| | Giant DVD (1 Customer Review)
| Category | Warner Store DVDs, Warner Special Editions Movies, Dramas Videos, Recommended, Classic, Family Interaction, Essential Cinema, G-Rated, Love Triangles, AFI Top 100 (1997), Personal Triumph, Classic Fight Scenes, Melodrama | | Starring | Rock Hudson, James Dean, Dennis Hopper, Elizabeth Taylor, Rod Taylor, Paul Fix, Carroll Baker, Earl Holliman, Chill Wills, Sal Mineo, Mercedes McCambridge, Judith Evelyn, Jane Withers, Alexander Scourby | | Director | George Stevens | | Composer | Dimitri Tiomkin | | Director of Photography | William Mellor | | Editor | William Hornbeck, Philip W. Anderson, Fred Bohanan | | Producer | George Stevens, Henry Ginsberg | | Production Designer | Boris Leven | | Screenwriter | Ivan Moffat
List all 25 stars
|
This 1956 adaptation of Edna Ferber's epic novel about a Texas family of ranchers and oilmen starred Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean. An epic examination of the American dream, played out on the spacious, mythic Texas landscape. The story charts Texas's evolution from ranching state to oil capital. In addition, the film explores issues of race relations.
A young cattle baron marries a well-bred Maryland beauty and transplants her to a rustic ranch. The new bride, Leslie Benedict, quickly learns about the divisions between the Americans and the Mexicans, between the privileged and the poor. Her husband retains these prejudices even when his son marries a Mexican-American nurse. Leslie also must contend with a ranchhand who loves her from afar, and who despises her husband's wealth. When the ranchhand strikes oil and also becomes rich, he still fails to win either Leslie or the town's respect. Edna Ferber's best-selling family saga was the source of Stevens' sprawling epic, which stars Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean, in his last film appearance. When Texas cattleman Bick Benedict (Hudson) goes to Virginia in the early 1920s to buy a prize stallion, he falls in love with Leslie Lynnton (Taylor), an aristocratic, independent-minded beauty, and they quickly marry. He takes her back to Reata, his 600,000-acre ranch, where sister Luz (Mercedes McCambridge), the family matriarch, does her best to make Leslie feel unwelcome. Leslie is appalled by the second-class status accorded to women and racist attitudes toward the local Mexicans, neither of which seem to bother her husband. Out of compassion, she befriends surly ranch hand Jett Rink (James Dean), who comes to worship her from afar, envying Bick for both his wealth and his wife. He strikes oil on land bequeathed to him by the deceased Luz and his wealth and power grow apace. As the years pass, the bewildered Bick often finds his children thwarting his wishes and criticizing his beliefs, pushing the millionaire to question his values for the first time in his life. The film's outstanding cast, which also features Dennis Hopper, Sal Mineo, Carroll Baker, Earl Holliman, and Chill Wills, inject vitality into a project that occasionally suffers from longueurs. The film was given a theatrical re-release in Fall of 1996 to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
For the re-release, "Giant" was newly enhanced with the modern- ized version of the original Technicolor dye process which incorporates the latest film manufacturing and processing technology available. The technical crew also worked with George Stevens, Jr., the director's son, to recreate a sound- track that equals, and in some cases exceeds, the fidelity of the original release.
The Warner Home Video VHS versions (Cat. #'s 14633, 36135, 14897) all come direct from the restored 1996 theatrical re-release. The videos also include one hour of rare related footage, featuring a 30-minute telecast of the New York premiere and a 5-minute featurette about the Hollywood premiere. In addition, there are 2 "Making of..." segments and a special introduction by George Stevens, Jr.
The Collector's Box Set VHS version (Cat. #36135) also includes an all-new 72-page, 4-color book featuring reminiscences with the stars, archival data, and photographs never before published. And finally, the set also contains the 1985 documentary "George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey," a 2-hour chronicle of George Stevens' life and career that is directed and narrated by George Stevens, Jr.
The Warner Home Video VHS version (Cat. #14897) contains in addition only the documentary, "George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey."
Star James Dean died in a car accident during production. His scenes were completed with a stand-in.
Film debut for actress Carroll Baker, who appeared in a bit part in the film "Easy to Love" in 1953.
Rated BBFC PG by the British Board of Film Censors. Giant Reviews: "...Marvel at James Dean and the still-vibrant performances of Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor....A true epic..."-- Peter Travers, Rolling Stone "...It dazzles with late Golden Era star performances....A classic of its era..."
-- Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times "...Dean turns in a performance that shows what a gifted and influential actor we lost with his death..."
-- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times "...With improved color, sound and a letterboxed image, the Texas blockbuster that won George Stevens Sr. the Oscar for direction looks better than it ever has in a home viewing format..."
-- Mike Clark, USA Today "...[With] genuinely striking images of galloping horses, gushing oil, and drunken brawls in the liquor cellar..."
-- Joshua Rich, Entertainment Weekly "...[A] well-acted all-American epic..."
-- Ash Parsons, Total Film Giant | List Price | $26.99 (You save $4.84) | | Studio | Warner Home Video | | Orig Year | 1956 | | DVD Encoding | Region 1 | | All Time Sales Rank |  5596  | | CD Universe Part number | 5808270 | | Catalog number | 23221 | | Discs | 2 | | Release Date | Jun 10, 2003 | | Rating | G (MPAA) | | Running Time | 202 Minutes | | Additional Info | Widescreen; Dubbed; Special Edition; Subtitled; Digipak | | Movie Details | Color; Widescreen; Dubbed; Special Edition; Subtitled; Digipak; Two Discs |
Giant Video Giant (1956) Widescreen; Dubbed; Special Edition; Subtitled |  | $22.15 |
Giant Movie Review Average Rating: (5 out of 5 stars)  Giant is GIANT
This is a great movie demonstrating the changing values of West Texas before and after the discovery of oil in Texas. The stars all do their part wonderfully.
Submitted by shirlene (Little Rock, AR) 
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Classic Hollywood-Stevens Production
One of my all time favorites. Mostly due to the late James Dean. I had no sooner seen "Rebel Without a Cause" that I learned of his death. As a teen his was and idol to many of us at the time of his passing.
George Stevens brings together a cast & crew of excellence. Hudson, handsom as ever wins over the beauty & charm of Taylor. Ms.McCambridge as the tough as nails female ranch boss. Both Hopper & Mineo tag along with Dean from "Rebel" and share in this timeless classic. Little were we to know that Hopper & Taylor would be here for its 50th anniversary. Thank goodness for DVD & hard drive, as this classic will be available to future genarations to enjoy!
Submitted by loudamico (Jersey City,NJ,USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
This review is for a different format.  RE: a bit of a letdowng
I wanted to get all of James Deans films, so I purchased this vesion of 'Giant', because it had supposedly been restored.
The print quality is hardly better than VHS, and the colors at times, are very harsh.
The make-up used, to make the actors age, is a bit laughable nowadays as well.
But, it is still a grand film, with wonderful performances by the whole cast.
(Was this film, the birth of soap-operas?)
My only big gripe, is the lackluster print transfer.
Submitted by LX Skye (Southern Utah)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
This review is for a different format.
Lure of The West
Western ideology of Class vs Humanity. Great acting, great story, good viewing.
Submitted by robertponce ("Los Angeles, CA USA")
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
This review is for a different format. | Have you seen this movie? |  |
Giant DVD 2-Disc Set
Region 1
Digipak
Single Side - Dual Layer
Special Edition
Anamorphic Widescreen -
1.66
Letterbox -
1.66
Additional Release Material:
Introduction: George Stevens, Jr.
Trailers: Original Theatrical Trailer
Featurette:
1. Gala New York Premiere
2. Hollywood Premiere
3. Retrospective #1
4. Retrospective #2
Audio Commentary:
1. Stephen Farber - Film Critic
2. Ivan Moffat - Screenwriter
3. George Stevens, Jr. - Director's Son
Text/Photo Galleries:
Production Notes
Filmographies: George Stevens
Stills/Photos: Photo and Document Gallery
Purchase Giant Movie To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Best Years Of Our Lives DVD (1946)
Giant film
$11.29 
Perhaps the most memorable film about the aftermath of World War II, THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES ...
| | All About Eve DVD (1950)
Giant review
$9.69
Given that she throws tantrums, gets intoxicated, and pushes people away when she needs them the most, it's a wonder New York theater star Margo Channing has any true friends. But when Eve Harrington, Margo's young and innocent-seeming protégée, schemes to gain both the affection of Margo's friends and a starring role originally written for Margo, ...
| | Laura DVD (1944)
Giant DVD
$9.69
| | Andersonville DVD (1996) Widescreen; Dubbed; Subtitled
Giant movie DVD
$9.85
| | Grapes Of Wrath DVD (1940)
Giant video
$9.69
John Ford's memorable screen version of John Steinbeck's epic novel of the Great Depression--often regarded as the director's best film--stars Henry Fonda as Tom Joad. After having served a brief prison sentence for manslaughter, Joad arrives at his family's Oklahoma farm only to find it abandoned. Muley (John Qualen), a neighbor now nearly mad with grief, tells Tom of the drought that has transformed the farmland of Oklahoma into a desert and of the preying land agents who have plowed under the shacks of the sharecroppers. Joined by former hellfire preacher Casy (John Carradine), Tom finds his extended family, including Pa (Charles Grapewin) and his indomitable Ma (Jane Darwell), packing their ramshackle truck to seek work in the fields of California. As the family treks across the country, their dissolution begins with the deaths of Tom's grandparents at close intervals. When they arrive in California, the Joads find only an abundance of poverty-stricken migrants like themselves and little in the way of potential work. Yet, ever resilient, they maintain their dignity, hoping for the best.
Among the talented cast, Fonda does perhaps the best work of ...
| | M*A*S*H DVD (1970) Widescreen
Giant film
$10.29
With the release of Robert Altman's M*A*S*H in 1970, a new form of comedy was born, one that would help to forever change the face of cinema. Altman's audacious film reflected the American counterculture's growing distrust of religion and government in the late 1960s and early 1970s, resulting in one of the biggest box office smashes of its time. Introducing the techniques he would employ throughout his storied career--overlapping dialogue, a constantly moving camera with a heavy amount of zooming, and a bold combination of frank subject ...
| | Rage At Dawn DVD (1955)
Giant review
$7.89
| | Helltown DVD (2002)
Giant DVD
$7.89
| | Angie Stone - Live In Vancouver: Music In High Places DVD (2002) Widescreen
Giant movie DVD
$8.35
| | Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Vol. 1 DVDs (2002) Limited Edition
Giant video
$35.95
| | Whiteboyz DVD (1999)
Giant film
$6.55
Flip Dogg is an Iowa boy who lives in the 'Hood of his own mind. He and his friends roam around their small hometown affecting the same kind of hip-hop ...
| | Milky Way/Kid Dynamite Double Feature DVD (1936) Remastered
Giant review
$10.05
| | Danger Flight DVD (1939) Alpha Video
Giant DVD
$7.89
| | Underground DVD (1997) Trinity Home Entertainment
Giant movie DVD
$5.75
| | Adventures In Odyssey Collection DVDs (2008)
Giant video
$26.25
|
|
|
Email a Friend
