Rebel Without a Cause From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Robert Silvers Tribute and details from James Dean's Life: Rebel Without a Cause is a 1955 film which tells the story of a rebellious teenager who comes to a new town, meets a girl, defies his parents and faces the local gang. It sought to portray the existing decay of youth in middle America, critiqued parental style, and exposed the rift that existed between two generations. The title refers to psychiatrist Robert Lindner's 1944 book Rebel Without A Cause: The Hypnoanalysis of a Criminal Psychopath. Good info: Cultural Legacy The film is widely cited as having both described and represented teenaged angst of the early 1950s. It made the game of chicken emblematic of male machismo among American teens of the era and is largely responsible for the perception, widely held at the time, of Southern California as the crucible of youth culture. Although James Dean had already become a star with the release of East of Eden earlier in the year, Rebel Without a Cause is considered to have conferred on Dean his role as the voice of the generation. The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Trivia - The Griffith Observatory is featured prominently in the film, and is the site of the movie's climax.
- All three of the main stars (James Dean, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo) died relatively young under tragic circumstances. Dean was killed in a traffic accident on September 30, 1955, Wood drowned on November 29, 1981, and Mineo was murdered on February 12, 1976.
- The attire of Philip J. Fry from the cartoon Futurama resembles Jim Stark
- The project kicked around Hollywood for nearly a decade before the film was finally produced. Marlon Brando even filmed a five-minute screen test for the Jim Stark role in 1947 (included on the special edition DVD of A Streetcar Named Desire) and was apparently offered the part, but finally turned it down for unknown reasons.
- The pop band Jim Stärk is named after the film's main character.
- The 80's pop group The Smiths quote a line from the movie for the song Strech Out And Wait: "As we lie, you say : Will the world end in the night time ? (I really don't know) Or will the world end in the day time ? (I really don't know) And is there any point ever having children ? Oh, I don't know. What I do know is we're Here and it's Now".
James Dean Bio Actor. Born on February 8, 1931, in Marion, Indiana. In his all-too-short career, James Dean became a screen idol and a Hollywood legend. The son of a dental technician, he moved to California with his parents when he was six years old for his father's work. Dean returned to Indiana at the age of nine to live with his aunt and uncle on their farm after the death of his mother. After graduating high school, he went to college in California, attending Santa Monica Junior College and University of California, Los Angeles. Dean eventually dropped out to pursue acting full-time and landed a few brief, uncredited film roles. Moving to New York in 1951, James Dean struggled to make it as an actor. He eventually won a part in the short-lived 1952 Broadway play See the Jaguar. Dean also won several small parts on television, but it was his performance in The Immoralist (1954) that caught the attention of Hollywood. Returning to California, he became a popular sensation with his performance in East of Eden (1955), which earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He is perhaps best known for capturing teenage angst and rebellion on screen in Rebel Without a Cause (1955). In the film, he played Jim Stark, a troubled teen, opposite Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo. Driving with his mechanic to a racing event, James Dean was killed in a road crash on September 30, 1955. The next year his last film Giant (1956) was released, and Dean earned his second Academy Award nomination for Best Actor posthumously. Dean embodied the expression "live fast and die young," which has only fueled curiosity about his life and his work. He remains a popular icon of youthful rebellion. Primary cast: Award nominations:
Famous quotes from the film - Nobody talks to children.
- No, they just tell them.
If I had one day when I didn't have to be all confused and I didn't have to feel that I was ashamed of everything. If I felt that I belonged someplace. You know? You're tearing me apart! What would he know about 'man alone' Wanna' see a monkey? Jim, do you think the end of the world will come at nighttime? (Referenced in the Tiger Army song "Last Night")
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