A review of 'Giant:' George Stevens's and Texas's 'Gone With The Wind!'

A review of 'Giant'--Texas's 'Gone With The Wind'

Giant is a 1956 epic Western drama directed by George Stevens based on Edna Ferber’s 1952 novel. The film stars Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, Dennis Hopper, Earl Holliman, Sal Mineo, and Mercedes McCambridge.


Giant is about 2 men, a 6 foot 5 inch Texas rancher named Jordan Benedict (Rock Hudson) and a 5 foot 7 inch ranch hand named Jett Rink (James Dean). One man owns a half-a-milion acres and livestock in the tens of thousands; the other man, nothing. One man is already a giant, the other is just one notch up from the Mexican house and field workers who maintain the ranch and the mansion on Jordan's property. Jordan's outlook is rooted in tradition and on his ranch everybody stays in their place; everyone, that is, except Jett Rink! It makes Jordan mad when Jett speaks to Mrs. Benedict (played by Elizabeth Taylor) when she greets him. But America is changing and Rialto Ranch is changing too, whether Jordan likes it or not. When his sister dies and leaves Jett a tiny plot of land, that tiny piece of nothing becomes an oil gusher. Jett rink, once the low man on the totem pole, becomes a giant and Benedict, once the top man on the totem pole, is forced to adjust to a changing world.


Giant encompasses more than the characters and statures of its 2 main stars or the scale of the Rialto Ranch. Giant is a reflection of the things that make this country small such as racism, sexism, and class discrimination. Giant is a fitting title for a film featuring Rock Hudson, James Dean, and Elizabeth Taylor--3 Hollywood icons. Seeing James Dean in this film, it's hard to deny that he was--and still is--1 of the great Hollywood actors and the poster-boy of all promising actors and actresses whose lives end prematurely. He only made 3 films and all of them are ranked among the best ever, 2 directed by one of my favorite directors, Elia Kazan back-to-back.


Giant is a great film and well worth its 3 hour and 21 minute running time. The acting, cinematography and direction in this film are perfect. Probably Rock Hudson's best film. I have Giant on DVD and the picture and sound quality are perfect and I see no need to upgrade any time soon. But you can also get this great film on blu ray.