Giant Review!!!
SYNOPSIS: In this sprawling epic set in Texas, Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean star as people attacked by progress: Taylor, as a progressive Northern woman, who marries Hudson, an old school Texas rancher, who is forced to give Dean, the up and coming "kid" with new ideas, land after his sister dies.
ANALYSIS: The first thing everyone should know about Giant is that it is a long movie. 201 minutes, to be exact, split over two sides of a disc. It should also be noted that the first half hour or so is deadly dull. There's a perfectly legitimate reason for that: the first 30 minutes sets up the characters and the situation for everything that comes later. If you can make it through, then there is a rich film waiting.
I mention progress, but maybe that's not quite the right word. Modernization, new ways of thinking, openness...all of those words describe what the movie is about. It's a straight forward enough affair about personal progress as well as business progress. The scene that brings this theme out the best occurs between Taylor and Hudson, as Leslie and Bick respectively. The couple is hosting a party in their home and the discussion turns to politics. Without saying a word, the audience already knows what is happening. The woman are holed up in their corner, knitting, while the men knock back the drinks and talk "man stuff". Then, without a regard to her "proper place", Leslie approaches the men, telling them to continue talking as if she weren't there. The ensuing argument, which apparently humiliates Bick, is all the evidence the audience needs to see the main struggle in the film.
Director George Stevens at times seems to be more in love with the scenery than with the story and film itself. There are loving shots of the the Texas scenery that drag for a second too long. He also doesn't quite know how to direct James Dean. The actor is ill-at-ease in the cowboy boots and speaks in barely over a mumble through the film. Hudson and Taylor are more impressive in their roles because they exude confidence. Dean, even when he strikes it rich doesn't come off as confident. If anything, he's a pretentious and immature man.
Some plotlines seem to exist only to lengthen the film. Weddings, children, wars...it's all passed over too quickly. Children are born, people are drafted, courtships and marriages happen without much of a chance to breathe. At 3 1/2 hours, you would think the movie wouldn't feel so cramped. It does and that is a problem. A forced storyline about racism near the end only adds to the feeling. Still, this is a monumental film with amazing sets and production values. Aside from a rather slow first 30 minutes, this is a definite recommendation. Just set some time aside for it.