Tonight I watched Rebel without a Cause starring James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo. At first I couldn't quite figure out what was going on. During the opening credits, Dean is seen laying on the floor playing with a toy. Then we see Dean being brought into the police station for public intoxication. I kept trying to figure out where the movie was going as Dean makes connections with Wood and Mineo in the police station. Probably one of the oddest scenes was seeing Jim Backus (Mr. Howell from Gilligan's Island) wearing a frilly apron while he is down on his knees picking up food that has been spilled.
From what I understand, Rebel without a Cause is trying to portray the moral decay of American youth during the 1950's. It also tries to harshly critique parenting styles and exploit the differences between generations. The youth all seem to have their emotions bottled up inside them. The only way they seem to be able to truly express themselves is to rebel. There is a darkness to the feel of the movie and a real sense of hopelessness. The teens in the film seem to think there is no hope for the future. This mood is driven home by so many of the adults in their lives. Even the man making a presentation to the high school class at a planetarium doesn't help. The subject of his presentation is "The End of Man," and the lecturer describes the sun growing larger until it explodes and wipes out all traces of mankind. "The Earth will not be missed," the lecturer informs the students. "Through the infinite reaches of space, the problems of man seem trivial and naive indeed, and man existing alone seems himself an episode of little consequence." What amazes me about all of this is that America has just come through a world war in which freedom prevailed. America had just overcome the atrocities of Nazi Germany and yet these kids seem so full of angst about their present and future.
I really think Rebel without a Cause endures because of the strong performances by Dean, Wood, and Mineo. You can see that Dean in some ways is almost restraining himself. While he gives a good wallop to a wooden desk in the police station and has screaming matches with his parents, he also seems to not be over the top. He seems to be cool without really having to try. I kept hearing the music of West Side Story in my mind as I watched Dean in the knife fight.
Wood also gives an excellent performance. At first I kept seeing Maria from West Side Story. However, she plays a girl who is also struggling with the meaning of her life in her own way. She wants to be a part of the crowd and she also wants to rebel against a father who can't seem to express love to her. She seems to be in love with Buzz but after he dies she seems to fall head over heels for Dean's character Jim.
I think I was most impressed by Sal Mineo's portrayal of the character Plato. Plato is obviously messed up. His parents are absent. He keeps telling different stories about his dad who seems to be out of the picture completely. He talks about seeing a "shrink" and seems to display signs of depression. Plato also appears to idolize Jim and gets caught up in a kind of co-dependent fantasy relationship with Jim in which he says they are best friends even though they just met.
I would recommend watching Rebel without a Cause if for nothing else to see Dean. He is truly an American icon. What was so amazing to me was seeing Dean in the movie as I have only seen him before in iconic photos - his red jacket, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, that amazing hair combed back perfectly. I did a little research online and found out that this film premiered about one month after Dean died tragically in a car wreck. It's interesting to think about what future roles he would have played and how he would have contributed to American film.
I hoe you are having a great weekend. Thanks for being a part of my journey!
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