Best Actor 1956: Rock Hudson in Giant

Rock Hudson received his only Oscar nomination for portraying Bick Benedict in Giant.

Giant is actually a very interesting film. I did not care for it too much the first time I saw it but I will say that I was not really paying enough attention to really appreciate it.

Rock Hudson's performance here is not anything special but it is not at all bad. I think this is due to the character of Bick Benedict. Bick is not all that complicated of a character. He is in many ways the typical rancher man. He wants to keep his family business well, and wants to live his life. I felt Hudson was actually entirely believable as the rancher, I though his accent was fine, and I had no problem with what he did with the character.

Bick as a character though really requires little from the actor, and his whole character seems to be reactionary in many ways to those around him. He stays steadfast with most of his beliefs and thoughts and is reacted upon by his sister, his wife, his children, and his rival of sort Jett (James Dean). He reacts mostly in constrained anger when the others do what disappoints him and angers him. I think Hudson's reactions are fine, and make sense for the character. He is always believable I think in the role, his performance is not really flawed I think at all. Bick just is a reactive character most of the time, and never very complex.

I think he handles the aging of the character well, and shows his frustrations well enough. I think he works well with Elizabeth Taylor well, and I think they have a the right naturalism in their scenes together.  I thought they worked together like a real married couple, and I though he was equally naturally with all the children as well. He even works well with Dean, and I find his steadfast method of acting works along fairly well with Dean eccentric method. Bick I do not think is a lacking character, he does not need to be that complicated to serve his purpose. Bick serves his purpose as does Hudson. Not amazing by anything means but I though he was perfectly fine in the role.