Posted by Larry Gleeson
2022 TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL TO HOST WORLD PREMIERE SCREENING OF 4K RESTORATION OF GIANT (1956) WITH STEVEN SPIELBERG, MARGARET BODDE, AND GEORGE STEVENS, JR IN ATTENDANCE
Giant (1956)
Turner Classic Movies will be expanding its partnership with The Film Foundation with a multi-year financial commitment to fund the education and restoration of classic movies. As part of this partnership, the world premiere of the newly restored George Stevens production GIANT (1956) from Warner Bros. will be featured at the TCM Classic Film Festival. Prior to the screening at the TCL Chinese Theatre, TCM host Ben Mankiewicz will host a conversation with The Film Foundation board member Steven Spielberg, executive director Margaret Bodde, and George Stevens Jr.
Since its founding by Martin Scorsese more than 30 years ago, The Film Foundation has restored more than 900 classic movies. Scorsese and fellow board member Spielberg hand-picked this title as one of the group’s latest restoration projects, working with the Warner Bros. archives team for a year to complete the process.
The new 4K restoration was completed by sourcing both the original camera negatives and protection RGB separation master positives for the best possible image, and color corrected in high dynamic range for the latest picture display technology. The audio was sourced primarily from a 1995 protection copy of the Original Magnetic Mono soundtrack. The picture and audio restoration were completed by Warner Bros. Post Production Creative Services: Motion Picture Imaging and Post Production Sound.
“Anything that presumes to call itself GIANT better have the goods to keep such a lofty promise,” said Steven Spielberg. “Both Edna Ferber and George Stevens far exceeded the title to bring such an epic American story to the big screen and I’m proud to have been a small part of the restoration team of this classic motion picture.”
George Stevens, Sr. won his second Oscar® for directing the sweeping family saga set in Texas during the days of the oil boom. GIANT stars Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean. Based on Edna Ferber’s controversial novel, the movie’s release in 1956 was a massive box office hit and garnered 10 Academy Award® nominations.
“I was with my father during the writing of the GIANT screenplay and he measured films by how they stood ‘the test of time’,” said George Stevens, Jr. “GIANT has more than met that test and he would be grateful that Steven, Marty, The Film Foundation and Warner Bros. have achieved this brilliant restoration, so a new generation can see GIANT on the big screen, streaming and Blu-ray.”
Considered by critics as ahead of its time, GIANT is admired today for the breadth of its humanity more than its epic scale with its grand themes of generational conflict, racial tolerance, and social change. It exposed the marginalization and segregation of Mexican Americans for the first time on the big screen. At the center of the film, Elizabeth Taylor, as Leslie Benedict, portrays a strong and progressive woman who acts to stem the patterns of injustice
Festival passes, which include admission to GIANT (1956), and the full schedule of all festival events can be found here. Individual tickets will be sold as standby only at the event. This 4K restoration of GIANT (1956) will also be available on HBO Max later this year.
GIANT (1956)
Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean star in a sweeping saga of jealousy, racism, and the clash of cultures set in the vast Texas oilfields. Wealthy rancher Bick Benedict (Hudson) and dirt-poor cowboy Jett Rink (Dean) both woo Leslie Lynnton (Taylor) a beautiful young woman from Maryland who is new to Texas. She marries Benedict, but she is shocked by the racial bigotry of the White Texans against the local people of Mexican descent. Rink discovers oil on a small plot of land, and while he uses his vast, new wealth to buy all the land surrounding the Benedict ranch, the Benedict’s disagreement over prejudice fuels conflict that runs across generations.
About the 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival
Movie lovers from around the globe will descend upon Hollywood for the 13th edition of the TCM Classic Film Festival. The 2022 Festival is set to take place Thursday, April 21 – Sunday, April 24, 2022. Over four packed days and nights, attendees will be treated to an extensive lineup of great movies, appearances by legendary stars and filmmakers, fascinating presentations and panel discussions, special events, and more.
TCM Primetime host Ben Mankiewicz will serve as the official host of the TCM Classic Film Festival. The Festival’s official hotel and central gathering point will be The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, which has a longstanding role in movie history and was the site of the first Academy Awards® ceremony. The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel will also offer special rates for Festival attendees. Screenings and events during the Festival will be held at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX®, the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, the Hollywood Legion Theater at Post 43, and the El Capitan Theatre. For the latest news and information, follow us on social at #TCMFF.
This year’s theme is “All Together Now: Back to the Big Screen.” In 2022, reunite with fellow fans, the movies, the memories, the stars, and the glamour. It’s all back live and in person, just as it should be and where it all began in Hollywood. From high school reunions to homecomings, TCM will celebrate milestones from the past as we look forward to making new memories together.
About The Film Foundation
The Film Foundation is a nonprofit organization created by Martin Scorsese in 1990 to protect and preserve motion picture history. By working in partnership with archives and studios, the foundation has helped to restore over 925 films, which are made accessible to the public through programming at festivals, museums, and educational institutions worldwide. The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project has restored 47 films from 27 countries to date, representing the rich diversity of cinema from around the globe. The foundation’s free educational curriculum, The Story of Movies, teaches young people – over 10 million to date – about film language and history.
