Book Review--Giant: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, Edna Ferber, and the Making of a Legendary American Film

Giant:Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, Edna Ferber, and the Making of a Legendary American Film
Don Graham
St. Martin's Press, 2018

Edna Ferber’s Giant is an epic book that was adapted into an epic Hollywood film. That production featured a cast of Hollywood legends, up-and-coming stars, and durable character actors. In a new book, Don Graham reveals what happened when all these personalities coexisted for a time on a remote location in Marfa, Texas.

The book is at its juiciest when it dishes about its leads: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean. While I did not find much new here about these stars, the juxtaposition of their histories demonstrates what an odd trio they were: perfectly matched in some respects, horribly at odds in others. This is reflected in their varied relationships on set, where Dean and Hudson despised each other, while Taylor went back and forth between the two, having dramatically different experiences with both men.

Around these three there was another social whirl, with supporting players for the most part excluded from the company of the stars like high school outcasts. Some, like emerging method actress Caroll Baker would find themselves drawn into that exclusive crowd and intoxicated by the acceptance. Others, like the seasoned Mercedes McCambridge, were less concerned with status, instead focusing on finding comfort and entertainment during a grueling shoot.

So much of the production of the film is about these relationships and how director George Stevens presided over the group. For that reason, it makes sense that cast and crew interactions dominate the story here. This isn’t a film about technical issues, but rather the culture it reflected and the community that brought it to the screen. Author Edna Ferber felt strongly about her novel and the way that it was translated to the screen, and though she had little power over how the adaptation was approached, she never failed to provide input, and her point of view contrasts in an interesting way with the Hollywood take on Texas.

Graham also digs into the details of pre-production and the critical reception after the film’s release. He shares a some interesting tidbits, like the fact that Stevens seriously courted Audrey Hepburn for the role of Leslie Benedict and that he originally envisioned Alan Ladd as Jett Rink. It’s intriguing to imagine how dramatically these casting choices would have changed Giant.

This is a compelling portrait of a massive film. It covers a lot of ground, but remains engaging. I thought there was more biographical background than necessary on the three stars, but found the production notes fascinating and a solid document of the complexities in managing such a massive production.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing a copy of the book for review.

Quote of the Week

When I laugh, the laughter comes all the way from my kneecaps and when I cry, I even cry funny.

-Doris Day, recalling an assessment from Rock Hudson

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Monday Serenade: Bea Arthur and Rock Hudson Sniff, Swig and Puff

It has been a year since Bea Arthur left us. Let's remember the great lady with a song about drugs and alcohol! Arthur may not have been a big movie star, but she had her moments (she's the only thing in Mame (1974) that I found remotely entertaining). Rock Hudson adds Hollywood mojo to their duet of Sniff, Swig, Puff on Arthur's 1980 television special.

Something of Value (1957)

The plot of this movie is, in essence, The Fox and the Hound(1981) set against the Mau Mau uprising (an insurgency of Kenyans against English colonial rule in the 1950s). Rock Hudson and Sidney Poitier play childhood friends who grow apart when they find themselves at opposite ends of the conflict.

There is much to frustrate the modern viewer in this drama, which was very much of its time. While both the Kenyans and English are viewed with some sympathy, the plot, like the book, seems more concerned with the white point of view. These settlers, both those who are considered “good” and “evil” by the movie, are condescending and entitled. When a judge warns Hudson, “If we don’t make the African respect the law well, the next thing you know he’ll be wanting to rule this country.” He replies, “imagine that, now. Whatever could give him that idea?” But he seems more in love with the country than its people, and despite his obvious sense of fairness, you wonder if he really wants to change the status quo.

Poitier seems more committed to his cause. He is frustrated by the limitations and degradation his countrymen suffer under English rule, and he is willing to make great sacrifices to win back the land. When he is slapped by a white man for making a playful complaint while on the job, his humiliation is devastating. Tears stream freely down his face, until he finally explodes with raw anger. Hudson comforts him, but you sense that he can’t quite grasp his friend’s pain. I’m afraid this is partly due to Hudson’s performance; it wasn’t until later in his life that he was able to manage the gravity necessary for a role of this intensity.

However, Hudson does demonstrate a believable affection for his childhood friend. In fact, he seems more emotionally involved with Poitier than his fiancée (played by a stunned Dana Wynter). I saw this affection as an attachment to a way of life and Africa itself—two things which Wynter does not understand as well as these men.

On the other hand, Poitier handles his character's turmoil with stirring intensity. His is the most conflicted character, as he is grateful for the care he received from a family of English colonialists as a child, but also loves his people and wants to better their condition. Poitier seems near insanity as he struggles to find a peaceful solution to his dilemma. For most of the plot, he doesn’t seem to know what action to take next, and he is painfully stunned whenever he makes a bad choice.

Juano Hernandez is another stand-out, as an influential oath giver who will do anything, just short of condemning his soul, to win victory for his people. With his sad, soulful eyes and intense belief in tribal customs, he has a magical effect in his scenes—almost as if he is from another world.

On the whole, this is a brutal, flawed movie. There’s a lot of violence, set-off by several slow-moving scenes (the unconvincing romance between Wynter and Hudson could have been removed completely). The African storyline thrums with passion and anger, but the more conventional white settlers get the most screen time. Still, there are moments of intense suspense, heightened by a thrilling score (which is laced with the eerie swooons of either a Theremin or a musical saw; I couldn't tell for sure which one), and the script does successfully communicate how and why the parties on both sides of this conflict fervently believed in their own righteousness.


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TV Tuesday: Grouch Marx and Rock Hudson for DeSoto

I felt almost uncomfortable watching Groucho "Mr. Anarchy" Marx making such an earnest pitch in this DeSoto commercial. I kept waiting for the punchline. However, it did make me realize how much I like to hear him speak, no matter what he is saying.

On the other hand, while Rock Hudson has the looks of a born pitchman, he delivers his lines with a lot less enthusiasm. Doesn't he seem bored? (I wish they still made cars with that snazzy "sports swivel seat"):

Monday Serenade: Mae West and Rock Hudson

In celebration of Mae West's birthday, here's her famous performance of Baby It's Cold Outside with Rock Hudson at the 1958 Academy Awards ceremony. They make a great pair: West is still getting mileage out of her decades-old sex schtick and Hudson plays along with that trademark sly demeanor that always seemed to tell audiences that yes, he was in on the joke.