Bigger Than Life (1956)
After losing the Oscar to Marlon Brando at the 1955 Oscar ceremony, James Mason wanted another shot at winning the gold, so he took the highly emotional role in Bigger Than Life. He plays a terminally ill family man who takes an experimental drug, cortisone, as the only chance to prolong his life. At first, he’s filled with vigor and love of life, but when he starts taking more cortisone than his dosage, the drug takes a toll on his mind.
Barbara Rush plays his not-so-long-suffering wife, and her character is written very inconsistently. She’s quick to accuse him of having an affair, doesn’t really crumble when the doctors tell her James is terminal, and the very day he comes home from spending months in the hospital she loses her temper and yells at him—yet she’s supposed to be looked at as a devoted wife?
The entire time James Mason was acting like a maniac, I kept thinking of his poor son and how much therapy he’d need when he grew up. For that matter, the actor himself, Christopher Olsen, might have needed therapy after acting in such an emotionally abusive film. I have a terrible weakness for not being able to stand it when little kids cry, especially boys, so there were a couple of times in the movie when I looked away from the screen.
Bigger Than Life is not the best movie to start out with if you’ve never seen a James Mason movie. Yes, he looks really handsome, but he’s really unlikable. After starting the movie all smiles and laughter and happiness, he quickly turns into a psychotic, cruel monster, turning the audience against him. Also, given the very uncomfortable subject matter, it’s not hard to see why he wasn’t nominated for another Oscar. The film criticizes the medical establishment, education, and religion; one can only imagine how uncomfortable 1956 audiences felt watching it.
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to upsetting scenes involving a child, I wouldn’t let my kids watch it.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Classic Cinema Central Seleus B" for posting!
More James Mason movies here!
Barbara Rush plays his not-so-long-suffering wife, and her character is written very inconsistently. She’s quick to accuse him of having an affair, doesn’t really crumble when the doctors tell her James is terminal, and the very day he comes home from spending months in the hospital she loses her temper and yells at him—yet she’s supposed to be looked at as a devoted wife?
The entire time James Mason was acting like a maniac, I kept thinking of his poor son and how much therapy he’d need when he grew up. For that matter, the actor himself, Christopher Olsen, might have needed therapy after acting in such an emotionally abusive film. I have a terrible weakness for not being able to stand it when little kids cry, especially boys, so there were a couple of times in the movie when I looked away from the screen.
Bigger Than Life is not the best movie to start out with if you’ve never seen a James Mason movie. Yes, he looks really handsome, but he’s really unlikable. After starting the movie all smiles and laughter and happiness, he quickly turns into a psychotic, cruel monster, turning the audience against him. Also, given the very uncomfortable subject matter, it’s not hard to see why he wasn’t nominated for another Oscar. The film criticizes the medical establishment, education, and religion; one can only imagine how uncomfortable 1956 audiences felt watching it.
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to upsetting scenes involving a child, I wouldn’t let my kids watch it.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Classic Cinema Central Seleus B" for posting!
More James Mason movies here!