Review of East of Eden (1955) by James M — 08 Jun 2010

I've been wanting to read East of Eden forever since I'm a big Steinback fan and it's his only major work that I'm not familiar with, but I knew that if I read it first I would surely dislike the film since that's how I always am when I see adaptations after reading the novel. I decided to see the film first and then give it a read this Summer. I thought the movie adaptation was very strong in it's first half, as it was more of a character study that was paced slowly and perfectly and really exemplified just how insanely talented James Dean was. The second half is muddled with a faster pacing and includes multiple dramatic scenes that deal with the protagonist's relationships. Even with some understated morals about abandonment and psychological domineering, I felt that these climaxes are less effective because the characters Cal deals with are significantly underdeveloped. I can only imagine how amazing the book must be, as these scenes would be overwhelmingly emotional if I had cared about these other characters more.

Other than some poor editing, the movie is very good and satisfying. It is especially relative to anyone that was raised with poor relationships to their parents and/or siblings. It's also a sharp reminder of the alienation that arises when you try to control the way someone you love acts, a personal problem I've always had.