Rebel Without a Cause

I saw Rebel Without a Cause some time ago and wanted to revisit and tinker with an old review of mine to encourage anyone who's not already seen it to buy, steal or beg a copy of the DVD as soon as they can - the viewing experience will be just reward. As anyone worth their salt will know, it stars James Dean as troubled and misunderstood teenager Jim Stark. When Jim's family move to a new town, his rebellious ways and the events he becomes embroiled in expose the truth of what it is to be a teenager. Yes, such phrases sound hackneyed nowadays, but when you remember that this film was made in 1955 - consider that the term teenager didn't really exist before WWII - the powerful performance Dean gives is as raw and shocking today as it would have been half a century ago. The cliche of the misunderstood teenager as we know it (Kevin and Perry's 'You're so unfair, I hate you!') has no place in this generation-defining movie. Absent too is the sense of irony and wisecracking which typifies the kind of teen movie released today. Rebel Without a Cause is sincere in the best possible way. Despite these indisputable differences, the movie has an enduring appeal in spite it's treatment of something which was at the time not spoken of. In the forties and fifties, children were children until they became adults. There was nothing in between and those aged 13-19 had to obey their parents without question. Nicholas Ray's movie turned this assumption clean on it's head, not only presenting a character who was an icon for the day, but one who held the mirror up to teenage confusions and dilemmas which are timeless in themselves. My (revised) review follows:

What struck me most about this film was that it could so easily have been made today. The age old issue of teenagers trying to make sense of the world whilst simultaneously discovering their parent's fallibility is as true now as it was then. Although a sexist device to today's audience, the scene where Jim finds his father wearing his overbearing mother's pinafore rams home to him just how ineffectual his father is. Jim's father is not someone he can ask for advice; he's a hen-pecked and emasculated man. Likewise with the characters portrayed by the gorgeous Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo. All three are looking for someone who understands them and the cliquey high school groups which are apparently supposed to offer this sense of belonging prove ineffective salves. Two pivotal scenes illustrate this - one halfway through the film, the other in the finale. I won't say more at this point, you have to watch it for yourselves! So the chasm between the generations and the fundamental awkwardness of fitting in, are themes which still apply today. The other issue the film tackles, that of gun use, is another highly relevant problem in today's world. One only has to think of events like Columbine to see that.

The film offers no moral answer for the teenagers' dilemmas but does completely remind me of how it felt to be a teenager trying to understand the world. James Dean's performance is sensational - loose, natural, and riven with emotion. It is doubly affecting when you realise that dangerous driving, which occurs in the film, had a hand in his death - a death that occurred before the film was even released. The film is a true testament to his talent; Dean's performance is as fresh today as it would have been then. Warner's decision to film in colour is definitely a key factor in ensuring this is the case.

I highly recommend this film. James Dean is every inch the screen icon and offers a performance which paved the way for some of the most respected actors to grace celluloid to follow, Brando just one such luminary. The movie itself arguably set a precedent for today's more intelligent teen films, and its climax is cinematic perfection: arresting without stretching the bounds of credibility.

Comments

[Sarah B]

It's going on my lovefilm list right now!!