Synopsis
Though ignored at the time of its release, Nicholas Ray’s Bigger Than Life is now recognized as one of the great American films of the 1950s. When a friendly, successful suburban teacher and father (James Mason, in one of his most indelible roles) is prescribed cortisone for a painful, possibly fatal affliction, he grows dangerously addicted to the experimental drug, resulting in his transformation into a psychotic and ultimately violent household despot. This Eisenhower-era throat-grabber, shot in expressive CinemaScope, is an excoriating take on the nuclear family. That it came in the day of Father Knows Best makes it all the more shocking—and wildly entertaining.
Cast
| Ed Avery | James Mason |
| Lou Avery | Barbara Rush |
| Wally Gibbs | Walter Matthau |
| Dr. Norton | Robert Simon |
| Richie Avery | Christopher Olsen |
| Dr. Ruric | Roland Winters |
Credits
| Director | Nicholas Ray |
| Producer | James Mason |
| Story and screenplay | Cyril Hume and Richard Maibaum |
| Based on an article in the New Yorker by | Burton Roueché |
| Cinematography | Joe MacDonald and A.S.C. |
| Music | David Raksin |
| Conducted by | Lionel Newman |
| Editing | Louis Loeffler |
Disc Features
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
- Audio commentary featuring critic Geoff Andrew (The Films of Nicholas Ray)
- Profile of Nicholas Ray (1977), a half-hour television interview with the director
- New video appreciation of Bigger Than Life with author Jonathan Lethem (Chronic City)
- New video interview with Susan Ray, widow of the director and editor of I Was Interrupted: Nicholas Ray on Making Movies
- Theatrical trailer
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic and video maker B. Kite
From the Current
Bigger Than Life:
Somewhere in Suburbia
by
Mar 18, 2010
1. A Park—Night A man aflame is running directly toward camera. This image, which comes from Nicholas Ray’s initial treatment for Rebel . . .
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