Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

When people think of James Dean, they probably think first of the troubled teen from Rebel Without a Cause: nervous, volatile, soulful, a kid lost in a world that does not understand him. Made between his only other starring roles, in East of Eden and Giant, Rebel sums up the jangly, alienated image of Dean, but also happens to be one of the key films of the 1950s. Director Nicholas Ray takes a strikingly sympathetic look at the teenagers standing outside the white-picket-fence '50s dream of America: juvenile delinquent (that's what they called them then) Jim Stark (Dean), fast girl Judy (Natalie Wood), lost boy Plato (Sal Mineo), slick hot-rodder Buzz (Corey Allen). At the time, it was unusual for a movie to endorse the point of view of teenagers, but Ray and screenwriter Stewart Stern captured the youthful angst that was erupting at the same time in rock & roll. Dean is heartbreaking, following the method acting style of Marlon Brando but staking out a nakedly emotional honesty of his own. Going too fast, in every way, he was killed in a car crash on September 30, 1955, a month before Rebel opened. He was no longer an actor, but an icon, and Rebel is a lasting monument. --Robert Horton Amazon.com

the best movie to see!

this movie is the best movie out there about teenagers. James Dean and Nataile Wood- as always- are great in this movie. this is one of my favortie movies ever, its worth watching! July 20, 2008

Defines James and him alone

James's acting was supperb in this film. I think that James really didn't have to act because most of this character WAS him. The plot of this story also defines what life was like in the 1950's. July 9, 2008

Educational support

Rebel Without a Cause is a great contrast to the outcome of teenage lives provided by Catcher in the Rye. I have used the two--read Catcher, watch Rebel--for several years in class and the effect is what I am looking for. Students see themselves and begin to effect changes in their own lives. June 4, 2008

Dysfunctional Families and Their Dire Consequences!

This is a great film that ultimately is about families and their inability to communicate. Just like the more modern tv drama "The O.C." this film shows that behind the clean facade of rich, well-to-do neighbourhoods lies the broken pieces of parents who are unable to relate to their children who in turn end up looking for this missing love and understanding in all the wrong places with violent and destructive effects.

Dean's character is ashamed of his father who in his eyes is hen-pecked and cowardly and he insists upon good answers from his father as to why he is feeling the typical hormone-induced depression that most teenagers go through and when that is not forthcoming, he rebels in an attempt to hurt his parents. Wood's character is similar in that she also has communication problems with her father who is uncomfortable with physical closeness now that his daughter has become an attractive teen perhaps in an over-reaction to his own incestual desires? Confused at his behaviour Wood's character believes her father hates her and so she too rebels in an attempt to hurt him. Mineo's character is the most pitiful and perhaps most deserving of sympathy; his parents are divorced and they truly appear not to care about him at all leaving him alone with a live-in maid as sole companion. This film is truly touching for me as I can personally relate based upon my own experiences growing up with many of the issues portrayed here.

The dvd is also a treat as the bonus features contains a couple of good behind-the-scenes documentaries and except for a few minutes at the start, the picture quality is very good and the sound quality has been remastered very well in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround making this the best old movie picture and sound quality-wise that I've seen on dvd to date.

A very good film and a very good dvd version of it; highly recommended! May 8, 2008

NICHOLAS RAY, OPUS 11

**** 1955. Original story and direction by Nicholas Ray. Three nominations for the Oscars. James Dean and Natalie Wood, in conflict with their parents, meet Sal Mineo, a neurotic kid. They'll have to deal with a local gang and the police forces. Plato's myth of the Cavern revisited by Nicholas Ray. Behind the usual clichés of a movie about juvenile delinquents, the director tells us again the Greek myth that opposes the world of the shadows (night, planetarium, abandoned mansion) to Reality. Highly recommended. March 14, 2008

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