Set against the background of the Texas oil fields, a young ranch-hand strikes it rich and becomes an embarrassment to the traditional oil fraternity. Melodrama fuelled by teen angst in the true 50s tradition. Dean's final screen performance.
The impact Giant has on a viewer today is increased by the knowledge that it was the final performance of one of the most promising actors in film history, James Dean.... more >
The impact Giant has on a viewer today is increased by the knowledge that it was the final performance of one of the most promising actors in film history, James Dean.
The adaptation by George Stevens from the controversial novel by Edna Ferber quickly became 'The Texan's movie'. It captured an eera and a golden age for Texas itself and unravelled it as a backdrop for the meledromatic story. Elizabeth Taylor plays Leslie, a headstrong young woman who marries Jordan Benedict (Rock Hudson). She is transported from her lush green homelands to the dry and empty texan landscape. She is shocked by her husbands prejudice against the mexicans and intruiged by a young farmworker, Jet Rink( Dean). When the unwanted Rink becomes an oil millionaire, Leslie's daughter falls in love with him and at the opening of a Rink airport, the family have an arguement and Rink reveals his true colours; an alcoholic in love with Leslie. The film then sees Jordan defend a mexican family in a diner when they are forced to leave and we know that he has finally earnt Leslie's respect.
With Hardyesque tumults in the elements and dramatic scenery, Giant does not fail to impress throughout it's marathon running time and, although James Dean's Jet Rink was a character he was never happy with until his death, his concerns do not translate to the screen.
