"Giant" (1956)

I got the privilege of watching this movie at The New Beverly Theater in Los Angeles on 35mm. WOW! What a difference. The last time I'd watched this was on VHS with a college girlfriend. She liked Elizabeth Taylor was from Maryland (as she was) trying to wrangle down a rough cattle man while keeping at bay, the advances of a rebel with a cause.

James Dean was ahead of his time. This movie was released after his death and you wonder the career he would've had. I suspect, maybe like Brando, an oddball who chose darker stuff.

"Giant" directed by George Stevens, based on a novel by Edna Ferber with a screenplay by Fred Guiol and Ivan Moffat is really relevant today, and tells the story of the development of Texas as first a wasteland of cattle farming to the massive oil barons that is now the wealth of the state today. Pride, racism and...history.

The epic story starts with Jordan "Bick" Benedict played by Rock Hudson. A idealistic baby-faced man who meets Leslie (Elizabeth Taylor), a fiery east coaster who studies whatever she determines she needs to conquer. He's there just to buy one of their horses, discovers her bright mind gets under the skin of Bick. Of course, sparks fly and he ends up marrying her.

They arrive at a dustbowl of land in Benedict, so aptly named for the family that owned 569,000 square miles of land. Yep...that much land.

Early Texas women were hard people, it doesn't take long for Leslie to acclimate herself to the rigors of ranch life. Along the way she meets Jett Rink, played by James Dean. He works for Bick's sister at the ranch doing odd jobs. It's not clear he is an orphan or not, but we sense something tragic in his life landed him in the same economical standing as the Mexicans. Sound familiar?

Speaking of which...there is a LOT of bigotry in this movie. Although decades later, this movie really hits that note hard. With some very uncomfortable accusations of Texans (which may or may not be unfounded).

Bick and Leslie have three children. Each who grow to be very interesting offspring. Dennis Hopper plays Jordan Benedict III. Who, is somewhat a Mama's boy and wants to go into medicine.  Carroll Baker plays Luz Benedict II. And Fran Bennett plays Judy Benedict. They are all headstrong characters who challenge the Bick and his legacy while Leslie looks on with the life she chose.

This movie is a great family story. An "Our Town" type set up with a massive scale. The family dynamic is so real and true. Your children don't necessarily grow to who you want them to be. And people do grow apart. There is also Jett...a loner who got a parcel of land that lands him wealth beyond imagination. He becomes a miserable alcoholic though desperately trying to gain the love of Leslie who chose responsibility over girl crushes. Whenever Leslie and Jett are on screen, the attraction is powerful. Even to this day, you sense something big. But reality is that they grew up in too different of worlds to ever have it work. When he comes up into their world, it is tragically...too late.

If you can, watch this movie on film...it's amazing.