A vibrant expression of 50’s Technicolor Hollywood, Giant is a commanding, wide-open movie with a palette as varied as life itself. George Stevens was a skillful enough director to master both the endless dusty acreage of this elegiac frontier saga about cattle ranchers and oilmen and the meticulous human moments between leads Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean. He spent over a year in the editing room. This is a multi-generational epic, which renders early 20th century Texas with a striking iconography only overshadowed by Dean’s insanely natural performance as outcast-turned-robberbaron Jett Rink. It was also a significant influence on There Will Be Blood and features memorable supporting performances from Dennis Hopper, Carroll Baker & Sal Mineo.
“An excellent film which registers strongly on all levels, whether it’s in its breathtaking panoramic shots of the dusty Texas plains; the personal, dramatic impact of the story itself, or the resounding message it has to impart.” – Variety
“Dean’s most mannered, complex performance: Jett is at once transparent and enigmatic, hardening with age while the other characters mature. The actor’s death – a year before release – adds a keen poignancy to the character’s lost potential.” – Serena Donadoni, The Village Voice
“In strong swipes of outdoor realism and audaciously close-to interplay of invariably violent emotions among its lively characters, Giant gives an almost documentary picture of how oil exaggerated and confused the virtually feudalistic ways of living of the old Texas landowners and cattlemen.” – Bosley Crowther, The New York Times
