Giant Portfolio

10 photographs from the film Giant, 1956
Digital print on glossy paper
Each print 43 in. x 43 in. / 109.22 cm. x 109.22 cm. (unframed)

This stunning collection of 10 photographs dates from the 1955 set of the Warner Brothers film Giant, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean. The film, an epic drama about members of a wealthy Texas ranching family confronting oil barons and the legacy of racism, received 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Actor nods for Hudson and 24-year-old Dean, who tragically died in a car accident shortly after filming ended. An anonymous Warner Brothers staff photographer captured these Hollywood icons in moments of rest, laughter, and preparation between takes during the film’s shoot in Marfa, Texas. The owner of these historical negatives has preserved them in mint condition, allowing for this beautiful portfolio to be presented here in Cannes tonight.

Almost 30 years after Giant, Rock Hudson became a leading man in a different way. He bravely announced to the world that he had been living with AIDS and became the first major celebrity to do so, pushing back against the stigmatization of the disease. Deeply touched by her friend’s illness, Elizabeth Taylor began to use her star power to bring much-needed attention—and dollars—to the fight against HIV/AIDS. She joined forces with Dr. Mathilde Krim and others to co-found amfAR and rally support for AIDS research. Rock Hudson became one of amfAR’s first donors, giving $250,000 shortly before his death.

Dame Elizabeth, amfAR’s Founding International Chairman, dedicated the rest of her life to ending AIDS, from testifying before Congress and visiting people living with HIV during their hospital stays to launching the fundraising event that 31 years later is still going strong—amfAR Gala Cannes.

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