Giant Reviews

dated melodrama

A really long story about an east coast girl trying to settle in Texas against a background of the start of the oil boom. One of the 3 films James Dean made and apart from providing a couple of iconic movie posters his performance is fairly poor and not helped by an unsympathetic character which remains one dimensional. Rock HUdson shows greater range than his Doris Day movies but still seems lost, only Liz Taylor brings depth and naturalness to her role. Also fun to see a young Dennis Hopper.

Classic

Being a huge fan of Deans.This film is a must for me.An epic story superbly directed by veteran George Stevens.

The film was unreleased at the time of Deans death ,and show what a powerhouse of cinema he could have become.His portrayal of Jett Rink, really captures the disintegration of a man who has everything except the one thing he cannot buy.Elizabeth Taylor as always gives a solid performance and,of course,looks fabulous. Recommended for anyone who's only experience of Dean is the disaffected teenager.A must!

a giant film

Forget about the cattle, oil and land.

Forget about Texas, Maryland and the divide between north and south.

This film is a fascinating story about two people who love one another and develop together as people over many years. I am not a touchy, feely, fluffy person. I hated 'love story' and its kind, but this film had real resonance with me. I found the last ten minutes quite moving. A great family film that is as good today as it was when it was made.

good but too long.

This film is as far from Deans other films as it could be. It is 3 hours long and allthough i enjoyed it, i felt there was a lot of footage that was surplus to requirements. Deans character was vastly underdeveloped and i feel the story lost a lot as the character of Jett could have brought a lot more to the film. Having said that i thought Jimmy did the best he could with the character. Elizabeth Taylor was superb and Rock hudson a lot better than expected. The actors playing the Benedict children were not up to par. The magnificent landscape is used to full effect and the cattle scenes are breathtaking. It is clear from the scene at the end that has Jett Rink alone in a banquet room making a speech to an invisible audience that when we lost James Dean, we lost an incredible young actor who could have grown to be truly great.

Giant of a man

Presumably the Giant was Rock Hudson who was remarkably tall in this film and stole the show from James Dean whose tortuous performance was fascinating but not sexy. Liz Taylor was pretty gorgeous but it wasn't about her and she didn't seem engaged.

The film has a curious power and stayed with me for a few days.

Hugely ambitious, poorly executed

**Potential spoilers**

You get the impression watching 'Giant' that this was an attempt to recreate something as epic, sprawling, beautiful and engaging as something like 'Gone With The Wind'. The cast is outstanding, Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean's last before his untimely death...even a young Robert Duvall appears. Furthermore it is apparant that the cost of this film must have been huge. However once the credits roll at the end of this long story, you feel sufficiently unrewarded for the time you've put in.

The film deals with several themes, yet at no point does it really ever set it's heart on any of them with enough vigour that you feel a point has been made.

Covering a vast period of time (50 years or more) the films central theme is the relationship between Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor, who at times do not see eye to eye. But that's just it, you never get the feeling the marriage is ever on the rocks, you only ever feel as though they have had disagreements. James Dean is a farmhand who is treated as disposable at the beginning of the film, but strikes lucky and builds up vast wealth, increasing his importance and influence over Texas. He appears torn inside and has bitterness at how he was treated near the beginning of this story. He seems to hold a burning desire for Elizabeth Taylor, although at no point do you ever really understand why. His character and his torment could have provided the pivot from which this film balanced, but once again in places where they could consolidate the strength and depth of Dean's character they fail to deliver. He often just seems a little drunk rather than tormented.

Later in the film, Hudson and Taylor have children which provide more themes. There is another issue with Hudson trying to force his own ways and dreams upon his son's future (son played by young Robert Duvall) and ignoring his daughter. Once again...they sort of argue about it but there is never really any explosive moments or momentous watersheds. Finally, cottoned onto the tail end of the picture is an issue about mixed race marriage and racism.

As you can see, there is a lot to squeeze into the film, which is obviously why it is so long and why no issue is dealt with with any aplomb or any substantial depth. At the end you wonder what the point in the film was?

[Highly rated reviewer]

It meant well, but it fails utterly

Heart is in the right place- 'be nice to Mexicans- we stole Texas from them at the Alamo' but it never goes any deeper than that. James Dean tries- even does well by ordinary actor standards, especially in the first half, but he's shown himself capable of greatness in his two previous outings, and disappoints in this. He makes a convincing sleazy old geezer, though he doesn't do much with this.

Its not his fault- Jett Rink is as badly written as he is named.(Has he a brother Roller? Or Ice?)Rock Hudson isbrilliantly photogenic from all angles, but lost (or gained?) his Texan twang half way through filming and his character constantly reverts to Standard California Actor. Liz Taylor handles her role with little apparent effort. She did much better stuff later on.Though she looks good for the first half, she allows her self to be aged most unflatteringly later.

Plot is not great, dialogue is okay, characters don't run very deep. Its very dated.

Its worth noting that the dvd has to be turned over like an LP, halfway through. There is no disc two as such.

[Highly rated reviewer]

What an epic!

They don't make films like this anymore. Sat through the whole of it and thoroughly enjoyed it. Now feel as tho I've been through it all so am off to bed!

Yee Ha

A great film with a great cast. Lovely story and James Dean sure looks hot!

Shame

I really wanted to like this film & held myself back from stopping the DVD on a number of occasions...I kept making excuses for it ' It was of its time'... 'It will get the point soon'... I will not get those 3 hours of my life back...Shame...