description They Might Be Giants Overview
They Might Be Giants is a 1971 American comedy mystery directed by Anthony Harvey and adapted from James Goldman's play. George C. Scott portrays a retired judge who believes he is Sherlock Holmes, while Joanne Woodward plays the psychiatrist, Dr. Mildred Watson, assigned to assess him.
Their journey through New York uses detective-story conventions to explore companionship, perception, and the boundary between eccentricity and delusion.
help They Might Be Giants FAQ
Is the band They Might Be Giants named after the 1971 movie?
Yes — the duo took their name from this 1971 film starring George C. Scott. The film's title itself riffs on Don Quixote's windmills: things that 'might be giants' depending on how you see them.
What is They Might Be Giants (1971) about?
George C. Scott plays Justin Playfair, a retired judge who believes he is Sherlock Holmes, and Joanne Woodward plays Dr. Mildred Watson, the psychiatrist assigned to him who gradually gets drawn into his world. It plays as a comedy-mystery about whether his delusion might actually be a richer way of living.
Was They Might Be Giants based on a play?
Yes, it was adapted from James Goldman's play — Goldman being the writer of The Lion in Winter. Director Anthony Harvey had also recently directed the film version of The Lion in Winter, which explains the reunion.
How does They Might Be Giants (1971) end?
The ending deliberately stays ambiguous: Playfair, convinced that Professor Moriarty pursues him, leads Dr. Watson into a final flight across New York, leaving viewers to decide whether he's mad, in love, or both. It's remembered as one of the era's most poetic, open-ended finales.
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