Giant (Special Edition) [DVD] [1956] [Dual Disc Format]*

The American domestic epic endured long into the post-war era, with Giant (1956) one of its last real manifestations. Director George Stevens gets real panoramic sweep in his adaptation of Edna Ferber's novel of social and economic change in rural Texas from the 1920s to the 1950s. Rock Hudson is imposing if uninvolving as rancher Vernon Reata II, constantly torn between his image and his humanity. As his wife Lesley, Elizabeth Taylor gives one of her most rounded performances as the Maryland girl whose liberal outlook causes friction within the social (and racial) mindset of the insular community as it lurches from rigid conservatism to mindless materialism over three decades.

The film is best remembered for James Dean in what was his third and last screen appearance. He cuts a distinctive figure as Jet Rink, social outcast turned oil tycoon. The bravura of his inebriated speech before an empty banqueting hall would be no less memorable had his career not been curtailed days after shooting ended. The secondary roles are decently taken: look out for a teenage Denis Hopper, sallow but likeable as the gauche Vernon Reata III.

On the DVD: Giant is evenly divided over two discs. Widescreen picture quality is excellent and the remastered soundtrack gives Dimitri Tiomkin's score a new lease of life. A laudable 56 chapter points are provided, with dubbing in English, French and Italian and subtitles in eight languages. A running commentary, though informative, is really for aficionados only, but the 45 minutes (on the second disc) of George Stevens recollections from heavyweights such as Herman J. Mankiewicz, Alan J Pakula and Fred Zinnemann ideally complements this sprawling but often compulsive old-school American movie. --Richard Whitehouse

Giant was nominated for 10 Academy Awards with director George Stevens winning his second Oscar for this ambitious, grandly realized epic of the changing socio-economic (and physical) landscape of modern Texas, based on Edna Ferber’s best-selling novel. Triple Academy Award winner Elizabeth Taylor (Butterfield 8, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) stars alongside 4-time Golden Globe winner Rock Hudson (Oscar nominated for his role in Giant) and Golden Globe winner James Dean (Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden).

Living up to its title, everything in this picture is big, from the running time to the sprawling ranch location and the high-powered stars. Rock Hudson stars as the confident, stubborn young ranch baron Jordan ‘Bick’ Benedict, who woos and wins the hand of Southern belle Leslie (Elizabeth Taylor), a seemingly demure young beauty who proves to be Bick’s match after she settles into the family homestead. The film sees James Dean’s final performance before his tragic death, as poor former ranch hand Jett Rink, who strikes oil and transforms himself into a flamboyant millionaire playboy, earning a second posthumous Academy Award nomination. The talented supporting cast includes Mercedes McCambridge as Bick’s frustrated sister, put out by the new woman of the house, and with Carroll Baker and Dennis Hopper as the Benedict’s rebellious children.

Disc 1:

• Feature length audio commentary by film critic Stephen Farber, screenwriter Ivan Moffat and George Stevens Jr.
  
• Introduction by George Stevens Jr.
  
• Documentary - George Stevens: Filmmakers Who Knew Him
  
• Interactive menus
  
• Scene access

Disc 2:

• Documentaries - Memories of "Giant" and Return to "Giant", in which cast, crew and Texans spin small and tall tales about the film’s legacy
  
• New York premiere TV special
  
• Hollywood premiere featurette
  
• "Giant" stars are off to Texas newsreel
  
• Behind the Cameras segments
  
• Original/reissue trailers
  
• Production stills and documents galleries
  
• Interactive menus
  
• Scene access

DVD Technical Information:

• Audio: 2.0 Dolby Surround/1.0 Mono
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 4 x 3/Colour
  
• Running time: 193 mins approx. - PAL
  
• Languages: English, French, Italian
  
• Hearing Impaired: English, Italian
  
• Subtitles (feature only): English, French, Italian, Dutch, Arabic, Spanish, German, Romanian, Bulgarian
  
• DVD 18 format
  
• Region Code: 2