more SYNOPSIS: Texan rancher Bick Benedict visits a Maryland farm to buy a prize horse. Whilst there he meets and falls in love with the owner's daughter Leslie, they are married immediately and return to his ranch. The story of their family and its rivalry with cowboy and (later oil tycoon) Jett Rink unfolds across two generations. Written by Col Needham {col@imdb.com} Ambitious Texas-style scale epic that traces the rising and falling fortunes of two generations of Texans. Miscegenation, moral dissipation, racism, the oppression of women....a variety of topics are brought forth during the film's 201-minute running time. The core of the film is actually the relationship between Bick Benedict and his wife Leslie. It is through them that we follow the film's themes of generation, conflict and social change. However, it is Jett Rink whom audiences remember, particularly in the early scenes when he is striding out on his small piece of land or when he comes to tell Benedict that "my well came in big." He puts his oily hand on one of the white columns of Benedict's porch and, unemphatically crystallizes the theme of the film - the muddy thumb prints of materialism on the pillars of elegance and the coming of conflict between the aristocracy and the nouveau riche. "You should have shot that fella a long time ago," a friend says to Benedict about Jett Rink. "Now he's too rich to kill." These are orignal photos of Rock Hudson and his co-stars James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor. TRIVIA: - Director George Stevens wanted to cast fading star Alan Ladd as Jett Rink, but his wife advised against it. The role went to James Dean.
- After James Dean's death late in production, Nick Adams provided Rink's voice for a few lines.
- The lead character, Jett Rink, was based upon the life of Texas oilman Glenn McCarthy (1908 - 1988). The real Glenn McCarthy was an Irish immigrant who would later be associated with a symbol of opulence in Houston, Texas: the Shamrock Hotel, which opened on St. Patrick's Day, 1949.
- The hat that Mercedes McCambridge wore in her exterior scenes was given to her by the wardrobe department. It was then "aged" by actor Gary Cooper so that it would look authentic. Mercedes McCambridge wrote in her memoirs that James Dean threatened to steal it.
- Before Elizabeth Taylor accepted it, the role of Leslie was offered to Grace Kelly.
- James Dean called the shooting style of director George Stevens the "around the clock" method, because Stevens would film a scene from as many different angles as possible, which made everything seem to take longer to do.
- A DVD version of the film was released in Canada, but not the U.S. - unusual for an American film. Warner Bros then pulled the Canadian release, causing a scurry of fans to buy the disc from Canadian distributors. The DVD quickly disappeared from stores, and became a rare item on auction websites for nearly two years, until its official North American release on DVD in 2003.
- It was the highest grossing film in Warner Bros. history until the release of Superman (1978).
- George Stevens made the film for no upfront salary but a percentage of the (substantial) back end profits.
- The start date of the film was delayed a few months so that Elizabeth Taylor could give birth to a son.
- The massive painting seen on the set of the Benedict home is now in the Menger Hotel in San Antonio, Texas. It has hung in several spots in the original 1800s section of the hotel. It now contains a plaque, stating its significance as a film prop.
- Elizabeth Taylor was said to be so upset the day after James Dean was killed in a road accident that she was excused from working on the picture for the day.
- Audrey Hepburn was one of first choices for the part later played by Elizabeth Taylor, while John Wayne was considered for the Rock Hudson part. William Holden, Forrest Tucker and Sterling Hayden were also considered for the part of Bick Benedict.
- In the 40s and 50s the usual policy for films where characters would start young and get older was to cast older actors and de-age them to show them as their younger selves. "Giant" took the then largely radical step of doing the opposite - casting younger actors and using make-up to make them appear older.
- Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor went for get-to-know-you drinks one night at the very start of the production. They both got exceedingly drunk, finishing the evening at 3:00 am. Their call-time was 5:30 am. Fortunately the scene being shot that morning was a wedding scene with no dialog, so instead of talking, all they had to do was look lovingly at each other. The two actors were concentrating so hard on not being sick that they were quite surprised when some of the people on-set started to cry, so convinced were they of their supposed looks of adoration at each other.
- Location filming took place for two months outside the tiny Texas town of Marfa. Director George Stevens did not have a closed set but actively encouraged the townspeople to come by, either to watch the shooting, visit with the cast and crew or take part as extras, dialect coaches, bit players and stagehands.
- The film spent an entire year in the editing suites.
- Originally budgeted just shy of $2 million, the film ended up costing over $5 million. Despite the worries of studio head Jack L. Warner, it went on to become Warner Bros.' biggest hit up to that time.
- George Stevens eschewed the use of the CinemaScope format, as he felt that the lenses tended to distort the image. In terms of his story, he felt that height was much more important than width.
- It was James Dean himself who suggested to George Stevens that Jett Rink's final drunken soliloquy should be done in longshot to emphasize the character's utter isolation.
- James Dean was so completely immersed in his character that he hardly ever changed out of his costume.
- The film has been homaged in several other movies, notably Robert Altman's Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982) and Kevin Reynolds' Fandango (1985), which features a group of students making a pilgrimage to Marfa to see what remains of the ranch house set.
- Orson Welles was inspired by the film to make The Other Side of the Wind (1972), one of his many unfinished opuses. It tells of an old director trying to complete an epic movie and being taunted by his young male lead who keeps calling him "Fatso". The director encourages his star to buy a sports car. In what exists of the film, the director is played by lean, lanky John Huston. "Fatso", however, was James Dean's nickname for George Stevens during the making of "Giant".
- Robert Mitchum was also considered for the part of Jett Rink.
- George Stevens shot 875,000 feet of film.
- Carroll Baker, who plays Elizabeth Taylor's daughter, was older in real life than Taylor.
- Barbara Barrie's first film.
- In the 2005 DVD release, there is what appears to be an inside joke in the title of one scene. The birthday party scene, in which Bick forces his visibly unhappy son to ride a horse, is titled "Uneasy Rider." Bick's son is played in adulthood by Dennis Hopper, who would go on to co-write, direct and star in Easy Rider (1969).
- (1955) During this production shoot James Dean appeared in an informal black & white TV commercial in which he responded to questions posed by actor Gig Young. Ironically, Dean was promoting safe driving and informed viewers, "People say racing is dangerous, but I'd rather take my chances on the track any day than on the highway." Before he left the studio he added one piece of advice: "Drive safely, because the life you save may be mine." Dean was wearing the very hat and clothing he wore for this movie throughout the commercial. He perished a few weeks later in a car crash.
- Clark Gable was considered for the role of Bick Benedict, but was rejected as too old by producer Jack L. Warner.
- Montgomery Clift was considered for the role of Jett Rink.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE: Some of the Photographs are not "True" 8" x 10". Some are a bit smaller and some are a bit larger. Also there are some Photographs that are from overall smaller pictures. Thank You for your time!.
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