately, the 4K restoration of the film was cobbled together from the best existing elements which results in about half of the film looking stunning and the other half looking like an up-rezzed DVD with the appearance of a slightly soft or out-of-focus image ... and sometimes this happens within the same shot, which will start out clear, there will be a cut to another show, and back to the previous shot which is now blurry. It really is a shame that the studio did not take better care of this 'classic' since its 1956 release. I was also surprised that such a sprawling film wasn't presented in Cinemascope, but rather in a 1.66: 1 aspect ratio, which will give you small black bars on the left and right of the screen (apparently Cinemascope was still in its early stages and director George Stevens didn't like the occasional fish-eye look of the image so he vetoed its use). Most viewers will probably appreciate this because the image does nearly fill the full screen of the television. On disk, the film has been afforded an HDR color spectrum enhancement, while the digital version is presented in Dolby Vision, but for a film whose primary color scheme is beige it's hard to judge how the colors really pop (at least the interior of the house does have some reds). So if you are expecting a pristine, better-than-new presentation of Giant, you may come away disappointed, though it certainly isn’t the fault of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment or the restoration team at Warner Bros. Post Production Creative Services: Motion Picture Imaging and Post Production Sound who did their best with what they had.
AUDIO
The DTS-HD Mono soundtrack was sourced primarily from a 1995 protection copy of the Original Magnetic Mono soundtrack, and sounds very crisp and clear with little to no hiss and no discernible pops or crackle. Voices and clear and the film’s score and sound effects are well-balanced, never over-powering the dialogue.
SPECIAL FEATURES
The 4K disk is a ‘bare bones’ affair as WB used all of the disk space to allow the film all the bitrate it needed for the best possible immage. The only extra is an archival audio track with commentary from George Stevens, Jr., screenwriter Ivan Moffat, and film critic Stephen Farber. Stevens, son of the director, served as an uncredited production assistant on the film, and he and Moffat provide a wealth of information about the film. Farber serves as an informal moderator, but after more than three hours it may become difficult to follow, especially as some passages in the last half hour seem to be replays of earlier comments.
The digital version of the film — a code is provided for redemption on Movies Anywhere or Vudu — contains many more extras that have been ported over from previous Blu-ray releases including
- Introduction by George Stevens, Jr. (2:55) – A summary of the points that will be covered in the other extras, recorded in 1995.
- Return to Giant (55:07) – A 2003 documentary narrated by Don Henley featuring (then) surviving members of the cast, archival footage of the three stars and director, and various residents of Texas discussing the film.
- Memories of Giant (51:36) – The 1998 documentary includes many of the participants from ‘Return to Giant., and also looks at the production of the film.
- New York Premiere Telecast (28:51) – Chill Wills hosts a red carpet event from the Roxy Theater.
- Hollywood Premiere (4:21) – A news report that recaps the New York premiere and has coverage of the Hollywood opening at Grauman’s Chinese Theater.
- Giant Stars Are Off To Texas (0:38) – A brief Warner Pathe News item.
- Behind the Cameras (12:33) – Includes two segments, ‘On Location in Marfa, Texas’ (5:58), narrated and hosted by Gig Young, and ‘A Visit with Dmitri Tiomkin’ (6:33), again with Young, who interviews composer Tiomkin.
- George Stevens: A Filmmaker’s Journey (1:51:24) – A 1984 documentary written, produced and directed by Stevens, Jr. that provides a detailed overview of the life and career of his father.
- George Stevens: Filmmakers Who Knew Him (45:40) – A 2001 feature first released on the DVD of A Place in the Sun, with industry notables speaking about their relationship with Stevens.
- Trailers – The 1956 ‘Book’ Trailer (1:33), which only features pages of a book with text and illustrations; Original 1956 Trailer (3:45); 1963 Reissue Trailer (2:29); 1970 Reissue Trailer (3:03).
Not included from the 2013 DigiBook Blu-ray release are the ‘Stills and Documents’, ‘A Giant Undertaking’, and a list of Stevens’ filmography, Awards, and Cast and Crew.
OVERVIEW
Giant certainly holds a place in film history because of its epic scope and its three main leads. It unfortuantely gained more attention because of James Dean’s death, which may have overshadowed the film itself, but he, Hudson and Taylor are all in top form in all of the film’s soapy glory. Seeing the rampant racism in the film — and the film is not racist, rather it calls out the racism of the era — is a bit uncomfortable to watch today, especially with the derogatory term for Mexicans that is sprinkled liberally throughout the movie. Aside from spotlighting the injustices the Mexican people in the area faced, the film doesn’t really seem to have much more of a point than to present some family drama that spans a couple of generations, pre- and post-World War II. On the plus side, even at more than three hours, it is never boring and there are moments that will have you riveted to your seat. Just be aware that the quality you may be expecting from a 4K restoration is spotty due to the condition of the available film elements. Still, though, it is worth a watch.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment generously provided Hotchka with the 4K for reviewing purposes.
Giant has a running time of 3 hours 21 minutes and is rated G.
Warner Bros. Pictures
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