Giant
Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean
Director: George Stevens
Writer: Fred Guiol, Edna Ferber
Producer: Henry Ginsberg, George Stevens
Giant is a 1956 American epic drama film directed by George Stevens, from a screenplay adapted by Fred Guiol and Ivan Moffat from Edna Ferber's 1952 novel. The film stars Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean; and features Carroll Baker, Jane Withers, Chill Wills, Mercedes McCambridge, Dennis Hopper, Sal Mineo, Rod Taylor, Elsa Cárdenas, and Earl Holliman.
Trivia
- Won the Academy Award for Best Director.
- Also nominated for: Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress; Academy Award for Best Actor; Academy Award for Best Film Editing; Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay; and 4 more.
- Based on Giant (1952 novel by Edna Ferber).
- The character of Jordan Benedict II and the depiction of the Reata Ranch in Giant were inspired by Robert "Bob" J. Kleberg Jr. (1896–1974) and the King Ranch, located in Kingsville, Texas.
- Similar to the fictional Reata—which spans over half a million acres—the King Ranch encompasses approximately 825,000 acres (3,340 km2; 1,289 sq mi) and extends across six Texas counties, including the majority of Kleberg County and a significant portion of Kenedy County.
- Historically, the King Ranch operated primarily as a livestock enterprise before the discovery of oil on the property.
Filming Locations
- The first part of the picture was actually shot in Albemarle County, Virginia, and used the Keswick, Virginia, railroad station as the Ardmore railway depot.
- Much of the subsequent film, depicting "Reata", the Benedict ranch, was shot in and around the town of Marfa, Texas, and the remote, dry plains found nearby, with interiors filmed at the Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, California.
- The "Jett Rink Day" parade and airport festivities were filmed at the Burbank Airport.
Previous Showings
4 Runs • 3 Festivals
4,455 tickets sold
All runs on record (4):
- August 31 - September 3, 1991 · 2,102 tickets
- August 31 - September 1, 2000 · 967 ticketsSummer 2000
- April 14 - 15, 2011 · 933 ticketsElizabeth Taylor
- September 2 - 3, 2026 · 453 ticketsSummer 2026 including the Films of Marilyn Monroe