Review of East of Eden (1955) by Troy F — 02 May 2014

While his next film Rebel Without A Cause was his most well known, East Of Eden was Dean's lead role debut and has his finest performance of his short-lived career. Exquisitely well shot with some cinematography far ahead of its time, and based on a Steinbeck story (usually great as always) fronted with a genuine, chilling yet emotional performance from James Dean, this film soars with a WW1 era story about an introverted boy who feels out of place with his father and much smarter brother and seeks gratification by seeking the kind of love his father couldn't offer while also trying to redeem his good side and rid of his supposedly so-called rotten side.

The film is never dull, always amounting to something, and has its moments of fun, tragedy, drama, and romance. The transformation of things from the start to end is remarkable, more or less as a result of Cal's actions.