James Dean gives voice to a misunderstood generation in Nicholas Ray's psychological youth thriller "Rebel Without a Cause".
Popularly known as "the silent generation", they paved the way for the rock 'n' roll youth revolution, with an existential questioning of old truths. The film depicts how the inner conflicts of young people are expressed in violent acts, but also in sexual openness.
Both Dean's Jim Stark and the girl next door, Judy (Oscar nominee Natalie Wood), struggle with society's gender ideals and how these are reflected in parental roles. Their shared frustration leads them to fall in love and seek danger, which in Jim's case risks a fatal outcome when he races rival Buzz off a cliff. Even classmate Plato (Sal Mineo, also an Oscar nominee) expresses romantic feelings for Jim, partly masked by the prevailing Hollywood censorship. Together, Jim, Judy and Plato try to find an existence outside the traditional framework of life.
Like its protagonists, the film raises important questions that prompted a time of great social change with the arrival of the 60s. 'Rebel Without a Cause' is as much a child of its time as it is an expression of each generation's excitement about the challenges of the future.
| Movies | Rebel Without a Cause |
|---|---|
| Actors | James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Jim Backus, Ann Doran, Corey Allen, William Hopper |
| Cinematographer | Ernest Haller |
| Director | Nicholas Ray |
| Genre | Drama, Romance |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Music | Leonard Rosenman |
| Original title | Rebel Without a Cause |
| Length | 111 |
| Production year | 1955 |
| Sales Company | Warner Bros. |
