Event Details
In person: Caleb Deschanel, George Stevens, Jr.
George Stevens (A Place in the Sun, 1951) earned his second Directing Oscar for this character-centered adaptation of Edna Ferber’s 1952 bestseller about wealthy Texan Jordan “Bick” Benedict Jr. (Rock Hudson); his blueblood bride, Leslie (Elizabeth Taylor); and ambitious ranch hand Jett (James Dean, in his final performance). Visionary for its depictions of progressive social justice themes and Taylor’s bold depiction of a staunch feminist, Giant is an epic story that spans generations and tackles the conflicting mores that governed behavior in America during the first half of the 20th century. Alongside Stevens’s win for Directing, the film received 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Supporting Actress (Mercedes McCambridge), two Best Actor nominations for James Dean and Rock Hudson,... as well as for Dimitri Tiomkin’s original score, in what was the composer’s only collaboration with Stevens.
Initiated in 1982, the George Stevens Lecture on Directing was the first of the Academy’s ongoing lectures dedicated to the art of filmmaking. For this edition, six-time Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Caleb Deschanel joins us to discuss Giant’s visual language and social impact before the screening, which is presented in a beautiful, 4K restoration.
Programmed by K.J. Relth-Miller.
Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation.
1956 | 198 min. | USA | Color | English | Rated G | 4K DCP
DIRECTED BY: George Stevens
PRODUCED BY: George Stevens, Henry Ginsberg
WRITTEN BY: Fred Guiol, Ivan Moffat
WITH: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, Carroll Baker