Giant
Giant is a 1956 Epic Movie starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean. Based on the novel by Edna Ferber, the film is more famous for being James Dean's last role (some of his lines had to be dubbed).
The film is about the Benedict family, beginning when Texan Rancher Jordan "Bick" Benedict heads east to Maryland to purchase War Winds from Dr. Lynnton and ends up marrying his daughter, socialite Leslie. They start life at Bick's ranch, Reatta, and have three children. Leslie has a hard time dealing with the sexism and racism of Bick and basically everyone around her, she leaves Bick for a time but they eventually reconcile. After Bick's sister dies, she leaves Jett Rink a small plot of land, which he refuses to sell to Bick even though he's offered twice its value. He then strikes oil, which eventually happens around the region with even Bick getting rich off oil after he swore to keep the ranch only cattle. Bick's attitudes are put to the test when his kids grow up and not only do none of them want to run the ranch after him, but his only son Jordy marries, Juana, a Mexican-American.
The movie culminates in the opening of Jett Rink's hotel and airport, and at the big party Jordy tries to fight Jett Rink when he finds out that him and his wife were only invited so that Jett's employees could deny them service. Later on the way home, they stop at a diner and Bick gets into a fight with the racist owner when he refuses to serve a Mexican family.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: Luz's crush on Jett Rink, they later start dating.
- Badass Grandpa: Bick at the end of the movie.
- Big Fancy House: Bick's house gets even bigger and fancier after they make money in oil.
- California Doubling: Only in the case of the Maryland scenes, which were shot in Virginia. The exterior scenes at Reata were all shot in Texas.
- Cattle Drive
- Conspicuous Consumption: One lady comments about how she likes how Texas is a place to outspend everyone.
- Cool Horse: War Winds. Bick buying the horse was hoe he met Leslie and later, his sister Luz riding the horse with spurs led to her death.
- Cool Old Guy: Uncle Bawley, who could be also considered a piano player of sorts.
- Dead Guy, Junior: Luz is named after her aunt, who died before she was born.
- Dirty Old Man: Jett Rink gows into one of these.
- Everything Is Big in Texas
- Frontier Doctor Jordy becomes a modern version of one of these.
- Kick the Dog: Luz uses spurs on Leslie's horse, War Wings. It doesn't end well...
- Ladette: Bick's sister Luz, and later his daughter Luz II.
- Love At First Sight: Bick and Leslie and later Jordy and Juana.
- May-December Romance: Luz II is May and Jett Rink is December.
- Noble Bigot: Pretty much everyone but Leslie at the start of the film, and it takes a long time for Bick to stop being this even after his son's marriage.
- Pimped-Out Dress: Plenty to choose from at the hotel opening scene.
- Pretty in Mink: A number of furs are worn, including one rich lady sporting a huge white fox wrap.
- Scenery Porn
- Screw the Money, I Have Rules: Jett Rink refuses to sell his land back to Bick, though we aren't told why. Later on, this is Bick's reasoning for not allowing oil to be drilled at Reatta, but it's a Broken Aesop as they end up getting rick off oil during World War II
- Sleeping Single: Strangely, Bick and Leslie. Which is strange as they're Happily Married and are sharing a bed at first.
- Socialite: Leslie
- Stalker with a Crush: Jett Rink could be considered one of these towards Leslie, he later dates her daughter Luz.
- Team Dad
- Team Mom: Leslie, she wants the kids to be whatever they want.
- Unto Us a Son and Daughter Are Born: Jordy and Judy.