Rebel Without A Cause
Thought of by many for being a film where all three of its lead actors, James Dean (car accident), Natalie Wood (drowning), and Sal Mineo (stabbed to death) came to tragic early ends, Nicholas Rayâs most famous work marked new territory for truly examining the ins and outs of teen culture in 1955, paving the way for John Hughes and many others in years to come. An essential problem though, IS the era in which the film was made, as itâs hard for a teenager of the 90s to watch the film and feel much connection to these ancient relics of teenage cool. This dated feel carries over into the screenplay, with awkward dialogue and a pat ending that makes one feel that realism is being eschewed in favor of Hollywood dramatics. In the role of Jim Stark, Dean (in one of only three films he completed before his death) certainly shows how he used Brando as the model for his acting style (reportedly his idolatry of Brando verged on the point of borderline fanaticism). Itâs interesting to note that Stark ârebellingâ is NOT triggered by an oppressive home life complete with domineering father (like so many films of its ilk). Instead, Starkâs father (Jim âThurston Howell IIIâ Backus) is more of a soft liberal hands-off type of dad, continually henpecked by his wife, whose major sin is essentially the fact that he lets his son do whatever he wants without instilling any discipline, brushing off any mishaps as âboys will be boysâ, which awakens in his son the need to raise hell and be the man that he feels his father never could be, a fascinating dynamic which seems fresh even today. In the Wood character, the viewer sees the hints of an almost incestuous attraction to her father, particularly in the way he slaps her around just because she wants to âgive Daddy a kissâ. Wood is most definitely beautiful and spirited, and her opening scene in the police station where she tells a Juvi officer about her tormented home life is the best acting bit in the film. Then thereâs Sal Mineo: In real life a homosexual who was reportedly madly in love with Dean, he and director Ray work hard to make it clear that the character of Plato is indeed gay, from the constant instances of him giving his âleading manâ wet-eyed puppy dog looks even as the script tries to hide it by saying that all Plato really wants from Dean is for him to be a âfather figureâ since his own parents abandoned him long ago. The Plato character is also a raving psychopath (despite his clean-cut preppy look) who we are told has murdered innocent puppies and who then snaps and goes on a crazed gun-toting rampage in the filmâs final act. As a result, all these elements were quite new to 1955 viewers and in fact probably was a early precursor to the more ârealisticâ and âadultâ-style filmmaking that would emerge in the late 60s, which doesnât change the fact that most modern moviegoers would probably be bored to tears by the heavy-handed nature of the melodramatics as well as the plodding old-time score by Leonard Rosenman (didnât they even consider using rock n roll?). At least we get an early role for the legendary Dennis Hopper as a member of the gang that Dean clashes with in the central story. In the end, certainly an important, ground-breaking film of its era, even if it doesnât hold up so well todayâŚ
7/10