What might happen if an independent, free-thinking woman were to marry a strong, tough Texan rancher and move with him to raise a family in the lone star state? That's the basic question in George Stevens' nearly great American movie. It continually raises issues that, ten years after it was made, would have been described as "women's lib" issues; and a few decades after that, "feminist." Today we see the story as illustrating elements in the "me too" dialog - AND, believe it or not, the racial issue concerning marriage between white Texans and people of Mexican heritage. Most movies made over 50 years ago date badly, but not this one. Its only flaw is that nearly 3 and a half hours is perhaps a bit too much of a good thing, but, then again, this is Texas we're talking about. Stevens got an Oscar for directing his three young stars through their carefully modulated performances - and. Taylor's is particularly noteworthy. Nothing in her quiet strength here suggests the harsh aggressive mannerisms she would bring to her Martha just 10 years later in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Dimitri Tiomkins majestic score is another highlight. The novel on which it is based is by Edna Ferber, who also wrote Show Boat, So Big and Cimarron.
Review of Giant
