Giant (1956) was filmed primarily in West Texas around Marfa, with interior work done at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. The iconic exterior Reata mansion and surrounding ranch scenes were built for the film and erected on a private ranch near Marfa, and the nearby Ryan Ranch served as the primary exterior location for the Reata estate.
Details and key locations
- Marfa, Texas: Primary exterior shooting and the Reata Ranch locations, including the Ryan Ranch area west of Marfa where the mansion façade was constructed for the film.
- Private Texas ranches near Marfa: Used for exterior scenes and the depiction of the Benedict and Reata properties. The surrounding West Texas landscape was a character in the film, capturing the vast desert skies and panoramic vistas.
- Charlottesville, Virginia (less central): Some interior production work is noted in various sources, but the dominant Texas locations remain Marfa and its environs. The Burbank studio work handled interior sets and additional exterior elements.
- Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, California: Interior scenes and certain planned exterior sequences were filmed here, including work on sets and controlling lighting for the production.
Additional context
- The film is famous for its sweeping Texas vistas and for using a specially constructed exterior façade of the Reata house, transported to Marfa for the shoot. The production connected Texas geography with Hollywood studio work to realize the epic scale of the story.
If you’d like, I can compile a concise list of exact scene-visit locations and approximate coordinates, or pull up a map highlighting the main filming sites around Marfa.
