Review of East of Eden (1955) by Jon P — 29 Jun 2014
Loosely based on John Steinbeck's self-proclaimed 'Magnum opus', Elia Kazan's emotive drama is best famed as the film which propelled James Dean into stardom. Dean's depiction of troubled youth is truly tour-de-force; a blend of Brando-esque animalism and childhood heartache fused into a walking, brooding nightmare.
We feel for Dean in the same way we feel for a caged ape torn from its mother and held in claustrophobic solitude, yet we fail to ever fully understand him all the same. It's a masterwork of enigmatic performance and, thematically, narratively and characteristically, Kazan's film is phenomenal, ferocious and raw throughout. Not to mention absolutely gorgeous.
This review of East of Eden (1955) was written by Jon P on 29 Jun 2014.
East of Eden has generally received very positive reviews.
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