Bigger Than Life (1956)
Genre: Drama
Duration: 95 minuten
Alternative titles: De Deur naar de Afgrond / One in a Million
Country:
United States
Directed by: Nicholas Ray
Stars: James Mason, Barbara Rush and Walter Matthau
IMDb score:
7,4 (8.779)
Releasedate: 2 August 1956
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
Bigger Than Life plot
"The story of the handful of hope that became a fistful of hell!"
Ed Avery is a teacher who suffers from severe pain and blackouts. He is hospitalized with a rare form of inflammation of the veins. The doctors tell him that he only has a few months to live. Desperate, Ed agrees to an experimental hormone therapy. He has to take a cortisone tablet regularly.
Actors and actresses
Ed Avery
Lou Avery
Wally Gibbs
Dr. Norton
Richie Avery
Dr. Ruric
Bob LaPorte
Nurse
Pat Wade
Mrs. LaPorte (uncredited)
Reviews & comments
Leland Palmer
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- 23787 messages
- 4904 votes
Nicholas Ray continues to score well. "Bigger Than Life" is also a film that more than convinced me. Mason is incredibly convincing as a teacher and father, whose personality seems to take a completely different/bad turn after taking (too much) cortisone. Matthau is a good stabilizing force within the family.
Playing football in the house, Mason's increasingly strict manner, and finally even the "God was wrong" scene with the Bible at the bottom of the stairs. That's where it starts to get scary. However, the scene of Mason with his (gorilla) shadow, trying to teach his son something is the strongest. Excellent film.
Translated from Dutch · View original
scorsese
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- 13237 messages
- 11128 votes
A good film about a father and teacher who experiences psychological side effects from the medication he's taking. Although the film looks like a typical 1950s film, it isn't (darker in tone). The effects on the family are well-depicted, and the main character's development is also well-developed, thanks to James Mason. The ending was perhaps a bit too easy, which is why it falls just short of 4.0 stars.
Translated from Dutch · View original
El Loco
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- 1147 messages
- 2415 votes
The third Nicholas Ray film I've seen so far, but it was mainly James Mason's presence that made me watch this one. I was recently struck by his incredible acting while rewatching Lolita, and he carries this film beautifully as well. Barbara Rush and Christopher Olsen are certainly not bad as wife and son, but they're somewhat interchangeable.
The film's structure is quite well-crafted, with Ed initially reacting quite cheerfully and energetically to taking the cortisone. After a while, it becomes clear that things are going in the wrong direction, and his behavior is becoming increasingly strange. Still, I feel like Ray could have gone a bit further, because I rarely found myself truly on the edge of my seat. Only when Ed interrogates his son for a long time about his homework was there a scene that stood out a bit more than the rest, thanks to that delightful gorilla-like shadow.
A solid film with strong acting, but it lacks that little something extra to really make an impression.
3*
Translated from Dutch · View original
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