James Dean is best known for his role in REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, but his breakout performance was in Elia Kazan's adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel, EAST OF EDEN. He received his first of two posthumous Oscar nominations for his performance as the tormented young man Cal Trask. This searing family drama captures the complexity of the child/parent relationship.
Cal wants to know why he's been bad all his life. At the start of the film, he follows a madam named Kate (Jo Van Fleet, THE ROSE TATTOO) to just look at her. Turns out, the woman is the mother that Cal was told had died. Cal feels like an outcast in his family, never measuring up to his holier-than-thou father Adam (Raymond Massey, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE) and his straight-laced, pacifist brother Aron (Richard Davalos, COOL HAND LUKE). Cal acts out to gain any kind of attention from his father. His behavior amuses his brother, but scares his brother's girl Abra (Julie Harris, THE HAUNTING). After his mother rejects him, Cal becomes determined to make good and prove himself to Adam.
Dean plays Cal as a boy who has never grown up. His emotions swing with the wind. One moment he can act like a mad man and the next he can be bashful and tender. Abra is afraid of him, but also captivated by him too. He is a vibrant life force compared to the buttoned up Aron, who barely touches her. Where Aron lives by the righteous rules of his father, Cal is oppressed by them and lives on instinct, which is often quite innovative. However, whenever Cal tries to connect with his stoic father, the old man undermines Cal's good intentions with criteria few could live up to. Cal blames his "bad" mother, but its more complex than genetics. In the end, a lifetime of resentments will come to a head in an emotionally brutal outburst of jealousy and anger.
It has been said that Dean deliberately provoked Massey on the set to make the veteran actor truly hate him. The tension between the actors bubbles through on the screen to great effect. Van Fleet won an Oscar for her performance as the tormented, but determined prostitute who doesn't really have a heart of gold. The scene when Cal comes looking to borrow money earns her the Academy Awards on its own. Equally as good is Julie Harris, who effortlessly creates a good girl who harbors a bit of the bad girl inside. She integrates the elements together allowing her growing affection for Cal seem natural and not just part of the plot.
Kazan, using Paul Osborn's Oscar nominated screenplay, paces the drama perfectly, so when the final straw breaks, we feel the weight of the emotional toll Cal is under. This allows us to have sympathy for him even though we don't agree with his childish reaction. Along with cinematographer Ted McCord, Kazan devises the right framing for each moment. I was particularly struck by the scene where Cal moves backward and forward on a swing toward his father (and the camera). The shot provokes the audience into uneasiness, which is exactly what Cal is doing to his father. Kazan fills the film with masterful touches like these.
Working with a master director and supported by a top notched cast, Dean had a perfect vehicle to make himself a star. His intensity and nuance is what has made him an icon.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
