The opening of the movie sets the viewer up for a bit of a shock later on; all those lush rolling green fields of Maryland give way to a desolate and bizarrely placed Gothic mansion in the middle of a Texas desert. One wonders what Leslie Benedict REALLY thought, because she never let on that this might have been a mistake. But they say love is blind, even if marriage is an eye opener. For my part, I was left wondering what the cattle ate out there to stay nourished, they certainly looked healthy. But of course, that wasn't the point. "Giant" was one of the earliest epic bordering films to examine racial intolerance and present a strong independent woman, and the scenes that play to those sentiments are the best in the story.

I had only the faintest of knowledge about the film, generally cited as a final showcase for one of it's stars, James Dean. What surprised me the most was the presence of such a fine supporting cast behind Dean, Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor. Mercedes McCambridge excels with limited screen time as Bick's (Hudson) manly sister, while Carroll Baker and Dennis Hopper appear as the adult Benedict heirs, each off in their own direction to the consternation of their father. It's always interesting to see Dennis Hopper, especially in very young early roles, to see how he developed his chameleon like ability to morph into virtually any type of characterization.

It's fair to say that the movie's three plus hours virtually flies by, and one wonders how long it could have gone if the film hadn't lopped off years between scenes. On the flip side, that might also be the picture's greatest downside. Even though continuity is never lost, it's somewhat disorienting to see a family age by almost a decade at a clip, as there was plenty of room for additional character development in between. That's probably why more than once I thought that the picture might have benefited from a serialization of sorts, along the lines of say, "Dallas", other similarities notwithstanding. Is there any way to overlook the connection between Jett Rink's (Dean) prominent initials and those of the eldest son of the Ewing clan?

The movie ties up a lot of connections by the time it's over, like Jordy's (Hopper) 'Country Doctor' medical kit and his adult life's ambition. The best though came near the finale when Hudson's character Bick Benedict transcends his chauvinistic and bigoted past to take on the proprietor of 'Sarge's Place'. It was the redeeming moment worth waiting for, set to martial music and inviting the viewer to cheer on the man who was getting his butt whipped. It's a scene that best captures the spirit of "Giant", as if defining each of it's principal players as a giant in their own right.

This has recently played on Turner Classic Movies, and so they have been playing a short promo on the film. However, I disagree with the critics' assessment that this is a man versus woman film. Instead, this is a film about the pangs of old Texas giving birth to new Texas. Rock Hudson plays the young patriarch of a Texas ranching family, Bick Benedict, in the 1920s who goes to Maryland to buy a colt. He is instantly smitten with one of the daughters in the family (Elizabeth Taylor as Leslie) , in spite of the fact that she raises his Texas ire by saying things such as Texas was stolen from Mexico! Taylor's character is already spoken for, but she throws over her intended and she and Benedict marry on a whim.

Adjustment is hard for Leslie. The Benedict ranch is sprawling but devoid of Maryland's natural beauty. Bick's sister Luz runs the house and is not going to give that title up to some delicate East coast beauty. And when she tries to help the Mexican families that live on the ranch, she finds her husband angry with her. Ranch hand Jett Rink (James Dean in his last film role) falls madly in love with Leslie who just doesn't see it. Meanwhile Luz has always loved Jett, and that love later greatly complicates the Benedicts' lives in a very unconventional way.

Like I said, this is no man versus woman film. This is initially east coast liberal civilized values versus the rough and tumble values of what is still the Texas frontier in many ways. And it is the story of a family over 30 years as Texas changes in its values and what is important in its industry. For example, cattle ranching gives way in importance to the petroleum industry. As for changing values, Bick changes from a man who really doesn't see the Hispanics as human beings to somebody who literally takes a beating to defend the honor of one decades later.

Highly recommended as a film and as a showcase for the talents of Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean. Dean had other good showcases for his talent, but I feel Hudson and Taylor - in spite of her two Best Actress Oscars are both remembered too much for their soapy roles and not enough for their acting skills. Highly recommended.

I saw this movie as a kid and didn't think much of it. The biggest thing I remember about it was how long the movie was and the calves' brains scene. Now, I just saw the film again and it changed my perspective quite a bit.

The first 1/2 of the movie didn't overwhelm me. Yes, it was good,...but certainly seemed far from great. The scenery was spectacular but rather dull after a while. And, the characters seemed a bit idealized--Elizabeth Taylor's character was sweet and Rock Hudson seemed more and more like a jerk. There didn't seem to be any sort of transcendent message.

However, as the film continued, the plot and characters evolved and you don't see that happen too often in films. While Rock was still a bit of an old fashioned guy, he became more and more decent and likable--culminating with the gut-wrenching scene in the restaurant. Then, when he and Liz were at home and she told him she had never been more proud of him than when he attacked this bully, it really made the movie for me. Its message of racism and change was well worth the VERY long wait.