Rebel Without A Cause
— Remembering the acting talent of James Dean, a legend in his own afterlife.”
- Director: Nicholas Ray
- United States, 1955
This simple story about teenage disaffection makes pretty depressing reading today, in a society where the problems of youth seem only to have multiplied.
Let us however take nothing away from James Dean’s edgy, understated performance, as it oscillates splendidly between vulnerability and violence. There are undeniable echoes of Brando here, but we never did get to see much more of Dean’s individual development as an actor since he died that same year.
Dean’s starmaking performance is so strong that the contrast of his acting style with those of the other characters makes Rebel an unusual viewing experience, yet one in which the artistry of modern acting is clearly presaged.
See also:
Nanny McPhee
Entertaining and magical handbook on child discipline. Behave yourself or the kid gets it.
- Originally published: 8 Sep 2006 in Film
Who you gonna call?
Hello you, I'm Mike Padgett. I'm not a Princeton curator, Knoxville mayoral candidate, Kentuckian pastor or Arizona journalist, I just share the same name. In fact, I am a consultant working in user experience and information design.
I also enjoy travel, concerts, films and walking.
I'm originally from Yorkshire, England but nowadays I live in Belgium. My current favourite Belgian beer is Black Albert.
Shameless self-promotion
Over a year in the making, Dopeology.org is my latest personal project: a topology of doping in thirty years of European pro road cycling.
I collected information from thousands of sources, then I modelled and published it via a lightweight user interface.
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