On October 10th, 1956, the American epic Western drama ‘Giant’ debuted, starring James Dean, Rock Hudson, and Elizabeth Taylor. ‘Giant’ was the final leading role for James Dean, who died in a car accident before the film’s release.
The plot of ‘Giant’ tracks the lives of family members of a ranching empire in Texas. Based on the novel by Edna Ferber, the story follows Rock Hudson’s character ‘Bick Benedict’ after he marries the socialite Leslie, played by Elizabeth Taylor.
Things get tense when James Dean’s character ‘Jett’ has his eyes on Benedict’s money and wife. Director George Stevens won the Academy Award for his efforts on the big-budget 1956 production.
James Dean was nominated for his second Academy Award for the film. James was known as a cultural icon after his 1955 film ‘Rebel Without a Cause.’ The American Film Institute ranked James as the 18th best male movie star of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Dame Elizabeth Taylor began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s. She quickly became one of the most popular stars in Hollywood cinema in the 1950s.
By the 1960s, Elizabeth was the world’s highest-paid movie star. Her hit movies included ‘A Place in the Sun,’ ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,’ and ‘Suddenly, Last Summer.’
Rock Hudson’s career spanned more than three decades. He was a Hollywood heartthrob beginning in 1954 with his role in ‘Magnificent Obsession.’ For the film ‘Giant,’ Rock received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. The classic 1950s film ‘Giant’ is still celebrated today as a masterpiece of Hollywood’s Golden Age of cinema.
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