It distils Texan attitudes and attributes into a specific cultural identity

(Above) James Dean on the set of the film Giant (photograph of a postcard - all images on this site are original).

Friday evening, after Newsnight, I watched the documentary James Dean Sense Memories, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the actor’s death. Big black and white talking heads (Bud Schulberg, Eartha Kitt, George Stevens) alternated with colour film clips. James Dean is such a familiar and modern figure that it is surprising to realise he would be 74 if he were alive today. The film Giant (directed by George Stevens) is one of the greatest cinematic productions ever made (in my opinion). It distils Texan attitudes and attributes into a specific cultural identity. Despite covering the span of a man’s life it avoids descending into melodrama.