Review of East of Eden (1955) by Tim S — 15 Feb 2009

I am a huge fan of both John Steiinbeck and Elia Kazan so I knew that I wouldn't be disappointed going into it. You include a mesmerizing performance by James Dean and great co-stars like Burl Ives and you've got a fantastic movie.

I love the story and how everything turns out in the end (loved the last scene between Dean and his father in the film). Again, I guess the thing that is so appealing about films such as these is that we have lost the simple basics of what makes a movie good these days with trying to come up with some convoluted twist on the same old story.

It's really refreshing to watch films such as these to remind you why you loved movies in the first place. The acting, the direction, the scenery, the cinematography (I love the fact that Kazan just leaves his shots like still life portraits), production design, etc.

Sad that we couldn't see more Dean performances.