Another fantastic performance from the God of acting, James Dean. Such a great adpatation with wonderful direction and performances. Greatness all around.
East of Eden is based on the John Steinbeck novel of the same name. It takes place in the California cities of Monterey and Salinas which are both about 100 miles north of where I live. The film, a period piece, takes place during the start of the first World War. In the film, Cal (James Dean) does not feel like his father cares about him. When his father loses almost all his money in a failed business attempt he decides that he will earn the money himself through war profiteering in order to win his father's love. It doesn't really seem like much of anything happens in this film so that's clearly a drawback. I haven't read Steinbeck's novel so I can't say how representative of it this film is.
The film stars the likes of James Dean, Julie Harris, and Raymond Massey. Andrews probably delivers the best performance and the rest are all decent. Dean's performance is great at times but at other times it feels awkward and forced. Jo Van Fleet received an Oscar for best supporting actress for playing the role of James Dean's mother but again, I'm confused by this selection as she only really appeared in one scene in the entire film. While her character is critical to the plot, the critical aspects do not require her to be on screen at all. The backstory told about her early on is part of what drives the plot so I'm baffled as to how she won this Oscar.
This film was decent, but I was hoping for something better. Quite often it felt like Rebel Without a Cause set forty years earlier. I probably should have watched those in the reverse order as it would probably be more correct to say Rebel Without a Cause often feels like East of Eden set forty years later. James Dean plays almost the same character and plays him in much the same way. The film addresses some major themes although they're probably addressed in much better detail in the novel which Steinbeck called his greatest ever. I think the The New York Times said it best describing this film as having "energy and intensity but little clarity and emotion". It's worth watching for a James Dean fan but not something I'd recommend for someone looking for a great film.
71/100 C-
UP NEXT: A lesser-known Hitchcock film, Foreign Correspondent.
a moving and touching story about a family and their problems but the most outstanding characteristic is james dean's performance....beautiful, sensitive and perfect.
Suffers from a few "yeah, it's an old movie" moments, but don't let that stop you. James Dean simply dazzles (forget Rebel Without a Cause---this is his best performance) and the story is classic Steinbeck.
I like this movie, even through it really mostly stayed with the END of the book, not the begininng nor the middle. There were some parts of the movies, that I shouldn't have been laughing at but I did.
I haven't read the original novel...... so I find the ending quite unexpected, and very moving as well! My most beloved James Dean's character! You will be touched especially when you find people around don't appreciate what you have contributed......
Ok,finally saw my first James Dean film.What a sweet soul this guy was,What a tragedy,Who knows what he could have became,Anyway.If you are at all curious,this was great,Sad,the whole deal with him and Aaron's mom.But James or 'Cal' his character's name is definitely the main dish in this movie.His sweet,shy,slightly mischevious,quirky and very unpredicle nature was absolutely captivating.I think I am developing a whole new obsession here.I hate when I do that with dead celebs.Anyway he was great and again so sad,I can't wait to see the other movie.If you have ever been curious,do it,watch it,life is too short,Enjoy all these great films while we still have them intact.=)
James Dean's performance in this is one of the greatest in history! Not as good as film as Rebel Without a Cause, but still excellent with a few amazing performances.
An interesting story of two sons both trying to gain some love and attention from their father. Wonderful cast. James Dean is such an amazing actor, and he is adorable in this!
John Steinbeck's East of Eden is an American Classic Novel, but I would have to say that the film is much better. It centers on Cal Trask (Dean) who feels he must compete against his brother Aron (Davalos) for the love of their single father, Adam (Massey). Cal is misunderstood and frustrated individual, who tries very hard to impress his father while trying to relate to his separated mother and getting ahead in life. Now, James Dean is nothing less than magnificent and steals the entire film- no surprise. Its films like this that shows you why James Dean is iconic and so ahead of his time. His portrayal of Cal Trask is so emotionally powerful and really gives the character more desperate vibe with his actions and tone of his voice. Since, most of the film was improvised by Dean, I would have to say that this is one of those films where the actor makes the film and not taking away anything from Elia Kazan, but Dean contributes much more to the film with his acting than the directing of the great Kazan. Another thing that really engaged me into the film was the amazing chemistry between James Dean and Julie Harris which really shows in the "Ferris Wheel" and "Lunch Break" scene. The rest of the cast was great including Jo Van Fleet, who was amazing given such little screen time. This is without a doubt my favorite out of the "Big Three."
James Dean's finest film. Luscious black-and-white cinematography with subject matter that is typically bold for its time, especially considering it's in the hands of Elia Kazan. A true renegade genius.
Dammit! Now James Dean has to be on my all time favorites list. Only a few months ago, I reviewed Rebel Without a Cause and Dean blew me away. Forget Rebel (okay, don't! because it's still amazing, but...) East of Eden is one of those absolutely perfect films that I can't wrap my head around. Pretty soon, I'm going to be re-editing my top movies of all time and I'll try to watch them all in order. I have a feeling East of Eden will be on this top films list. It doesn't happen very often, but this movie really wanted to get me to read the book. (How ignorant do I sound there? I actually read quite a bit, but rarely does a movie inspire me to read.)
A pretty common theme in art is "good v. evil" and questions whether these traits are genetic or are they taught? East of Eden says "F*ck both of your ideas, it's both!" And here's the real kicker: It presents this concept naturally and earnestly. Usually the good kid really isn't that good and the bad kid really isn't that bad. Perhaps it is moral superiority that creates evil in the world. The two concepts cannot exist without one another and that makes my brain melt through my ears.
Elia Kazan has yet to disappoint me. I know I'm not really standing on appointment to scream Elia Kazan's praises, at least not in theatre circles. But Kazan really doesn't get the attention that directors such as Hitchcock or Billy Wilder get. While Hitchcock and Wilder either write their own stuff or adapt popular novels, Kazan always seems to harken back to the classics. But in some regard, some of these classics wouldn't have the notoriety they do without Kazan's adaptations. Sure, Streetcar will always be amazing play, but can you think of it without thinking of Brando's "Stella" line? Kazan has the unique ability to make his adaptation of the original source material as important as the initial printing.
Yes, East of Eden is a classic. It's John Steinbeck, for goodness sakes. But it really isn't as known as certain classics. If you haven't seen this film, by all means do. This movie was a fantastic add to my week.
Dean was fantastic as the "bad boy" character in this movie... He showed deep passion & attitude as Cal... Great line "Cain raised up against Abel" in showing the sibling rivalry in this family... Dean tried hard to get his father's love & approval which came very late... Harris was spunky with her interactions with Dean... Fleet was feisty & determined to live her live on her terms, only...
A masterpiece by the genius director Elia Kazan! A movie about the eternal battle between the "good" and "bad" brothers; about family trouble, lies, love, etc. A wonderful script, and wonderful performances, introducing legend James Dean. James Dean is outstanding, with that rebel looks, even inspiring a new generation. This movie also explores youth... the need for attention, rebelling against the laws, jealousy, and a little of naiveness. I even got a connection with the character Caleb, visionary and inspired by passion. A very good character. One of the best movies of the 50's, though very underrated...
I read the novel by John Steinbeck and it was easily one of the best stories I have ever read. The film, which was released in 1955 and stars James Dean, was solid but the filmmakers left so much of the story. The film basically opens with the third part of the novel. The story spans three generations but the film focuses only on the last one.
There were still some good elements of the film. All of the actors portrayed Steinbeck's characters well, especially James Dean and Jo Van Fleet. The direction wasn't bad but the director used a crooked angle in some of the shots. It is supposed to show a crooked sense of the home (metaphorically) but I didn't feel it worked and it was actually distracting. Overall, while the film didn't fully capture Steinbeck's entire story (it would've had to have been two movies or even three to give it justice) the film was still quite solid and well-made.
Intricate yet delicate, East of Eden delves into the pursuit of affection amidst rivalry. The film acts as a refined parable of the war of this time, scaled down to the struggles of a family. Dean is erratic and electric, while Massey is cooled and collected.
James Dean's best performance. The movie is dramatic and moving. James Deans performance is like none other and forever represents the tormented youth.
This Dean film is more straight-forward than the dark and twisted Rebel w/o a Cause but it has a quiet, poetic sparseness that works in its favor. Cal is one sorry bastard and Dean excelled at playing sorry bastards.
The first of Jimmy Dean's three starring vehicles. A concise rendering of John Steinbeck's long novel, done masterfully by Elia Kazan (one of my favorite directors). Jimmy's performance is pretty good for his first starring film role.
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