Greg S.
18Feb12
It's not a happy ending. It's a 'back to drawing board' ending. The line about Abe Lincoln clearly went over your head.
Wall
Displaying wall posts 1 - 30 of 44 in total
Trevor
11Jan12
James Mason is incredible, as is Ray's intense direction, as he turns claustrophobic interiors into emotionally violent battlegrounds through his mastery of Cinemascope. One of Ray's absolute best, showcasing his visual skills by finding the supreme emotional properties of architecture, space and color.
Christopher Smith
7Nov11
Strong addiction melodrama headlined by James Mason at his very best. But despite the earnest performances, smart script, and Ray's terse direction, I didn't quite find it memorable enough to be the masterpiece so many have called it. A good film, but I personally don't think a great one.
trolley freak
16Sep11
Mason gives a virtuoso performance in this exceptional melodrama, one of Ray's very best films. He plays a schoolteacher who becomes psychotic after being prescribed a life-saving drug, making life hell for his family in the process. Way ahead of it's time and a huge flop on original release, it's now considered by certain critics to be one of the greatest films of the 50's and is particularly revered by Scorsese....
catch_33
16Mar11
A truly insane film. The premise while wholly unbelievable and melodramatic is thoroughly engaging, mostly due to the visual and cinematic language used. The technicolor cinemascope is so striking and Mason's performance is certainly towering as we witness the 50s nuclear family crumble under the weight of social and personal pressures. James Mason's meltdown at the finale is almost worth the viewing alone.
Mitchell Corner
23Feb11
Recently watched it again and I absolutely lose myself. Given how absurd the climax of the film is I still revel in its color, decor and acting. Great overlooked film with a final ending not as happy as it seems at first glance.
Poughkeepsie
4Dec10
The CinemaScope aspect ratio aids in broadly examining suburban family life in the '50s, but Ray also narrows his focus in on Ed Avery, painting a picture of the human mind in times of manic depression and prescription drug use.
Namita Nair
23Nov10
Watched it after watching Martin Scorsese 'Journey Through American Movies'. This film, really is a work of art. A frightening look at the human psyche and every thing that can go wrong with it.
Anton Williams
22Nov10
The standard ending could not be combined with the difficulty of the watching
Zachary George Najarian-Najafi
21Sep10
Bigger Than Life is Nicholas Ray's baroque and expressionistic suburban opera. James Mason plays teacher Ed Avery who becomes addicted to his prescription cortisone and turns into a psychotic madman who plans biblical sacrifices and tortures his family. For a film made in the fifties it had balls. Mason just ignites the screen. I love Ray's use of bold colors and Cinemascope, it's like a fever dream, no it is.
