Scene from the Movie GIANT

by Tino Villanueva

A 14 year-old boy sits in the darkness of the Holiday Theater watching a scene of anti-Mexican racism in a Rock Hudson / Elizabeth Taylore movie. This scene, this memory, is at the heart of Scene from the Movie GIANT, a remarkable book-length poem in five parts by Tino Villanueva. Villanueva excavates the meaning of this scene and in doing so grapples with urgent questions of cultural identity.

Genres: Poetry

55 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1995

Reviews

[Thomas Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If we have any sensitivity, at some time in our life we face the environment in which we were born. Tino Villanueva was presented a painful reality when he was fourteen. His ability to take the reader back into his world at that time, both emotionally and visually, is incredible. This moving poetry is for all, including those of us who infrequently experience the genre.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my very favorite books of poetry of all time.

[Rolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can understand why this is seen as Villanueva’s magnum opus-it is a very special and impressive collection, organized around a central moment of recognizing his own experience in a scene of anti-Mexican racism depicted on screen when he was at the movies as a boy in the 50s. Standouts for me were “On the Subject of Staying Whole,” “Stop-Action: Impression,” and “Without a Prayer at the Holiday Theater.”

[Lorraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really interesting poetry collection. It's one long meditation on a single, racist scene at the end of a movie that the poet watched as a child and the way that scene disturbed him and called him to activism.

I really like the poems that describe what is happening in the movie. I like the poems where the author is reflecting on the movie less.

[Hailey Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Villanueva writes a series of poems that reflect on one scene of time that alters his life. His reflection through poetry shows how a moment so small in time can impact the existence of your life, impact who you are as a person. Your identity. Beautiful writing. Powerful message.

[عدنان العبار · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I'd love this volume of poetry, but I did not. It's very preachy, and he only basically tells us how he feels from a stereotype in a movie. It's not even very good poetry.

[Hero Diml · Rating 5 out of 5]

"To live, must I learn how to die?"

The life-altering experience of witnessing the racist and heartbreaking reality from a back row seat.