Memories of 'Giant' (1998 Video) User Reviews

A different sort of 'making of' featurette.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 7 August 2012]

The DVD for "Giant" has an accompanying disc of extras and has several 'making of' featurettes. While they are different in tone and style, the films often use some of the exact same interviews--something to think about if you plan on buying the 2-disc set.

The focus of "Memories of 'Giant'" is less a making of film and more just letting various stars from the movie recall the experience--particularly how much they enjoyed the camaraderie during and after shooting. Much of this is because the film was made in the middle of nowhere in Texas (Marfa, Texas to be exact)--and at nights there wasn't much to do but spend their time together. Folks like Jane Withers, Earl Holliman and Carol Baker have recently been interviewed for this film. However, we are also very lucky that the director (George Stevens) and Rock Hudson had previously been filmed talking about this, as they had died long before the special feature was made. Also, while they don't say why, apparently Elizabeth Taylor did not wish to be interviewed for the film and James Dean died way back in 1955. Well worth seeing--especially since all the nice stuff they said about each other was NOT part of the studio publicity department (I HATE when they bring out films like this and it's obviously staged) and they gave some interesting anecdotes (such as how shy Dean was).

Decent But All Over the Place

[Michael_Elliott · 26 March 2012]

Memories of Giant (1998)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

George Stevens, Jr., Rock Hudson, Carroll Baker, Jane Withers and Earl Holliman are interviewed about the making of the classic film GIANT. This documentary clocks in at just over 50-minutes and while it's slightly entertaining at the same time you can't be somewhat upset by how uneven and at times out of focus it is. I say this because it probably would have been much better had someone edited the footage together in a different way. It certainly doesn't follow any pattern in telling the story of the making of the picture and quite often they'll be talking about one thing then we'll bounce to a couple others and then we go back to the original story. They talk about Taylor then jump to editing, the costumes, something else and then flashback to continue what they originally were saying about Taylor. The first ten-minutes or so are basically a tribute to director Stevens as everyone comments on his talent and the way he directed movies. Hudson says that actors should just be putty and put themselves in his hands because he could mold anyone into perfection. The Hudson interview is certainly the highlight of the film as he was one of the stars of the picture so he has quite a few stories to tell. One funny story has him and Taylor staying out too late drinking and then having to get up early the next day for an emotional scene. We also get talk about the impact that Dean had on the film as well as some technical issues like making everyone age in a believable way. There's no question that all of the interviews are priceless but it's a case where the direction and editing should have had more interest in telling a story instead of just showing the footage.