Feb 03, 2019 for rebel without a cause these are especially important given that the. Analysis of rebel without a cause and the cold war leo. The fifties was certainly the era for those rebel type films, but rebel without a cause is unique because it deals with these bored upper middle class kids. Feb 27, 2014 for queer viewers, rebel without a cause is seminal for sal mineos portrayal of plato whom he later referred to as the first gay teenager on film but the entire movie is bathed in a. Rebel without a cause jbfc edu jacob burns film center. The opening of rebel without a cause introduces three upper middle class rebellious. Ray was creating this film during the height of the baby boomers post wwii. At its core, the film is a sensitive plea for tolerance and understanding from family and from society.
Analysis of rebel without a cause and the cold war. So, in explaining why rebel without a cause is one of my favorite movies, and in breaking down why james deans performance resonated with teenagers around the. In the police station at the beginning of rebel we see a march of dimes poster on a pole. The actual films title, rebel without a cause, was the same as the title of lindners psychological study signifying the rebellious and idealistic protagonists.
Teenage angst helps to tell the story in rebel without a cause. The tale of youthful defiance, which could have been exploitative but wasnt, provides a rich, but stylized and partly outdated look at the world of the. The population was warped and manipulated by yellow journalism and a few outspoken individuals, who urged america towards conformity. Rebel without a cause the finale summary and analysis. Dean played jim, a troubled but sensitive teenager who, although rejecting his elders. While miseenscene generally refers to the appearance of a film, it can also be interpreted as the way the actors present their characters and how the audience identifies with their performance.
Goofs when jim says sorry for standing on the school insignia on his left hand side you can see a boy with a brown jacket on, and a girl with a red jacket on,then the scene cuts to a shot of the gangs feet, then the shot cuts back to the gang walking up the steps,and the boy and girl are now at the top right of the screen. The film has not aged well, and deans performance seems more like marked down brando than the birth of an important talent. Natalie wood and james dean in rebel without a cause. Rebel without a cause1955 was a movie that was ahead of its time in terms of its symbolism and its direction. Sep 26, 2015 so, in explaining why rebel without a cause is one of my favorite movies, and in breaking down why james deans performance resonated with teenagers around the world and defined the very concept. This is a film about juvenile delinquency, but from this poster we see. Cinematography in on the waterfront, rebel without a cause, and the third man of all the aesthetic components that stylize a film, cinematography, the way in which the camera lens is used as a creative instrument to capture the characters actions and miseenscene, is the artistic pinnacle of analytical cinema studies. Rebel without a cause introduction rebel without a cause is a very popular film from 1955. Rebel without a cause in this powerful study of juvenile violence, dean is riveting as a teenager groping for love from a society he finds alien and oppressive. Rebel without a cause follows restless teen jim stark james dean as he.
What many considered to be taboo, the film challenged the boundaries of societys rules and yet reflected what so many had tried to keep hidden. Looking past its social and popculture significance, rebel without a cause is the purest example of rays cinematic style and vision, with an expressionistic use of color, dramatic use of architecture, and an empathy for social misfits. While rebel without a cause has a very familiar story, with predictable climaxs and obvious character arcs, this james dean film is not one to miss. In the school hallway, plato, the unbalanced orphaned kid seeking affection in the police station, opens his school locker, revealing two things. Cinematography in on the waterfront, rebel without a cause. Rebel without a cause essays are academic essays for citation. Jim stark is a troubled youth who constantly seems to get into trouble. The movie featured james dean in one of his final roles. Rebel without a cause is essentially a sociological case study in american masculinityits attractions, its limitations, its pathologies, its postures, and its obstacles.
Rebel without a cause is a searing melodrama featuring keen insight into 50s juvenile attitude and james deans cool, iconic performance. Hes new in town they moved because jim had gotten himself into some kind of trouble and he seems to be starting off where he left off when the police pick him up for being drunk on the street. Rebel without a cause is a 1955 american drama film about emotionally confused suburban, middleclass teenagers. That movie showed how life back then was changing and it presented the ending where someone doesnt live. The following analysis reveals a comprehensive look at the storyform for rebel without a cause. The film revolves around protagonist, jim stark, as he starts a new school after running away from several others. Rebel without a cause from the guardian the guardian. Rebel without a cause movie trailer conclusion the purpose of the movie, rebel without a cause, was to show more reality than the everyoneliveshappilyeverafter ending. Rebel without a cause is a 1955 american drama film about emotionally confused suburban.
Often considered a precursor to the coming of age teen movie, the film stands the test of time as a classic. Decoding the classics rebel without a cause indiewire. The plot of the film essentially traces jims desire as a teenage boy to become a respectable man, despite the fact that he seems to lack a suitable role model for doing so. Its as different a film as the wild one with marlon brando and those working class biker types or the urban school kids of the blackboard jungle as you can get. Miseenscene in rebel without a cause 1955 behind the. Rebel without a cause is considered a classic movie because it effectively captures so much of the anger and frustration of being young, and it hints at many of the problems that american culture would have to face in the following years. The 1950s was an era of extremism marked by xenophobia, misogyny, and ageism. Oct 18, 20 in his wellloved and esteemed film, rebel without a cause 1955 starring famed james dean, director nicholas ray uses his extensive knowledge and intellect to manipulate and use the elements of miseenscene as well as sound to execute and explain both the plot and the larger narrative meanings of the film to the audience. Nicholas rays rebel without a cause slant magazine. Courtesy of wikipedia rebel without a cause is a 1955 american drama film about emotionally confused suburban, middleclass teenagers filmed in cinemascope. The film was originally titled the blind run the same as the title of the series of vignettes, both violent and strangely erotic, that ray had penned. This study guide consists of approximately 18 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of rebel without a cause. For queer viewers, rebel without a cause is seminal for sal mineos portrayal of plato whom he later referred to as the first gay teenager on film but the entire movie is bathed in a.
Unlike most of the analysis found herewhich simply lists the unique individual story appreciationsthis indepth study details the actual encoding for each structural item. Rebel without a cause film studies essay uk essays ukessays. May 23, 2005 p rofoundly romantic and lacerating in its despair, nicholas rays rebel without a cause, a selfcontained portrait of three isolated teenagers, is james deans best film and best performance it ranks high in rays work as well. Rebel without a cause, american film drama, released in 1955, that is a classic tale of teenage rebellion and angst. In order to truly appreciate how much the world was changing and how rebel without a cause had such a cultural impact, you should ensure that you study and learn about the context of the. Rebel without a cause gave birth to a whole movie subgenre the juvenile delinquent film, which includes such colorful titles as teenage doll 1957, tbird gang 1959, high school confidential 1958, and even i was a teenage werewolf 1957, in which an angstridden michael landon seeks help for his uncontrollable anger through. When asked what the goal of the characters was in rebel without a cause 1955, director nicholas ray, normally reticent about articulating his ideas, was ready to reveal the name of the game. Rebel without a cause 1955 is a film that sympathetically views rebellious, american, restless, misunderstood, middleclass youth.
Teenager, a new term for young adults, is brought about within this film as a way to describe the character of the young adults. Rebel without a cause here is a fairly exciting, suspenseful and provocative, if also occasionally farfetched, melodrama of unhappy youth on another delinquency kick. Nicholas ray was out of place in hollywood where his films like in a. It depicts life in the 1950s from the viewpoint of three teenagers who. In one sentence, he told a journalist visiting the set, he fails to provide the adequate father image, either in strength or. Rebel without a cause gcse film studies study guide. Oct 11, 2019 as a film that addressed both social problems and a teenage audience, rebel without a cause can be placed within a larger group of widely diverging films, ranging from george lucas american graffiti 1973, to the teen comedies of john hughes, and the more politically charged boys dont cry kimberly peirce, 1999, based on the actual murder of a transgender man in nebraska. Rebel without a cause film analysis 960 words bartleby. Rebel without a cause analysis 1834 words bartleby. Peary describes the conditions that led up to the overall troubles in rebel without a cause. Filmed in the then recently introduced cinemascope format and directed by nicholas ray, it offered both social commentary and an alternative to previous films depicting delinquents in urban slum environments. Authority and selfexpression in rebel without a cause and shadowboxing.