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Summary: GIANT IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE
Review: Thank you Amazon. As prompt as ever. Giant arrived this week and what a treat...I first saw it at one of our locals when i was 13. At various re-runs into the 60`s. I watched it on TV when it was shown.And now its all mine It has to be one of my all time top movies and the D V D transfer is incredible when you think its almost 50 years old. Ever since the advent of D V D i have been so impressed with the quality of some of the transfers as i have also been disapointed but this is amazing. If anyone out there has the same feeling for it as i have i urge you to buy it not only for the tranfers but the extra`s. Its well worth it. To think that Rock Hudson was 28 and Liz Taylor & James Dean were only 22 makes it even more incredible. Not forgetting Dennis Hopper, Sal Mineo, Earl Holliman, Carroll Baker and young Rod Taylor before he took off in his Time Machine. A quality movie and a quality transfer. George Stevens would have been proud of it.....
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Summary: JAMES DEAN FAN FROM WEST UNION CITY 510
Review: THIS MOVIE IS ONE OF MY FAVORIT JAMES DEAN MOVIES.
JAMES DEAN PLAYS AT ONE OF HIS BEST.JAMES DEAN,ROCK HUDSON,THE BEAUTIFULL ELIZABETH TAYLOR,DENNIS HOPPER,SAL MENIO AT THEIR BEST.5 STAR MOVIE.
GREAT DERICTOR WORK FROM GEORGE STEVENS
AND A GREAT ADDAPTION THE SCREENWRITERS GOT FROM THE AUTHOR WHO WROTH THE BOOK.
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Summary: AFI top 100 classic pix, James Deans last movie now on DVD
Review: The American Film Institute voted "Giant" as one of the top 100 American films in the last 100 years in 1998. Nominated for 10 Oscars uncluding only win Best Director - George Stevens (his 2nd Oscar) with nominations for Best Picture (robbed by Around the world in 80 days), Best Actor - Rock Hudson (his best performance), Best Supporting Actor - James Dean (his last performance - he was killed in an automobile accident in final days of filming).Author, Edna Ferbers "Giant" is a classic Texas western film of epic length (201 minutes) not since Maragret Mitchells "Gone With The Wind" has a books film adaptation been so well received. 4 years in the making Director George Stevens and Warner Brothers produced a monumental history making film. Now Warner Brothers provides us for the first time a fabulous remastered WideScreen DVD & Special Features galore (everything you wanted to know about "Giant" and more). This 2 DVD set gives us; Disk 1 - WideScreen (166:1 Letterbox) film (flipper disc) NOTE - Letterbox provides black horizontal & vertical bars), film introduction & audio commentary with George Stevens Jr. & Documentary George Stevens: Filmmakers who knew him. Disk 2 - Bonus Materials to include; Large as Texas (the making of), Documentaries memories of Giant (with cast, crew & local extras, Tall Tales about the films Legacy, New Yorks Premiere TV special (hosted by Chill Wills) & Hollywoods Premiere Featurette, Project Kickoff News reel, Behind the Scenes segments (1950's tv show)hosted by Gig Young, Trailers, Extensive Production Notes, Stills and Document Galleries. Whew!!! Well worth the time for background information. This Classic Warnercolor film (not as vivid pallette of color as TECHNICOLOR) is good but had to be enhanced to bring us the necessary effect. The limited WideScreen format (166:1 instead of the standard 235:1) does not hurt the "Giant" scope of this panoramic film. Overall, still an outstanding presentation for the 16:9 HDTV Home Theatre crowd. Summary - An outstanding ensemble cast provides us with a magnificent movie experience. In short this epic film is about a Texas cattle baron (Rock Hudson - Oscar nominated role ages 30 years) who travels east to evergreen Maryland to buy a champion horse for breeding. Meets the socalite daughter (Elizabeth Taylor) buys the horse, marries her and they return to his "Giant" desolate Texas ranch (596,000 acres). A family (?) outcast & dirt poor (James Dean - Oscar nominated role) finds Elizabeth desirable and a 30 rivalry of hatred begins. This complex story shows how family life evolves, survives and how new generations change traditions. The stars aging 30 year process is amazingly authentic & beleivable. Multi-plots, colorful characters & vast vistas makes this a classic film. Get the popcorn ready. Watch the Film Introduction and then prepare to watch this "GIANT" 3 1/2 hour western classic. (This is a flipper disk - so you get a break) I recommend at a minimum rent this great film. A must see movie. Enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: A great movie but a "Giant" DVD disappointment
Review: Don't take me wrong. This is a great movie if not one of the greatest. But, when doing this review for "DVD" version of this movie. I have to give only one star for this re-issued DVD movie. It is nice to soup up the new version with plenty of documentary notes, interview, star's personal remembrance etc. But the studio did nothing to improve the audio and video aspect of this production. No new anamorphic video transfer, no Dolby digital 5.1 either. It still carry old 2 channels stereo sound track. The Dimitri Tiomkin's score never sounds so flat in my new Denon surround sound processor that struggle to decode it to Dolby Prologic II format. The worse part is somehow, I swear I could hear the "noise" common in worn out phono records. Especially in opening title scene and the driving to the mansion scene. The bottom line is that the latest version is nothing but an old VHS version re-packed in a DVD disc. Unless you are ready to throw out all those old VHS or even laser disc and keep only DVD, then there is no reason to buy this DVD at all. A "Giant" DVD disappointment.
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Summary: Finally - a superior transfer of George Stevens' masterpiece
Review: I have to disagree with apc-discs-books' assessment of the recent DVD transfer of Giant. It's a marked improvement over both the laserdisc transfer and the Canadian DVD release a couple of years ago. Both those transfers suffered from extreme graininess, poor color, and lack of definition. The recent transfer is as clear as a bell - finally doing justice to George Stevens' masterpiece. And the extra features alone are worth the price of admission, featuring interviews with many cast members. The only debit I find with this release is that the only English audio option available is the simulated stereo remix done several years ago. I can be very fussy when it comes to DVD transfers (see my other reviews). But this one's a beauty. Thank you, Warner Brothers!
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Summary: The Best Movie of All Time just got better
Review: "Giant" has been my favorite movies for many years, and I've seen it many, many times. I've always either wanted to see it on re-release at the theaters or or HD DVD, so the latter was a welcome event. I knew there would be great added features on this Special Edition version, but I was unaware of just how extensive and entertaining just those parts would be. It's worth the purchase just to see them; however, the movie itself in remastered digital format is a must have for any movie buff. Just seeing the leather grain on the seats in "Sarge's" and every little detail that heretofore had blurred into the background is amazing. I'll watch this one again and again. I just wish we had all 10 hours of film that George Stevens captured but had to cut to the floor to bring this one to the theaters. If you've never seen "Giant", see it this way first and enjoy!!
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Summary: Great extras!!!
Review: Most DVDs have the usual "extras," but this one is loaded. Gives you a great feel for what it was like when this movie came out in 1956. Moving documentary "Return to Giant" about the making of the film in the small town of Marfa, TX. Great trailers and Warner Bros. TV shows, "Behind the Camera." The film still retains its power and sweep, some 47 years later. One of the most powerful indictments of racism in Texas without preaching, or beating you over the head. Is it a coincidence that GIANT is The First Lady, Laura Bush's favorite movie? 47 years later, Texas oil men still fascinate us.
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Summary: GIANT. A stunning disappointment in DVD!
Review: GIANT. A stunning disappointment in DVD! I have been a fan of Giant for many years, and have seen the film many times. I had looked forward to the DVD re-issue, anticipating all the benefits of DVD quality and presentation. What a disappointment this disc has been! Although the blurb for the set describes the film as being transferred from "revitalized film elements" it is, as far as I can tell, nothing more than the same video tape that was used for the laserdisc version several years ago. It is NOT a new digital transfer, and it is NOT anamorphic. Detail is appallingly bad for a DVD, color has been hyped up but surface texture is poor. Zooming the picture to fill a 16:9 screen produces picture quality hardly better than VHS. It really looks no better than the laserdisc, and it is a crime to have lavishly re-issued this set without a new anamorphic 16:9 compatible transfer. This is one for the resale bin immediately.
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Summary: Giant Actors=Giant Movie
Review: If you are a fan of James Dean, Rock Hudson, or Elizabeth Taylor, this movie is definitely for you. It is a great showcase of talented actors coming together to create a great story. And seeing as James Dean only starred in 3 movies in his short life, this movie is worht buying just to see one of his great performances.
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Summary: An Epic of the Flatlands
Review: Those of us who live on the dusty, windswept plains of western Texas and Oklahoma readily appreciate a moving, gripping, well-made film that portrays the harsh, yet aesthetic abundance of this region. Equally enjoyable is the portrayal of what was once a titanic clash of two industries: cattle ranching and energy. Throw three young, very capable actors into the mix, and suddenly you've got an epic as entertaining today as it was forty-plus years ago. GIANT is the story of a west Texas ranching dynasty, the sprawling Reata Ranch, overseen for generations by the Benedict Family--currently run by Bick Benedict (Rock Hudson). Bick takes as his bride an "Easterner," petite and pretty Leslie Lynnton Benedict (Elizabeth Taylor). Leslie's transition from Maryland to the dusty flats of west Texas is the epitome of culture shock, yet she's up to the task, even to the point of challenging the ingrained bigotry toward the local Hispanic population. Bick's conservative stubbornness is at odds with Leslie's progressive beliefs; their numerous "disagreements" are some of GIANT'S most delightful, amusing moments. Yet the couple endures--endures through love. Jett Rink (James Dean) is one of Bick's quiet, surly, unreliable ranch hands. Jett becomes infatuated with Leslie from the first moment he sees her; his attraction to her motivates him to better himself. Inheriting a patch of land from Bick's older sister, Luz (played wonderfully by Mercedes McCambridge), Jett leaves Reata and does the unthinkable: he drills for oil. And when he strikes paydirt--when his first "gusher" comes in--the stage is set: the grand ranching tradition of the Benedict clan versus Jett's rapid accumulation of wealth and power via dotting the west Texas landscape with oilwells. James Dean simply dominates this film. The fact that he was able to so completely and effectively portray Jett Rink as a shrewd, hard-drinking businessman when Dean himself was only in his early twenties is astonishing. The range and complexity Dean brings to this role is spellbinding--and tragic: tragic in that we are given a glimpse of his phenomenal talent that was extinguished forever in an auto accident before GIANT was even released. I also enjoyed a very young Dennis Hopper as Jordan Benedict III, Bick's son and reluctant "heir apparent" to the family business. And Chill Wills is a bona fide scene stealer as crusty, cantankerous Uncle Bawley. He gets the best line in the movie; after Bick angrily rejects Jett's latest offer to drill for oil on his ranch and slams the telephone down, Uncle Bawley quietly says: "Most expensive phone call you ever made, Bick. Probably cost you around a billion dollars." GIANT is highly recommended.
--D. Mikels
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