Giant (1956): George Stevens' sweeping Oscar-winning epic about the cataclysmic effect the discovery of oil in Texas has on the lifestyle of the former cattle barons. Dean is Jett Rink a sullen-farm hand who becomes a millionaire overnight. Tough always angry restless bewildered and reckless Rink's animal charm and tycoon's magnetism means he always gets his way. But when he fails in love with Leslie he loses his way with an equal violence... East Of Eden (1955): J
Collection of three classic James Dean films. In 'East of Eden' (1955) two brothers compete for the love of their stern, overbearing, widowed father. However, when Cal (Dean), the rejected 'rebel' son, discovers that his mother is not dead but running a nearby brothel he tells his brother Aron (Richard Davalos). This leads to the destruction of not only his relationship with Aron but also his father. 'Giant' (1956) is an epic saga which begins when Texas cattle baron Bick Benedict (Rock Hudson) takes a non-Texan wife, Leslie (Elizabeth Taylor). The story then traces two generations of his family, alongside the life of disreputable ranch-hand Jett Rink (Dean), who strikes it rich on an oil well and falls in love with Leslie. Director George Stevens won an Oscar for his work and the film garnered nine more nominations, including one for Dean, who was killed soon after filming. Finally, 'Rebel Without a Cause' (1955) takes place over a 24-hour period and follows Jim Stark (Dean), a restless teenager who is always in trouble with the law. When Jim is picked up for being drunk and disorderly he notices Judy (Natalie Wood) at the police station and determines to ask her on a date at high school the next day, which leads him into conflict with her boyfriend Buzz (Corey Allen).
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
Woman Of The Year: A female politician and a sports journalist marry for the wrong reasons in this battle of the sexes comedy classic. Oscar winner for Best Original Screenplay. Giant - Special Edition: The James Dean legend lives on in 'Giant' George Stevens sweeping Oscar-winning epic about the cataclysmic effect the discovery of oil in Texas has on the lifestyle of the former cattle barons. Dean is Jett Rink a sullen-farm hand who becomes a millionaire overnight. To
When a maid is accidentally hit by a car and killed her young orphaned daughter is forced to live with the snooty couple her mother used to work for. A custody battle soon ensues between an aviator who adores the little girl and the couple's crotchety Uncle Ned.
They call it Giant because everything in this picture is big, from the generous running time (more than 200 minutes) to the sprawling ranch location (a horizon-to-horizon plain with a lonely, modest mansion dropped in the middle) to the high-powered stars. Stocky Rock Hudson stars as the confident, stubborn young ranch baron Bick Benedict, who woos and wins the hand of Southern belle Elizabeth Taylor, a seemingly demure young beauty who proves to be Hudson's match after she settles into the family homestead. For many the film is chiefly remembered for James Dean's final performance, as poor former ranch hand Jett Rink, who strikes oil and transforms himself into a flamboyant millionaire playboy. Director George Stevens won his second Oscar for this ambitious, grandly realised (if sometimes slow moving) epic of the changing socio-economic (and physical) landscape of modern Texas, based on Edna Ferber's bestselling novel. The talented supporting cast includes Mercedes McCambridge as Bick's frustrated sister, put out by the new "woman of the house"; Chill Wills as the Benedicts' garrulous rancher neighbour; Carroll Baker and Dennis Hopper as the Benedicts' rebellious children; and Earl Holliman and Sal Mineo as dedicated ranch hands.--Sean Axmaker, Amazon.com
Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1996):Inspired by Victor Hugos classic novel. Disney brings the heroic adventures of Quasimodo the gentle and lonely bell ringer of Notre Dame to spectacular life. At the urging of his hilarious gargoyle pals Victor Hugo and Laverne Quasimodo defies his evil guardian Frollo and ventures from his tower to the joyous Festival of Fools below. But the crowd turns cruel and rejects Quasi because of the way he looks. After another outcast the gypsy Esmeralda (Demi Moore) rescues him Quasi finds himself battling to save the people and the city he loves -- while reminding us to see people for who they are rather than how they appear. Hunchback of Notre Dame II: The Secret of the Bell (2001):In The Secret of the Bell the gentle but lonely Quasi has settled into Parisian life when he meets Madelline a beautiful girl from the circus. Immediately Quasi falls in love and in time Madelline grows fond of Quasi. When Sarousch Madelline's master steals the precious 'La Fidele' jewelled bell from the cathedral Quasi banishes Madelline from his trust believing that she befriended him only to help steal the bell. Quasi ignores some hilarious advice from the cathedral gargoyles Victor Hugo and Laverne and with the help of his friends re-captures 'La Fidele'. Through this fun-filled adventure Quasi learns how he too must look past appearances to find true love.
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