Big Bend Quarterly, Warner Bros. and The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema present the 50th Anniversary of Giant July 2, 8:00 pm, downtown Marfa, in front of the Hotel Paisano. $50 per person, benefiting the Marfa Public Library How do we order tickets? You will need to mail a check for $50 for each ticket to: Trans-Pecos Productions P.O. Box 4124 Dallas, TX 75208 Please include your return address.  Seating is limited to 500 people. You may order tickets online from the Alamo Cinema's Rolling Roadshow What will we see? A 35mm theatrical screening of the classic Warner Bros. film Giant. This print is one of only four in the Warner Bros. vault, and was chosen for utmost clarity, color brightness and optimum picture quality. How are you screening it? We will use the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema's Rolling Roadshow, which features a theater-quality 35mm projector and sound system as well as the only Air Screen in north America. Because Marfa, Texas no longer has a movie theater, we will be screening Giant in the middle of their main street, Highland Avenue, in front of the historic Hotel Paisano. Why did you choose this location? Giant was filmed on location in Marfa, Texas, 50 years ago this summer, in 1955. The cast and crew stayed and ate at the Hotel Paisano. This historic hotel served as the production headquarters for director George Stevens. You will be watching the 35mm feature in front of the same location that James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson ate, drank and partied when they finished shooting each day. The location filming in Marfa during the summer of 1955 is the stuff of legends. A Broadway play, Come Back to Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean was based on what happened that summer. It was also the final motion picture for teen legend, James Dean. Where is Marfa? In a region of Texas known as the Big Bend. It's about 4 hours southwest of Midland-Odessa, just 24 miles from its sister city, Alpine. The Midland airport (MAF) is served by most major airlines. By car, you will take Interstate 20 to Odessa, then turn south on Highway 67. Who is the screening benefiting? The Marfa Public Library. It serves all of Presidio County, Texas, but is in serious need of physical improvements. The building has outgrown its collection and desperately needs to expand its space, as well as fix a leaky roof. What will the evening consist of? A cocktail reception before the screening, with some of the stars and crew of Giant, and a cash bar. All ticket holders will receive a custom-made lawn chair that you will use for seating. The chair will be your ticket, as it admits you to the roped off area in the street in front of the screen. Only people with the official chair will be allowed to sit there. It will be emblazoned with the Giant 50th logo and our sponsors, Warner Bros. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, and the Hotel Paisano. Why is this screening so significant? This marks the 50th anniversary of when Warner Bros. took over the entire town of Marfa in the summer of 1955. It also marks the last days of James Dean, as he was killed in a tragic auto accident right after leaving Marfa. It will be the first 35mm showing of Giant, courtesy of the Alamo Drafthouse and Cinema, since Marfa's theater closed down. It will truly be a special evening at the very site where the stars lived and dined. How should we dress? We're asking everyone to dress retro. Because we are going "old school" with the 35mm film print, we want you to make it 1955 in Texas again. Come as the wealthy ranchers, Bick and Leslie Benedict (Rock and Liz) or the wildcatter Jett Rink (James Dean). There are tons of other characters in the film with their own Texas style. It should be a party that old Jett Rink himself would love. Who do we contact for more information? Contact Big Bend Quarterly magazine at 214-942-4905, or e-mail kirby@bigbendquarterly.com. How can I learn more? Click here to get the inside story on Giant and its impact on Marfa and the rest of the world. Click here to go back to the main page.