Rebel without a Cause is the 1955 classic film that inspired many rebels in that time period and for that it was a staple in pop culture. Also for the fact that James Dean died in a fatal car crash the very same year of the film's release. Dean's performance as Jim Stark reminds me of how great a performance can actually be. Dean is believable as a sixteen-year-old even though at times he doesn't look like one. His role as Stark is timeless and unforgettable. While Dean's performance was sadly overlooked for an Oscar nomination that year (he was, however, nominated for Best Actor in East of Eden), his fellow co-stars in Rebel gave nominated supporting performances as Judy and Plato - Jim Stark's only means for love. Judy is played by Natalie Wood with such wit and intelligence as Judy becomes a young teenage girl instead of a stereotypical bitch. When Judy loses her pocket mirror in the film's opening scene, the look on her face when Stark hands her it forty-five minutes later into the film is one that only a great actress can do. It's believable, subtle, and riveting. As Plato, Sal Mineo has a sensitive and astonishingly troubled teenager molded so realistically that it's an absolute wonder on how he managed to bring forth so much depth. Plato's crush on Stark makes it harder on him as his love for him grows and grows and grows and when Stark hands Judy the mirror, Mineo's expression in the same scene in just as powerfully realistic as Wood did for Judy. James Dean made Jim Stark a confused but bold individual. He is visibly struggling with family, sexuality, and friendship. His parents are pushy and very much filled with high expectations on Stark and its something Stark just wishes he could escape from. His sexuality is troubled between Judy and Plato, as Judy he can show openly, but Plato he can only show subtly. For example, the last scene dealing with the zipping up of his famous read windbreaker is one that only shows even more of the affection he had for Plato but kept deep down within him. Rebel without a Cause is one film that deeply moved me because of how happy it tries to be, but how depressing and gut-wrenching it actually is. Nicholas Ray, a bisexual himself, directed the troubling story of teenage sexuality so vividly that it amazes me how he managed to pass it off through Warner Brothers Studios without being halted for topics way out of range in that time of motion picture history. Rebel without a Cause is a highly emotional film because of how it tries its hardest to hide the sadness existing. Note how the three teens seem to be happy in the old mansion even though an hour or so earlier, Judy's boyfriend tumbled off a cliff to his death. She isn't sad one bit. For maybe five minutes but after that she is merry and so is Stark and Plato. It's irritating to some people how this is but in my opinion it just makes the story so more depressing that it just makes me feel for the situations and makes me question my own life, my own sexuality, my own friendship. But also the lives, sexuality and friendships of others as well. Rebel without a Cause is a moving monumental picture. If looked at by a straightforward story, you are likely to miss its depth. But if you dig deeper beneath its mostly happy tone, you will see one of the most realistic and emotionally dark but ultimately important morals in life itself.(Rebel without a Cause appears at #14 on my top 100 films of all time list.)
No comments:
Post a Comment