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Warner Bros. Pictures
Not part of a collection.
Sometimes any man can be a giant . . .
Wealthy rancher Bick Benedict and dirt-poor cowboy Jett Rink both woo Leslie Lynnton, a beautiful young woman from Maryland who is new to Texas. She marries Benedict, but she is shocked by the racial bigotry of the White Texans against the local people of Mexican descent. Rink discovers oil on a small plot of land, and while he uses his vast, new wealth to buy all the land surrounding the Benedict ranch, the Benedict's disagreement over prejudice fuels conflict that runs across generations.
CinemaSerf
Dec 28, 2022 · via TMDB
This is essentially three stories that George Stevens has rolled into one, long, family melodrama. It all starts when "Bick" (Rock Hudson) travels from his massive Texas ranch to buy an horse from "Dr. Lynnton" (Paul Fix). The first thing he sees though is not the beautiful black stallion, but the man's daughter "Lesley" (Elizabeth Taylor) riding it. After a sticky start, she is on her way to his home, as his wife, where she must settle into a life where women like her are expected to provide children and live otherwise fairly ornamental lives. Needless to say, she isn't really up for that and the next portion of the film follows her efforts to find a purpose. "Jett Rink" (James Dean) is a general factotum on their place. Disliked by "Bick" but protected to an extent by his sister "Luz" (Mercedes McCambridge). Tragedy strikes and "Jett" finds himself the beneficiary of that to the tune of a small plot of land where he quickly discovers oil. That changes the dynamic of the relationships and with the onset of WWII, the traditional lives of all concerned are shaken to the core. The final third, if you like, has probably the strongest message: those who fought together during the war regardless of race or creed are now (largely) back home, victorious, but are expected to fit back into their social demographic - and Stevens uses a swathe of new characters, including their son (Dennis Hopper) and the briefest of appearances from Sal Mineo to illustrate the hypocrisy and double standards that entailed. This third is, in my view, also the weakest section of the story. Perhaps because a degree of ennui was setting in after two hours already, but the flawed characterisation of Dean is a bit too superficial and Miss Taylor - who really does dominate this film - takes too much of a back seat as the familial discord and the effects of the bottle start to dominate the plot. Though Hudson is maybe not the strongest of character actors, here he does provide a degree of accruing decency to his character and at times there is a spark of chemistry between the two leads who, despite themselves, do actually love each other. It's certainly a grand piece of cinema with some spectacular photography. The make-up artistes make a decent stab at facilitating the ageing process as the film progresses and Dimitri Tiomkin manages to adapt his score from the initial Western style genre to a modern modern one creatively. It really does need a big screen and a comfortable seat to get the best out of the performances, but it is definitely worth it.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Spectrum On Demand
Elizabeth Taylor
Leslie Lynnton Benedict
Rock Hudson
Jordan 'Bick' Benedict
James Dean
Jett Rink
Carroll Baker
Luz Benedict II
Jane Withers
Vashti Synthe
Chill Wills
Uncle Bawley
Mercedes McCambridge
Luz Benedict
Dennis Hopper
Jordy Benedict
Sal Mineo
Angel Obregón II
Rod Taylor
David Karfrey
Judith Evelyn
Nancy Lynnton
Earl Holliman
Bob Dace
Robert Nichols
Mort 'Pinky' Snythe
Paul Fix
Horace Lynnton
Alexander Scourby
Old Polo
Fran Bennett
Judy Benedict
Charles Watts
Oliver Whiteside
Elsa Cárdenas
Juana Guerra Benedict
Carolyn Craig
Lacey Lynnton
Monte Hale
Bale Clinch
Sheb Wooley
Gabe Target
Victor Millan
Angel Obregón Sr.
Mickey Simpson
Sarge
Pilar Del Rey
Mrs. Obregón
Maurice Jara
Dr. Guerra
Noreen Nash
Lona Lane
Ray Whitley
Watts
Napoleon Whiting
Jefferson Swazey
Elsa Aguirre
(uncredited)
Barbara Barrie
Mary Lou Decker (uncredited)
Bess Flowers
Guest at Jeff Rink's Banquet (uncredited)
Harold Miller
Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Claudia Bryar
Older Beauty Operator (uncredited)
Highland Dale
War Winds the Horse (uncredited)
Boris Leven
Production Design
William C. Mellor
Director of Photography
Guy Teague
Stunts
Paul Baxley
Stunts
Pete Dunn
Stunts
Ted White
Stunts
Troy Melton
Stunts
George Stevens
Director
Fred Guiol
Second Unit Director
George Stevens
Producer
Dimitri Tiomkin
Original Music Composer
Edna Ferber
Novel
Fred Guiol
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Oct 10, 1956
New York City, New York
Oct 17, 1956
Los Angeles, California
Nov 24, 1956
Sep 20, 1996
re-release
Sep 25, 2005
re-release
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