Rebel Without a Cause

Rating:
Summary: Forever, James Dean
Review: Remember the first time you saw James Dean in that red jacket, white t-shirt, and jeans? He owned the screen. Here he plays an angst-ridden teenager whose parents don't understand him. He's a trouble-maker who has caused the family to move a lot. On his first day in a new school, Dean meets a girl he likes (Natalie Wood), befriends a neurotic outcast (Sal Mineo), and is involved in the death of another boy (in the classic chicky-race scene).

Every scene in this film is so familiar and so loved, thanks to the presense of James Dean. Every boy wanted to be him. Every girl wanted to be his girlfriend. And when he cried to his parents, "You're tearing me apart!" you believed it was him talking, not an actor saying a line. He was cool, sexy, and most of all, real.

Almost fifty years later, the character created by James Dean is still the essence of the misunderstood teenager coming to terms with life. They say a thing of beauty is a joy forever. That applies both to James Dean and this movie. I wonder what ever happened to the red jacket?

Rating:
Summary: AFI Top 100 Film, Dean's Genius now on WideScreen DVD!
Review: James Dean was killed September 30, 1955, at age 24 on a highway near Paso Robles, California in an automobile accident. Only his first film "East of Eden" had been released in the theatres. Dean only made 3 films in his brief successful film career. (East of Eden, Rebel Without A Cause & Giant) James Dean became the "red jacket" icon (due to his role in "Rebel Without A Cause)& a Legend for thousands of adoring fans. His impact in the movie industry is still felt today.

The American Film Institute (AFI) voted 2 of James Dean's 3 films into the Top 100 Films of the Last 100 years (1998) !!!! (Rebel Without A Cause & Giant).

Rebel had assembled a great script & fantastic ensemble cast with, James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Nick Adams, Dennis Hopper & Jim Backus.

Now we can enjoy James Dean's brilliant role of the Rebel, Jim Stark on a remastered Warner Color & WideScreen(LetterBox)DVD!! This DVD is enhanced for WideScreen HDTV's too.
There are several Outstanding Extras to include; Documentary "Rediscovering a Rebel", Movie Screen Tests of Dean, Interviews with Dean, Wood & Backus. Production Notes & Trailers.

Summary: New boy in town juvenile deliquent "Rebel", Jim Stark (James Dean) on the first day of school is confronted & harassed by the school bullies. Finding himself on the outside eventually befriends other misfit outcasts Judy (Natalie Wood) & Plato (Sal Mineo) & they create a close friendship. Together they deal with teenage crisis', becoming dependent on each other & overcoming the monumental obstacles of adolescence. Each of these stars gives the audience a strong emotional performance. Love & Tragedy follows our cast throughout this classic film giving us quite an emotional rollercoaster ride of our life.

After this movie you will always remember the film Legend, James Dean, "Rebel Without A Cause" & his "Red Jacket"!!!! Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Had a few moments
Review: This is an example of a bad good film. Not a film so bad, such as "The Thing" or "Plan 9", that is still fun to watch, but a film held in such high regard as to fall short in nearly all categories.

Most of the "high school" kids were 19 or older (except Sal and Natalie), and James Dean was 24 - which strains credulity. Natalie's boyfriend drives off a cliff and is killed, yet she shows no emotion about it.

The movie did have a few truly good moments - "you're tearing me apart" is the classic scene, and "give me something, dad", but on the whole it was as forced and unreal as the studio "interviews" of cast members also on the DVD (with staged close ups of directors giving commands, etc).

James Dean's death seemed to launch him into some icon level, but I'm not sure his acting in the big three melodramas (RWAC is the middle film) warranted it.

It might have been big when it was released, but it seems overblown and dated today. It might be worth a watch, but I found it entertaining for the wrong reasons.

Rating:
Summary: James Dean the Icon lives on this classic DvD of a cult film
Review: Quite possibly the greatest movie of all "rebel without a cause" is regarded as one of the best movies ever made, like "cool hand luke" it has had a cultural impact, not
only as far as movie as concerned but society.

what made the movie such a hit was the fact that you had this giant rebel icon known as james dean, whom every young girl wanted to go out. an all star cast such as natalie wood, whose career would continue to skyrocket with such great films as "splendor in the grass". however, the film's storyline is what impacted viewers, much of which were young men and women who could relate to the main character. dean plays jim stark, born to a rich father , stark don't seem to fit in with anybody, his neighboorhood, his classmates, he movesto a new town where he must try to fit with society. he encounters on his first day judy (wood), a pretty girl whose around with the wrong crowd, a rebellious gang bent on no good. as jim gets lost finding his class he meets a kind young man named plato (sal mineo who also died young) who helps him find his way. however near the end of the afternoon jim has a confrontation with judy'sboyfriend named buzz (played by corey allen) what results is a fatal accident. however besides this stark must deal with his overbearing father who does not understand his own and thinks he can soothe him by buying him literally. it seems that stark cannot fit into anywhere in society, he is a rebel,an outsider looking in on a world, that doesn't quite understand him and it will be a battle for him to find his way and find meaning in his life.

that's the cult phenomen right there, everyone especially teenagers feel at one time or another like jim stark, a rebel, an outsider looking in, not really acceptedinto any form of society whether it's school or his own parents. stark is the classic example of the rebel. of course jim stark's character is totally identical to James Dean himself, who lived life by the edge. Just like Jim Stark, Dean didn't getalong with his father, in fact his father didn't want Dean to go into acting. Imagine if James Dean followed his father's stupid advice? Incredible, this idol would never have been born. He had a strange relationship with his mother. He played the Stark character like his own because it was his story.

The acting by Dean's costars is equally as good Jim Backus as Frank Stark plays Jim's dad. Backus is best known for playing Mr. Howell on Gilligan's Island. Backus brings a lot of "Mr. Howell" into this character. His rich ideals and manner are completely blind to the trails and turbulations his son is going through leading to the famous "Your tearing me apart" line by James Dean, one of the most memorable lines in movie history.Natalie Wood is excellent as Judy, the popular and pretty girl at school who realizes near the end of the film that she is a lost soul like Stark. Sal Mineo is great as Plato the rich kid with the somewhat pessimistic look on society. Plato when hemeets Stark, start a very quaint relationship, although part of it lies in the fact that Plato is completely fascinated by Stark.

DVD details

Ah it's been over 50 years since the movie has been released but only until a couple of years ago, a dvd was released, however it's worth the wait as dvd comes with many great extras and historical pieces of rare footage. First is the rare trailer for the movie, however as an added bonus we get trailers for James Dean's other flick including Giant (with Rock Hudson) and East of Eden (his last film).

3 Documentaries on the film including one called "Rediscovering a Rebel" which reveals interesting details about the movie. For instance the movie was actually at first f ilmed in black and white as seen in the screen test forDean and Wood. The executives at Warner Bros. decided to go color as color was now becoming the standard in films. Also you get ultra rare screen tests with Dean and Wood acting out their roles. However
, we also get what's best described as a propangand interview for the stars themselves from Warner Bros. We get a long and rare interview with star Natalie Wood as she catches some rest and explains the film itself. We also get a rare interview with Dean himself.
Then we get an inside look into Warner Bros. other features at the time including
East of Eden (Dean's last film).

The documentaries are excellent as they provide rare footage coupled with many facts about the movie almost no one knows about. For instance the Jim Stark
character modeled after James Dean was actually supposed to be a kind of nerd. When James Dean tried for roles he often sported a pair of reading glass. He later changed his image to appear more suave and cool. It obviously worked.

One part of the documentary has Dean sporting a public service message for safe
driving which is a sad twist of fate since Dean died in a car crash.

As you can see this is a must have DVD complementing one of the greatest movies of all time. People talk about "Casablanca" and all this other classics, but in my opinions, "Rebel Without A Cause" overshadows them as it's a movie which reach a million or so teens in it's day and still has the power to do that today with it's messages of alienation, the outsider and not fitting in, while trying to find oneself's true identity.

Get the DVD and relieve this true classic.

Rating:
Summary: Brooding Teen Character Study!
Review: This remarkable film strikes a resonant chord with teenagers. James Dean has the role that made him an American Icon as Jim Starks, the new kid in town who just wants to fit in. Sal Mineo also gives a career defining performance as Plato, the lonely kid who just wants to have friends. The beautiful Natalie Wood as Judy is also noteworthy. Jim Backus and Anne Duran are also great and believable as Jim's parents. Friendship, first love, parental love, family values, honor, and much more are brilliantly and expertly interwoven in the hands of Nicholas Ray who makes this movie a knowing and true cinematic experience, not to mention a classic and a monumental movie of the 50's. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 10!

Rating:
Summary: Landmark 'teen' movie, as potent as ever...
Review: REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (USA 1955): A troubled teenager (James Dean) struggles to find his place in a new school, where he falls in love with a fellow student (Natalie Wood) and is forced into a confrontation with her bullying boyfriend (Corey Allen), leading to unexpected tragedy...

Nicholas Ray's quintessential Fifties melodrama signalled a sea-change in American cinema, which saw the glossy fantasies made popular during wartime gradually replaced by tougher subjects and a realistic depiction of contemporary society. Stewart Stern's coy script may seem a little dated now, but the drama is still potent enough to resonate with modern audiences, and there's a wealth of surprising subtexts, including Natalie Wood's impressive turn as an immature teenager who feels rejected by her father (William Hopper) because he refuses to indulge the kind of affections he lavished on her as a child, and Sal Mineo as the brittle interloper who keeps a picture of Alan Ladd in his school locker and develops an obvious crush on the dazzling new boy, played by Dean. A formidable young talent, Dean's signature red jacket affords him a visual prominence denied most of his fellow actors, and he judges the emotional honesty of each sequence with uncanny precision. Director Ray uses the scope frame in a wholly expressive manner, dividing his characters across the length and breadth of the wide screen and tilting the image at crucial dramatic moments. However, despite powerful performances by a strong supporting cast (including Jim Backus, Ann Doran, Edward Platt and Dennis Hopper), a 'daring' screenplay and A-list production values, the film's many virtues have been slightly overshadowed by Dean's tragic early death and subsequent iconic status within American culture.

The widescreen image on Warner Bros.' DVD may seem a little small on most 4:3 monitors, so try to see it on a 16:9 TV. The original theatrical soundtrack (see technical specs below) has been remixed in Dolby 5.1 for this DVD release, and while the results are fairly impressive, the bass is a little too boomy for the most part, and the movie actually sounds better with your subwoofer turned off. Trailers for this film and Dean's other major entries, EAST OF EDEN (1955) and GIANT (1956) have been included, along with the famous, ultra-creepy interview with Dean (conducted by Gig Young for a 1955 TV special, shortly before Dean's death in an auto accident) in which he cautions viewers against speeding on the highway (!). There's also a short but fascinating documentary - produced in 1996 for a previous video release - which features outtakes and audition pieces from the film.

110m 46s
2.55:1 (CinemaScope) / Anamorphically enhanced
Dolby 5.1
4-track magnetic stereo [theatrical]
Optional English subtitles and closed captions
Region 1

Rating:
Summary: 1950s Utopia?
Review: This will always remain one of my favorite films of all time. After seeing it I can finally understand the reasons why James Dean has such a following. He is what everyone either envisions himself as or wishes to be. In my mind, you can't quite label him an anti-hero in this movie. You have to show his character respect. In my mind, what makes this film great is what you might find fault with in other films. At times it seems overly melodramatic and so emotional it seems painful to watch. But this ain't no "Titanic." Somehow, all this intense emotion is what gives the film its power. When you are in high school everything seems as though it is a life or death situation. Who can honestly say that they weren't utterly self-absorbed at that age and even in the present? All the typical themes are included such as unrequited love, fitting in, complex family relations, and violence(today kids might have guns but name another scene as riveting and dangerous as the switchblade fight). The additions to the widescreen version are very worthwhile and offer some extra insight. Is it just me or does Natalie Wood seem on edge during her interview? The Dean "safe driving" interview is also rather interesting if not kind of sick.

Rating:
Summary: Great 50's fun.
Review: This film was first released in 1955 and stars James Dean, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo. It was directed by Nicholas Ray and is probably one of the best, and most remembered movies from the 1950's.

"Rebel Without a Cause" begins in the local police station, where Jim (James Dean) has been arrested for drunkeness, Judy (Natalie Wood) has been picked up for walking around before dawn after a fight with her father, and the disturbed Plato (Sal Mineo) has been brought in for killing a puppy. Jim is new to the place (his parents are always moving) and finds it hard to fit in at school. He gets in a fight, which later leads him to have a chicken race with one of the gang bullies. Jim, Judy and Plato are brought back together again at the chicken race, but it ends in trouble. While Jim gets away unharmed, his opponent is killed when he gets caught in the car and goes flying straight off of the cliff. While being chased by the dead boy's friends, Jim, Judy, and Plato end up at a deserted mansion, to hide out, away from their parents and the trouble looking for them out on the streets. But still, it does not end nicely.

The film may seem dated to some people, but it still remains a brilliant movie to a lot of others.

Now for the DVD:
The film is presented in widescreen format and the print is brilliant. The sound is in 5.1 Dolby Digital. The extras include Trailers, behind-the-scenes documentary, and a few segments from TV Documentaries with Gig Young, including the 'Drive Safely' interview. Along with a few other little things aswell.

Overall, I think this is an excellent presentation for a great movie and I highly recommend this DVD.

PLEASE NOTE: Refers to Region 2 release, which appears to be the same as this Region 1 release, by the same company.

Rating:
Summary: James Dean the Icon lives on this classic DvD of a cult film
Review: Quite possibly the greatest movie of all "rebel without a cause" is regarded as one of the best movies ever made, like "cool hand luke" it has had a cultural impact, not
only as far as movie as concerned but society.

what made the movie such a hit was the fact that you had this giant rebel icon known as james dean, whom every young girl wanted to go out. an all star cast such as natalie wood, whose career would continue to skyrocket with such great films as "splendor in the grass". however, the film's storyline is what impacted viewers, much of which were young men and women who could relate to the main character. dean plays jim stark, born to a rich father , stark don't seem to fit in with anybody, his neighboorhood, his classmates, he movesto a new town where he must try to fit with society. he encounters on his first day judy (wood), a pretty girl whose around with the wrong crowd, a rebellious gang bent on no good. as jim gets lost finding his class he meets a kind young man named plato (sal mineo who also died young) who helps him find his way. however near the end of the afternoon jim has a confrontation with judy'sboyfriend named buzz (played by corey allen) what results is a fatal accident. however besides this stark must deal with his overbearing father who does not understand his own and thinks he can soothe him by buying him literally. it seems that stark cannot fit into anywhere in society, he is a rebel,an outsider looking in on a world, that doesn't quite understand him and it will be a battle for him to find his way and find meaning in his life.

that's the cult phenomen right there, everyone especially teenagers feel at one time or another like jim stark, a rebel, an outsider looking in, not really acceptedinto any form of society whether it's school or his own parents. stark is the classic example of the rebel. of course jim stark's character is totally identical to James Dean himself, who lived life by the edge. Just like Jim Stark, Dean didn't getalong with his father, in fact his father didn't want Dean to go into acting. Imagine if James Dean followed his father's stupid advice? Incredible, this idol would never have been born. He had a strange relationship with his mother. He played the Stark character like his own because it was his story.

The acting by Dean's costars is equally as good Jim Backus as Frank Stark plays Jim's dad. Backus is best known for playing Mr. Howell on Gilligan's Island. Backus brings a lot of "Mr. Howell" into this character. His rich ideals and manner are completely blind to the trails and turbulations his son is going through leading to the famous "Your tearing me apart" line by James Dean, one of the most memorable lines in movie history.Natalie Wood is excellent as Judy, the popular and pretty girl at school who realizes near the end of the film that she is a lost soul like Stark. Sal Mineo is great as Plato the rich kid with the somewhat pessimistic look on society. Plato when hemeets Stark, start a very quaint relationship, although part of it lies in the fact that Plato is completely fascinated by Stark.

DVD details

Ah it's been over 50 years since the movie has been released but only until a couple of years ago, a dvd was released, however it's worth the wait as dvd comes with many great extras and historical pieces of rare footage. First is the rare trailer for the movie, however as an added bonus we get trailers for James Dean's other flick including Giant (with Rock Hudson) and East of Eden (his last film).

3 Documentaries on the film including one called "Rediscovering a Rebel" which reveals interesting details about the movie. For instance the movie was actually at first f ilmed in black and white as seen in the screen test forDean and Wood. The executives at Warner Bros. decided to go color as color was now becoming the standard in films. Also you get ultra rare screen tests with Dean and Wood acting out their roles. However
, we also get what's best described as a propangand interview for the stars themselves from Warner Bros. We get a long and rare interview with star Natalie Wood as she catches some rest and explains the film itself. We also get a rare interview with Dean himself.
Then we get an inside look into Warner Bros. other features at the time including
East of Eden (Dean's last film).

The documentaries are excellent as they provide rare footage coupled with many facts about the movie almost no one knows about. For instance the Jim Stark
character modeled after James Dean was actually supposed to be a kind of nerd. When James Dean tried for roles he often sported a pair of reading glass. He later changed his image to appear more suave and cool. It obviously worked.

One part of the documentary has Dean sporting a public service message for safe
driving which is a sad twist of fate since Dean died in a car crash.

As you can see this is a must have DVD complementing one of the greatest movies of all time. People talk about "Casablanca" and all this other classics, but in my opinions, "Rebel Without A Cause" overshadows them as it's a movie which reach a million or so teens in it's day and still has the power to do that today with it's messages of alienation, the outsider and not fitting in, while trying to find oneself's true identity.

Get the DVD and relieve this true classic.

Rating:
Summary: This movie is crap
Review: This movie sucks for so many reasons, I can't fit them all in the 1,000 word space that amazon gives me. For starters, I'll give my impression of the 3 lead characters after watching the movie. (...) Natalie Wood's character is bipolar, and Sal Mineo's character is a little on the gay side. To make it worse, the plot is boring, unrealistic, and inconsistent. Oh yeah, and where does this image of James Dean wearing a leather jacket come from? Although it was even shown on the cover of this DVD, HE DOESN'T WEAR A LEATHER JACKET IN ANY OF HIS 3 STARRING ROLES. And to think that there is actually a James Dean brand of leather jackets with his face on the inside of the jacket. It's a conspiracy.