For our money, Rock Hudson walked off with Giant, handily out performing Dean. Taking a hard nosed look at Eden and Rebel today prompts the notion that dying early might have been a terrific career move.
Disagreeing with us is first-time email contributor, Belmondo, who in responding to our 2013 blog, eloquently pleads this case:
Most artists who achieve an almost profound level of success are left wide open to be dissected.
Dean’s “legend” has very little to do with his talent and artistry. He became a poster boy for teenage rebellion and Hollywood cool. Most of his so-called fans have probably never seen his films.
Still, opinion is opinion. James Dean was not and is not everyone’s cup of tea. The legend and hype may be too much to live up to in many viewers eyes. But…to say that Rock Hudson walks away with ‘Giant,’ I have to question your sanity, let alone your criteria on acceptable film acting.
I’ll agree, Dean’s performance in ‘East of Eden’ is a bit over indulgent. But it has been well documented that Kazan pushed Dean to that level, allowing him to run rampant.
‘Rebel Without A Cause,’ as a film, is hopelessly dated, but his performance is solid. Yet these films just re-enforce the “misunderstood youth” tag that still is attached to him.
Which makes his performance in ‘Giant’ so relevant. Not only is it an adult role, he doesn’t have that much screen time. He dominates the movie.
Hudson is a stiff, a good looking mannequin with a manufactured voice. He was part of the old system that busts (sic) looks foolish next to Dean’s textured, layered characterization. Hudson came into his own with the Doris Day comedies of the 60’s, but here he’s left in the dirt.
The scene after Dean’s character strikes oil, he comes to flaunt his new-found wealth to Hudson’s character (whom he loathed). The sense of danger and menace is palpable, and Hudson can only watch with confusion and clenched teeth.
Look no further than this scene to determine why Dean the actor was so damn good and why Rock Hudson, sadly, was not.
Thanks, much, Belmondo. It’s e-mails like yours that make us love hearing from readers. But, alas, we disagree. George Stevens was able to draw from Rock the best performance he had ever given, writes the actor’s biographer Sara Davidson. Amen.
By the way, Hudson did not like Dean personally. He was a little guy and he thought little, Hudson is quoted as saying. On time and always prepared, he regarded Dean as “unprofessional.”
Here’s a thought–Elizabeth Taylor walked off with Giant. Without ever losing her character’s mid-Atlantic aristocratic upbringing, she evolved from the curious, rather overwhelmed newcomer into the power behind the throne at Reata. I think the best scenes in the whole movie are her domestic conversations and disagreements with Bick. They are the scenes where one character or the other is almost completely obscured for long periods of time, which allowed Stevens to move the tone and direction of their relationship around. Great stuff.
Hudson and Dean were in a face-off between studio training and the Actors Studio. In this case, Hudson takes the bout by a decision.
Thanks for this fun series of entries in your treasure trove.
For me, East of Eden and, in particular, Giant are two films you can dip into at any point and revel in the story, the performances, and that singular Warner Bros. look found in any of the studios color productions.
By the time I first saw “Rebel” as a teenager, ten years after it came out, it was passing into unrecognizability as a document about youth. Not much of a shelf life for teenage angst, since it is so specific to place and, importantly, time.
“Rebel” does showcase some wonderful turns by veterans like William (Paul Drake) Hopper,
Edward (Get Smart) Platt, and the wonderful and reliable pros, Ann Doran and Jim Backus. But the adult parts in this movie are completely thankless, which I suppose is the point. Nonetheless, they all do their best to be hopelessly square, and succeed.
I hope Ms Doran and Mr. Backus can be subjects of yours in the future. Although they may already have been. Back to your archives…