East of Eden (1955)

Wonderful Movie

This is my favorite James Dean movie. It is definitely worth buying. Very highly recommended. July 19, 2008

Finally! So excited about this DVD version

This is one of the best films ever made by an amazing director and an amazing cast!!


The only thing that really draws from the DVD is the commentary option. The man who comments on the film is HORRIBLE. He is obviously jealous of pretty much all the actors in the cast, especially Jimmy and Julie. Most everything thing he says is critical of them and the film. I wish I could write to someone who can eliminate his commentary and get someone who really knows the film and is not jealous.


Amazing film though!!!!! July 16, 2008

One of the Great Films!

This is one of the great films. The drama is so stirring I have the most pained look on my face at the end of this film as I try not to cry before I inevitably do. James Dean made three films and all were great but this one is the best. He was truly a great actor and a great loss. The other actors are just as skilled and the director Elia Kazan makes the most out of his actors. This disk contains not just a great print of the film but several terrific special features. The commentary with Richard Schickel is absorbing enough to keep you glued to the television set for another two and half hours. Just a wonderful movie. April 14, 2008

Can you look at the truth, just once?

East of Eden

This classic film starring James Dean has all sorts of biblical references and parallels. It s a moving journey of Cal, a young man on a quest for truth and some semblance of love.
This narrative unfolds with rich detail, nicely capturing the pre-WWI era in America. Cal is a loner and a rebel. The pieces of his past are slowly unveiled to explain his lost sense of desperation and need. He yearns for his father's acceptance, and is jealous of his brother's relationship with him. Plus there is a secret attraction to his brother's fiance, which adds another level of drama to the story.

Dean dishes out a spectacular performance here. This moody, rebellious character seems to fit him perfectly. I'm anxious to see more of his work.
The dialogue is a bit dated, but it fits the setting which is nearly a century ago. Much of the themes of this film are timeless. I also like how nothing is sugar-coated, it makes the story more realistic. It explores deep into the dark corners of man. The temptations, insecurities, wrongdoings. It's life, the good and the bad.
A true classic, very entertaining and heartfelt.


March 8, 2008

A Story of Family Conflicts

The 'Overture' shows the sea coast for 3 minutes. This story takes place in 1917 California. A woman walks to deposit money in a bank in Monterey. The dirt road shows horses are in use. A young man follows this woman (he is bare-headed). Why does he follow Kate? [Perhaps you need to read the book first.] Cal returns to Salinas and meets his brother Aaron. [The hair style is from the 1950s, not 1917.] Their father Adam plans to buy an ice house to ship his vegetables under refrigeration to a distant markets. Is Cal thoughtless or scary? Can people relax in an ice house? Cal's troubled soul is shown by his dumping ice. Why is he bad, unlike his twin brother? Restless Cal returns to Monterey and visits that house. He gets into trouble and meets the sheriff. Is Kate the reason why Cal is "bad"?

Aaron's girlfriend Abra tells Cal about her past, and her stepmother. [This conversation seems pointless, except as a clue to confused thinking.] The shipment of lettuce is a big event in those days. But snow blockaded the pass, the lettuce shipment was ruined. Cal wants to raise beans; war is good for business. They will pay farmers to plant beans at 5 cents a pound and do all the work, then they will sell them for 10 cents a pound. Cal knows where he can get the money. Kate knows how to do business: other people do the work and she profits. The Great War has an affect on Salinas. Cal shows his skill at the shooting gallery. We see the carnival that entertained people in simpler times.

Steinbeck's story tells how people's emotions are stirred to turn on a neighbor. The this leads to conflict between Cal and Aaron (a long simmering competition?). Cal has plans for a birthday party for his father. [Do you sense this will be a disaster?] Adam doesn't want the money raised by speculating in beans. Cal takes this hard. [Do his actions repeat in his other films?] This leads to a revelation about their long absent mother.
The ending seems incredible to me, however necessary to this particular story. Its like a deck of cards being rigged to fix the result. This story warns against hiding family scandals from grown children. I wonder if this would be a better film if made in a different time? The novel must be much better than this film.
February 12, 2008

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