The word “sweeping” could have been invented for this generation-spanning Texan cattle ‘n’ oil saga, if it hadn’t already been coined to describe the act of tidying things up with a broom. Liz Taylor and Rock Hudson are at the centre of events, Dennis Hopper’s on the periphery, and James Dean, as the improbably named Jet Rink, drills for Texas tea, goes grey and collapses over a table. Other things happen, of course, but then, with three and a half hours to go, they ought to, really. Still, if you can shore up an afternoon to watch it, it’s top entertainment of its kind. Little more than a classier, less silly version of Dallas or Dynasty maybe, but here the characters don’t look like they should come free with a Nat West children’s savings account and have a little slot in the tops of their heads for money.
