Day 183 - Rebel Without a Cause

Day 183           Rebel Without a Cause [1955]

                    

Screenplay                    Stewart Stern

Director                         Nicholas Ray

Cinematography            Ernest Haller

Music                            Leonard Rosenman

Leads                            James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Jim Backus, Ann Doran, Corey Allen, William Hopper

Production                     Warner Brothers

IMDb                                7.8/10

Rotten Tomatoes               96%

What makes someone cool? Dying young surely helps. It can’t hurt to have other worldly good looks, be a gay icon, a racer and a talented actor also. Jimmy dean is and was all of these things but sadly his life ended early, so we will never know how great a star he could have been. He certainly would have been up there with Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. Rebel Without a Cause is a cultural classic because of its popularity amongst teenagers upon its release. Although not as popular with the award ceremonies as his other two famous films, East of Eden and Giant, Dean still gives a commanding performance. It was felt Dean perfectly captured the feeling of teen angst in his portrayal of Jim Stark. ‘Effortless cool’ is a phrase often used to describe this role and, like McQueen, Dean seemed to ooze cool without having to draw breath. Let’s overlook the fact that everyone in this film easily look old enough to drink, and we should also probably ignore some of the overacting as normal for 50s cinema. The plot also troubled me as it was set over the course of 24 hours and yet Jim’s relationships with Plato and Judy move incredibly fast. I suppose Plato is mentally disturbed and Jim is as relaxed as a stoner on the 20th April so one can justify their sudden friendship, but Judy starts the day with her boyfriend (?) Buzz and meets the ‘sincere’ Jim Stark. Her boy then dies, and she falls in love with a guy she met barely ten hours earlier? That’s young love for you. Natalie Wood is good as Judy, but Dean carries this movie like Atlas thanks to a combination of a good script and his no-holds-barred approach. It’s one to watch before you die - just so you can see Dean pouting in that red jacket.

Acting                           3.5 / 4

Writing                             4 / 4

Cinematography            2.5 / 4

Music                               2 / 4

HWF rating               3.5 / 4