Arena Theater Film Club: "Giant"

Director: George Stevens
Rated: G
Runtime: 201 minutes

Cast: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, Mercedes McCambridge, Carroll Baker, Jane Withers

In Oscar-winning director George Stevens’s sprawling epic, Texas cattleman Bick Benedict (Rock Hudson) journeys to Virginia in the early 1920s, falls in love with aristocratic, independent-minded Leslie Lynnton (Elizabeth Taylor) and takes her back to his ranch — setting the stage for an intergenerational saga that spans decades. James Dean (in his last film appearance; he died in a car crash before the film was released) co-stars as sulking, nouveau riche Jett Rink — the root of Bick’s worries.

Giant was nominated nine other times, twice for Best Actor in a Leading Role (James Dean and Rock Hudson). The other nominations came in the categories of Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Mercedes McCambridge); Best Art Direction–Set Decoration, Color (Boris Leven, Ralph S. Hurst); Best Costume Design, Color; Best Film Editing; Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture; Best Picture; and Best Writing, Best Screenplay – Adapted.