No. 82: Giant

Readers, let me tell you something: I like the films of director George Stevens. I like Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and I especially like James Dean. I like melodrama and “epic” style. So why didn’t today’s film - AFI No. 82, Giant - appeal to me? Well, there are reasons. A long, negative list of reasons.

Negatives aside, I’ll give you the standard briefing. Directed by the usually-fabulous George Stevens and starring Liz Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean, Giant (1956) clocks in at almost three hours. I nearly turned it off around the two-and-a-half mark, but showed remarkable strength and left it on. I’m proud of myself.

Conservative Texas rancher Jordan Benedict (Hudson) meets and marries the spirited Leslie (Taylor). The film chronicles their family’s rivalry with Jett Rink (Dean) - Jordan’s former ranch hand who made his own fortune in oil. Years pass, and when the now wealthy-and-sleazy Jett starts dating Jordan and Leslie’s grown daughter, old tensions flare again. More family drama: when the Benedict’s only son chooses to marry a Mexican woman, Jordan must confront his conservative nature. Eventually Jett gets his comeuppance, Jordan overcomes his prejudice, and all ends well.

No, I didn’t like Giant – but it has its good points. The best part of the film was easily James Dean. And I’m not just saying that because he’s adorable and he’s my computer wallpaper. The energy and charisma in his performance show exactly why, even though he starred in only three films, he’s still an icon today. In Giant, Dean made his character seem raw and pitiable one moment, abruptly greedy and power-hungry the next. The film also featured a supporting cast filled with then up-and-coming great actors, like Dennis Hopper, (delightfully angsty) Sal Mineo, and Carroll Baker.

And now, the not-so-good points.

1) Giant was advertised as “the next Gone With The Wind.” I don’t know who came up with that. Giant is like a bad GWTW with cattle.

2) It’s far too long. I have no problem with long movies - the aforementioned GWTW is one of my favorites. But Giant was much longer than necessary and honestly, I might have enjoyed it more if the editors had used sharper scissors.

3) Not all the acting is great. I love both Rock and Liz, but their performances were a little wooden. Liz isn’t very convincing in chaps and a cowboy hat, and for most of the film, Rock manages to make his character wholly unlikeable.

4) My biggest issue: the film didn’t live up to my expectations. When they name an epic melodrama Giant you expect it to be, well - giant? It wasn’t over-the-top enough to be epic, and not cozy enough for small-scale drama. George Stevens could have used a touch of David Selznick or a bit of John Ford; it felt like he didn’t know which direction to take the film.

And thus ends my thoroughly negative review. My next post promises to be far more positive - AFI No. 81, Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times (1936). I love that movie. Love love love. Stick around and read about it!

No. 92: A Place In The Sun

A Place In The Sun (1951)

Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift, Shelley Winters

Director: George Stevens

Awards: 6 wins, including Best Director

My mom and I go to a gym together - and we do some intense working out. Much to her chagrin, there’s something I like to do in addition to working out – read the tabloids people leave on the machines. The other day I was flipping through People, and I read an interview with Elizabeth Taylor. One question asked something like “what was the best movie you’ve ever acted in?” And what does Liz say? She says the first time she ever really acted was in A Place In The Sun – and you can sure tell.

At first glance, A Place In The Sun appears to be just another soap opera – nothing special. But after seeing it, there’s no way you can say that. The characters are vivid and incredibly dramatic, but not in a clichéd way. The script is tense, emotional and perfectly suited to the cast of characters. And don’t even get me started on the artistic details, like beautiful cinematography and gorgeous costumes!

Young George Eastman (Clift) is a poor relation to the wealthy Eastman family. He gets a low-ranking job at their company so he can learn the business, and there he meets fellow worker Alice Tripp (Winters), a blue-collar girl. Their relationship is against employee rules, but they begin dating. Everything goes smoothly until he meets and falls head over heels for society girl Angela Vickers (Taylor). With Angela's help he begins climbing the job and society ladders, but there’s a problem – Alice is pregnant. She blackmails him into agreeing to marry her, and he concocts a plan. He takes her boating and plans to kill her - but just when he decides against it, Alice stands up; the boat capsizes, and she drowns. George is arrested on murder charges, and after a brutal cross-examination by the district attorney (played by Raymond Burr – Thorwald from Rear Window!) he is sentenced to death. A tortured Angela visits him one last time in his cell, and I have to say, it’s one of the saddest movie goodbyes you’ll ever see.

There are so many great movie dramas. What makes this one special? Well, one thing that differentiates this film is the passion you feel from all the characters. Under George Stevens' direction, the close-ups of the actors are tense and every angle showcases a different feeling or reaction. The perfectly executed art direction, seen in the many shadows of this black-and-white film, matches perfectly with the acting, and adds depth to every scene.

Still, there’s more than just characters and artsy stuff. A Place In The Sun was based on Theodore Dreiser’s novel An American Tragedy (1925). And while I’m sure it’s a very good book, it’s a pretty lengthy tome, and not exactly accessible to most viewers. Most Hollywood studios were rightfully apprehensive about turning it into a movie. But Paramount Studios took the plunge, and took a book that most consider “stuffy” and “old-fashioned” and turned it into a modern romance that spoke to viewers when it opened in 1951, and still holds up today.

My final verdict? Love it. Really, it’s a great movie, and I’m glad to find it’s still appealing to viewers today.

In short, if you like:

* Gorgeous black-and-white cinematography

* Stories with extremely depressing endings

* Elizabeth Taylor at her jaw-dropping beautiful best

* Amazing period sets and clothing from designer Edith Head (Ladies, this movie is worth checking out just to see Liz Taylor’s dresses, they’re that good.)

* Montgomery Clift at his most tragic

* A memorable and talented supporting cast


…then you’ll love A Place In The Sun.

Next up on my list; No. 92, My Fair Lady (1964), starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison. Ehh… I’ve seen it before. I like it, but it’s not my favorite, for reasons we'll discuss. My parents aren’t even that nice. They just hate it. So, this should be interesting! Stick around and read about it.