Runtime: 111 minutes
Directed by: Nicholas Ray
Starring: James Dean,
Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Corey Allen, Jim Backus
From: Warner Bros.
It
is quite the feat to still be influential and iconic more than 60 years
later. James Dean, his character and his red jacket outfit seemingly
will forever be legendary, and it is also impressive to inspire everyone
from Damien Chazelle and Robert Zemeckis to... yeah, Tommy Wiseau.
While some elements are of course dated (not too many people walk around wearing leather jackets and constantly combing their hair, or engage in knife fights where only light pokes are around), the general idea can still be understood today: parents and teenagers don't always understand each other as their world is different from when mom & dad are their age... and it is exacerbated when the parents are not around, the dad is too domineering or pops is too meek, allowing mom and grandma to oppressively rule the roost. Even if you're middle-class and your family seems fine when it comes to wealth or material possessions, that doesn't mean everyone's life is rosy and grand.
It is not difficult to see why Jim Stark, “Plato” Crawford and Judy are troubled teenagers who end up associating with the wrong people, even if they wish to avoid troubles. Stark definitely wishes to do so as his family moved yet again due to his rebellious ways... but in 1955, being called “chicken” is a big F'ing deal as your honor and pride are being questioned. Come to think of it, the same applies in 1885 or 1985... anyway, melodrama occurs, especially in the final act.
The cast as a whole does a nice job but of course it is Dean who is the standout; teen and young adult actors tried to imitate this performance for many years after this. As many people have noted in these modern times, the relationship between James and Sal Mineo comes across as differently than it did back then, unless there was subtext added to it that of course could never have been addressed in the 1950's. I've heard rumors that Dean was either homosexual or bi, but in any case it is easy to imagine that Jim and Plato were more than just friends. I mean, all the praise that Plato gushes to Judy concerning "his best friend", who he had known for, what, a few days?
Rebel Without a Cause is more than just a movie with a star-making lead performance, a vehicle where its main stars all died too young due to tragic circumstances, or several unforgettable moments.
While some elements are of course dated (not too many people walk around wearing leather jackets and constantly combing their hair, or engage in knife fights where only light pokes are around), the general idea can still be understood today: parents and teenagers don't always understand each other as their world is different from when mom & dad are their age... and it is exacerbated when the parents are not around, the dad is too domineering or pops is too meek, allowing mom and grandma to oppressively rule the roost. Even if you're middle-class and your family seems fine when it comes to wealth or material possessions, that doesn't mean everyone's life is rosy and grand.
It is not difficult to see why Jim Stark, “Plato” Crawford and Judy are troubled teenagers who end up associating with the wrong people, even if they wish to avoid troubles. Stark definitely wishes to do so as his family moved yet again due to his rebellious ways... but in 1955, being called “chicken” is a big F'ing deal as your honor and pride are being questioned. Come to think of it, the same applies in 1885 or 1985... anyway, melodrama occurs, especially in the final act.
The cast as a whole does a nice job but of course it is Dean who is the standout; teen and young adult actors tried to imitate this performance for many years after this. As many people have noted in these modern times, the relationship between James and Sal Mineo comes across as differently than it did back then, unless there was subtext added to it that of course could never have been addressed in the 1950's. I've heard rumors that Dean was either homosexual or bi, but in any case it is easy to imagine that Jim and Plato were more than just friends. I mean, all the praise that Plato gushes to Judy concerning "his best friend", who he had known for, what, a few days?
Rebel Without a Cause is more than just a movie with a star-making lead performance, a vehicle where its main stars all died too young due to tragic circumstances, or several unforgettable moments.
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