(Stern 52). . Jim does not know what to do. While on a night out with friends, she got into a car accident. Jim: Dad? the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes. Frank Stark is too ineffectual a man to be of use to his son, leaving Jim feeling alone and disassociated from his family. What are we doing this for? You have to get to know him. At the station he crosses paths with John "Plato" Crawford, who was brought in for killing a litter of puppies, and Judy, who was brought in for curfew violation. One way this is illustrated is in their uniform attitude: Their clothing is not uniformit is the air they assume . To preserve his status as gang leader, Buzz suggests stealing some cars to have a "Chickie Run" at a seaside cliff. Oct 27, 1955 Years after Rebel Without a Cause, Natalie Wood died mysteriously at sea. After moving to a new town, troublemaking teen Jim Stark (James Dean) is supposed to have a clean slate, although being the new kid in town brings its own problems. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Why are we moving? As the film plays out, we see Wood has problems with her parents too - her dad, apparently uncomfortable with her budding sexuality, slaps her across the face for giving him a kiss as she would have when smaller. Judy: Well, thats the main thingdont you think so? Rebel Without a Cause (1955) Trailer - James Dean MovieSubscribe to CLASSIC TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/1u43jDeSubscribe to TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/sxaw6hSubscri. She apologizes for her prior treatment of him due to peer pressure, and the two begin to fall in love. You might also like Father: This is news to me! Ray: That why you moved from the last town? W hen Rebel Without a Cause was released 60 years ago, it was almost exactly a month after James Dean's dramatic and tragic death shook Hollywoodand solidified the late actor's celebrity . Former child star Natalie Wood she co-starred in the 1947 Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street became a leading lady in 1955, co-starring in Rebel Without a Cause as Judy, a high school student who finds empathy, and ultimately love, for the misunderstood Jim. "[17], Rebel was censored in Britain by the British Board of Film Censors and released with scenes cut and an X-rating. . Ray, alarmed that his star had been injured, called cut, and Dean was furious. Jim gives Plato his opinion on when the world will end, just moments before Platos life ends. a question of honor. Despite outdated touches -- these punks don't listen to rock music, but rather big-band swing -- Rebel Without a Cause still comes on strong. Coming Soon. Jim is protective and fatherly toward Plato and sensitive toward Judy. Plato runs to the observatory and barricades himself inside as more police converge including Fremick who, with Frank and Carol, have been searching for Jim. Dinah Washington - Not Without You [1955] theUnforgettablesTv. Some films like Rebel Without A Cause managed to skirt the Hays Code, however. David Weisbart, Writer: Rather than focusing on poor kids from an inner city, he envisioned a Romeo and Juliet-style tale about affluent teenagers who couldnt relate to the lives of their parents, and who were looking for any outlet to release their disillusionment and anger. After he joined the cast, Mazzola began remarking upon various phony elements of the script, as well as the wardrobe, the cars used, and more. Rebel Without A Cause is essentially a sociological case study in American masculinityits attractions, its limitations, its pathologies, its postures, and its obstacles. Griffith Observatory, 2800 E Observatory Rd, Los Angeles, California, USA. The image is an example of a ticket confirmation email that AMC sent you when you purchased your ticket. Jim wants to do the right thing and report his involvement in Buzzs untimely end to the police, much to his parents dismay. This also means it has been incorporated into the Dramatica Story Expert application itself as an easily referenced contextual example. . Tap "Sign me up" below to receive our weekly newsletter They steal Plato's address book and go off after Jim; Plato retrieves his mother's gun and leaves to warn Jim and Judy, finding them at the mansion. I mean maybe he doesnt mean it but he acts like he does. Irving Shulman, The consequence of failing to achieve the goal would be continuing on with the emotionally exhausting process of trying to be part of a functional family. The three act as a family and find a few moments of peace. From Oscar-winning films like Call Me By Your Name or Moonlight to critically acclaimed TV shows . It is not until he is filled with concern for his sons life that he can stand up and be a real man. Warner Home Vdeo, Mazzola, a graduate of Hollywood High School, was also a member of The Athenians, a gang that Mazzola himself referred to as a social club that was nonetheless very tough and territorial. As an example, he demands yes or no answers from his parents. Jim is a sensitive, vulnerable, and rebellious youth. In their book Live Fast, Die Young: The Wild Ride Of Making Rebel Without A Cause, film critics Lawrence Frascella and Al Weisel note that an earlier version of the movies script even featured a scene in which Jim and Plato shared a kiss. This is especially apparent when he is forced to contemplate that the police have just shot him. Plato, who momentarily cannot find his mother and father (Jim and Judy) feels abandoned once again and fires at Jim in anger. Mother: I still think you should go down. . Were all involved, Mom! (Stern 72). As a teenager, Jim has no wealth of experiences to draw on when faced with a difficult decision, which is why he asks his (presumably experienced) father. Jim: Youre not going to use me as an excuse again, Mom. A rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies. For example, as an attempt to smooth over Jims run-in with the local juvenile authorities, he offers cigars to Ray, a ploy that has obviously worked in the past. In the opening scene, three teenagers are held for questioning at the police station as a result of testing their respective parents or guardians boundaries. Buzz figures out that by calling Jim a chicken he can get a rise out of him; Jim discerns the real cause of why his family cannot stay in one place is predominantly because of his mother; and so forth. Jim: Your father! After a warning from the gang, Plato takes his mothers gun and rushes to the mansion to protect Jim. Judy: Whats he like? Her name is Judy. Shortly after Warner Bros. bought the rights to Lindners book, Jacques Le Mareschal produced a treatment, and over the next several years writers Peter Viertel, H.L. That they are unable to articulate their desires leaves them to resort to their physicalitysuch as fightingwhich only undermines their aspirations to be taken seriously. After Judy and her fathers emotionally charged confrontation, Judys parents discuss the changes in their daughter, as she transforms from a teen into a woman: For the Stark family to be a happy, functional family, Frank must overcome his weaknesses and become a real father to Jim; to be part of a peer group family, one must first become friends with the gang; and so forth. Franks constant worrying emasculates him in his sons eyes. Synopsis. Romance blossoms between Judy and Jim, but Rebel Without A Causesuggests Jim and Platos friendship isnt entirely platonic. The film stars James Dean, Sal Mineo, and Natalie Wood. Upon meeting Jim, Platoa friendless misfitimmediately looks up to him as a father figure. Another example is when Jim asks if he is going to stop him from heading into trouble. In one of the most influential performances in movie history, James Dean plays Jim, the new kid in town whose loneliness, frustration and anger mirrored those of postwar teens -- and still reverberates more than 50 years later. Once Frank learns that Jim is one of a group of kids in trouble, he accompanies the police officer to the scene. It's still well worth watching for its themes and actors, Wood, Mineo, and most of all Dean, who is like a young Brando, full of screen presence, full of promise. After a field trip to Griffith Observatory, Buzz provokes and challenges Jim to a knife fight. While in delirium, Wood overheard the doctor murmuring and calling her a "goddamn juvenile delinquent"; she soon yelled to Ray, "Did you hear what he called me, Nick?! Warner Bros. [18][19] Most of the knife fight was excised and not shown on British screens until 1967. . As an example of his family not addressing serious issues, they move from town to town leaving at the first hint of difficulty and not allowing for healthy problem solving. Under those circumstances, only a dangerous test of valour can sort out the men from the boys, while, suddenly, the equally persecuted pariah, Plato, and Stark's charming next-door neighbour, Judy, become Jim's unusual alternative family: the only refuge from their seemingly callous parents. . Judy: He calls me a dirty trampmy own father! Mother: Jimmy, youre very youngand a foolish decision now could wreck your whole life. . 2:57. Ray: You were getting a good start in the wrong direction back there. In the aftermath of Allen's character dying, the film spirals in ways which seem a bit exaggerated. Warner Home Vdeo, More that any other film, in fact, Rebel sympathizes with youth. All rights reserved. Jim touches his fathers elbow, bringing him to his feet. Progress in the objective story slows down when the adults dont worry enough about their teens. They look at each other a moment then Jim goes to his bedroom. Just confirm how you got your ticket. Whyd you get drunk? Jim does not have the sense of security that a child in a functional family would have. But how can I give him anything when hesI mean I love him and I dont want to hurt himbut I dont know what to do anymore except maybe die (Stern 16); Frank does not give Jim sufficient support as delineated in the scene in which Jim wants to go to the police to report his involvement in Buzzs death: His parents are often fighting. . He originally had written a number of scenes that were shot and later cut from the final version of the film. Whatever comes well face it together, I swear (Stern 116). . Apparently, it was common knowledge amongRebel Without A Cause'screw Plato was indeed gay. He is attracted to Judy, the girl next door and girlfriend of Buzz, the leader of the pack. Related: Why David Duchovny's Trans Twin Peaks Character Denise Was So Groundbreaking. That freed Dean up to take another iconic role, the one that would define his legend more than any other. After moving to a new town, troublemaking teen Jim Stark is supposed to have a clean slate, although being the new kid in town brings its own problems. When Jim returns, he attempts to restrain Plato, but he flees, accusing Jim of leaving him behind. This page was last edited on 17 April 2023, at 18:34. Mother: Are you going down there? Jims response to Rays warning against striking a juvenile officer is to hurl himself at the man; Jim attempts not to fall into the trap of striking back at the gangs threats; Jim doesnt perceive Plato waving a loaded gun as too much of a threat, and, even though Plato has shot at him, Jim pursues the boy anyway. Just mush. Ray and Deans drive for realism led them to various places, including police and psychiatric professionals, for consulting assistance on the film, but perhaps their most valuable resources came in the form of Frank Mazzola, who played the gang member Crunch. Ray ultimately took plenty of liberties with the story, and veered away from other hit delinquent films of the time, and their stories of teen criminals who only came from lower income areas. It's an idiotic game, but that's what young people do sometimes, idiotic things, and a classic line has Dean asking 'Why do we do this? With Stern on board, the films key influences emerged. In 2006, members of the Film Society of Lincoln Center petitioned to have the scene printed and archived for historical preservation. Mike Judge's Beavis and Butt-Head: Season 2, Link to The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Season 5, Link to Marvel Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer, Link to RT25: Celebrating 25 Years of Rotten Tomatoes, Link to Betty Gilpin & Co. on Deciphering. Little jeep, jeep!" Jim considers his family environment a zoo; Jim is the new kid in town trying to fit in; and so forth. Dean is provoked into a knife fight at one point, and then into a frightening game of 'Chickie Run', with drivers meant to jump out of their cars speeding towards the edge of a cliff at the last minute. Here he hopes to find the love he doesn't get from his middle-class family. Rebel Without a Cause is a searing melodrama featuring keen insight into '50s juvenile attitude and James Dean's cool, iconic performance. . Hes mine! You watch it now, you know he had the hots for James Dean. He questions him in the police station: I want to understand you. 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As an actor who spoke for an entire generation, James Dean brought his explosive presence to the screen in Rebel Without a Cause, a realistic journey through a turbulent teenage universe of violence and delinquency.As an actor who spoke for an entire generation, James Dean brought his explosive presence to the screen in Rebel Without a Cause, a realistic journey through a turbulent teenage universe of violence and delinquency.As an actor who spoke for an entire generation, James Dean brought his explosive presence to the screen in Rebel Without a Cause, a realistic journey through a turbulent teenage universe of violence and delinquency.Rebel Without a CauseNatalie Wood and Sal Mineo received Academy Award nominations for their achingly true performances and writer/director Nicholas Ray was also an Oscar nominee (\"Best Writing\"). The story of the making of Rebel Without a Cause actually goes back nearly a decade before it arrived in theaters in 1955, to a book of the same name by Dr. Robert Lindner. Rebel Without a Cause gave birth to a whole movie subgenre- the juvenile delinquent film, which includes such colorful titles as Teenage Doll(1957), T-Bird Gang (1959), High School Confidential (1958), and even I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957), in which an angst-ridden Michael Landon seeks help for his uncontrollable anger through hypnotherapy, . Frank Stark is a well-meaning but ineffectual parent. Unlike some movie critics, Landry thought that James Dean, under the influence of Nicholas Ray's direction, had mostly freed his acting of the mannerisms characteristic of Marlon Brando's style, and that his performance in the movie was "very effective". This is a film about juvenile delinquency, but from this poster we see immediately that director Ray is on the side of all kidswho have all sorts of problems to contend with (including diseases that usually strike the young). When his mother, father and grandmother arrive at the police station to retrieve him, conflicts in Jim's family situation are . They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Is "Rebel Without a Cause" based on a book? Mother: Well, it doesnt matter anyhowbecause were moving. Jim beats Buzz in the knife fight, knocking the switchblade out of his hand and pressing the blade of his own knife against Buzz's neck, and then throws it away. As an example of how attention is focused on expectation in the objective story, Jim expects the same kind of amused reaction from the kids when he moos at the planetarium lecturers discussion of the Taurus bull that Buzz received when he imitated the Cancer crab; Judy anticipates the same kind of affection from her father as a teen that she had always received as a little girl; Jims family expects he will make friends if he can stay out of trouble; and so forth. His parents, not wishing to stick their necks out, try to talk him out of it. In the past, if called a chicken, Jim would fight. He is the new kid at their school, the outsider, the misfit, whose parents don't understand him. Jim demands immediate responses from his father, which Frank is unable to give. Mom? Jim talks Plato into coming outside. Plato fires at Jim. Rebel Without a Cause Summary. Crowther was not impressed by James Dean's acting, and cited the various mannerisms he believed Dean copied from Marlon Brando, asserting that "Never have we seen a performer so clearly follow another's style" and calling Dean's interpretation of the Jim Stark role a "clumsy display". Copyright 1994-2023 Write Brothers, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Though he finds some of this in his relation with Judy, and a form of it in both Plato's adulation and Ray's real concern for him, Jim must still prove himself to his peers in switchblade knife fights and "chickie" games in which cars race toward a seaside cliff. (Stern 53). Jim: Im not hungry. There are several iconic scenes early on that show his ability - imitating the siren at the police station after being picked up for public drunkenness, yelling "you're tearing me apart!" Things have been shed and a new start has been made. Jim: No! original, Release Date (Streaming): (Stern 83-84). Franks inadequacy as a man and the mistakes he continues to make causes problems for Jim: She eats him alive and he takes it. In the opening scene, Jim is brought into the police station for public drunkenness. Dean played Jim, a troubled but sensitive teenager who, although rejecting his elders' values, desperately wants to belong and have purpose in his life. He is taken in by police to the local juvenile hall, where two other teenagers have been arrested. I dont see how we can get out of that by pretending it didnt happen (Stern 72); Judy sobs to the juvenile officer: When it came to begin casting, Ray struggled to find an actress to play Judy, the girlfriend of a gang member who finds Jim and his disillusionment alluring and relatable. . Frank attempts to alleviate what he believes are Jims growing pains: In ten years youll look back on this and wish you were a kid again (Stern 54). Three act as a father figure 2006, members of the pack police station: I still think should. 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