Children of Giant

Ostensibly centered on the making of George Stevens' Oscar-winning 1956 drama Giant, based on Edna Ferber's bestselling novel, filmmaker Hector Galán's PBS-aired documentary focuses on the film's location in Marfa, TX, as well as its take on social, racial, and economic issues in the Lone Star State (and by extension America) during the first half of the 20th century. Ferber's novel, published in 1952, was controversial for its portrait of racial prejudice and segregation, themes that director-producer Stevens fought to keep in the movie, and film historians here argue that Giant was ahead of its time for a big-budget Hollywood epic. Very few members of the film's cast and crew are still around (co-stars Earl Holliman and Elsa Cardenas are the most prominent), so Galán turns to George Stevens Jr. (son of the director, and a filmmaker in his own right), along with many of the locals involved as extras and members of the crew, who share their experiences working on the film. Children of Giant is not a traditional behind-the-scenes look. While there are stories about stars Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean on the set, and a handful of production anecdotes, the documentary's focus is on the social commentary of the novel and film, the subsequent hostility of Texas society toward both, and the way the country embraced the movie: it was one of the biggest box-office hits of the year and was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, winning for Best Director. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (S. Axmaker)