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Bigger Than Life Poster

Bigger Than Life

The story of the handful of hope that became a fistful of hell!
1956 | 95m | English

(8687 votes)

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Popularity: 1 (history)

Details

A friendly, successful suburban teacher and father grows dangerously addicted to cortisone, resulting in his transformation into a household despot.
Release Date: Nov 20, 1956
Director: Nicholas Ray
Writer: Cyril Hume, Richard Maibaum
Genres: Drama
Keywords husband wife relationship, drug addiction, paranoia, hallucination, family relationships, hospital, drugs, mental illness, schoolteacher, cortisone, verbal abuse, family life, father son relationship, personality change, mood swing
Production Companies 20th Century Fox
Box Office Revenue: $0
Budget: $0
Updates Updated: Aug 09, 2025
Entered: Apr 13, 2024
Trailers and Extras

International Posters

Full Credits

Name Character
James Mason Ed Avery
Barbara Rush Lou Avery
Walter Matthau Wally Gibbs
Robert F. Simon Dr. Norton
Christopher Olsen Richie Avery
Roland Winters Dr. Ruric
Rusty Lane Bob LaPorte
Rachel Stephens Nurse
Kipp Hamilton Pat Wade
Betty Caulfield Mrs. LaPorte (uncredited)
Virginia Carroll Mrs. Jones (uncredited)
Renny McEvoy Mr. Jones (uncredited)
Billy Jones Mr. Byron (uncredited)
Dee Aaker Joe (uncredited)
Jerry Mathers Freddie (uncredited)
Portland Mason Nancy (uncredited)
Natalie Masters Mrs. Tyndall (uncredited)
Richard Collier Milkman (uncredited)
Lewis Charles Mr. McLennan (uncredited)
Gus Schilling Druggist (uncredited)
Alex Frazer Clergyman (uncredited)
Mary McAdoo Mrs. Edwards (uncredited)
Mary Carver Saleslady (uncredited)
Eugenia Paul Saleslady (uncredited)
Gladys Richards Lab Nurse (uncredited)
David Bedell X-Ray Doctor (uncredited)
Joseph Mell Dispatcher (uncredited)
George Chester Janitor (uncredited)
Name Job
Clifford Odets Additional Writing
Cyril Hume Screenplay, Story
Mary Wills Costume Design
Charles LeMaire Wardrobe Designer
Berton Roueché Short Story
Jack Martin Smith Art Direction
Ralph Hickey Sound Editor
Lionel Newman Conductor
David Raksin Original Music Composer
Walter M. Scott Set Decoration
Eli Dunn Assistant Director
Leonard Doss Other
Joseph MacDonald Director of Photography
Louis R. Loeffler Editor
Helen Turpin Hairstylist
Edward B. Powell Orchestrator
Lyle R. Wheeler Art Direction
Stuart A. Reiss Set Decoration
Harry M. Leonard Sound
Ray Bomba Sound Editor
Gavin Lambert Additional Writing
Nicholas Ray Additional Writing, Director
Richard Maibaum Screenplay, Story
W.D. Flick Sound
James Mason Additional Writing
Ben Nye Makeup Artist
Ray Kellogg Special Effects
Name Title
James Mason Producer
Organization Category Person
Academy Awards Best Actor James Stewart Welch Jr. Won
Popularity Metrics

Popularity History


Year Month Avg Max Min
2024 4 12 17 8
2024 5 13 20 6
2024 6 11 16 7
2024 7 13 26 8
2024 8 10 20 6
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2024 10 10 17 6
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2024 12 9 18 5
2025 1 8 14 4
2025 2 6 9 3
2025 3 5 9 1
2025 6 1 1 1
2025 7 0 1 0
2025 8 0 1 0
2025 9 2 2 1
2025 10 2 3 1
2025 11 1 2 0

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Reviews

Godaray
N/A

The movie deals with serious topics pertaining to life and drug abuse. Ed Avery (James Mason) has a serious condition which can only be controlled with cortisone, a still experimental drug leaving consequences in the human psyche. In the movie, Ed is describes as an intelligent, vibrant and happy ma ... n. He lives a mediocre, but happy life, he has financial problems just like any other man, and in the start of the movie we can see how much he loves his family, and would do anything for his wifes and sons safety. Then, he becomes addicted to cortisone, and almost everything changes, it leaves a scar which changes their quality of life. As any other addictive prescription drug, he becomes obsessed with having to take it. He even impersonates a doctor in order to get it, his son and wife are deeply affected by his actions, and his son, who has almost gone out of his mind looking at his father grow more and more depressed and vulnerable tries to steal his pills, Ed catches him in the act and leaves his child in the room so that he could contemplate about the level of his punishment, he is then affected with the Bible, exactly , the passage with Abraham and his son Isaac. He gets it into his head that, to make things right he needs to murdor his son, and than his wife and himself, of course, he is stopped in the act and the movie ends happily with him getting back to normal and his happy family life.

Jun 23, 2021