Review of Rebel Without a Cause (1955) by Curtis M — 06 Feb 2010

I wish someone had made me watch this film when I was in high school. It is so perfect in its poetic telling and use of irony that I canâ??t help but be reminded of Shakespeare. Rebel Without a Cause stirred up many emotions in me, some that I had forgotten about and some that I still carry. Many things contributed to the filmâ??s effectiveness and ability to create emotion, and Iâ??d like to talk about some of them.

Firstly, we have the very tight script. Everything that is set up is paid off and every character we meet seems fully formed and real. It deals with subject matter that is still rarely seen in film and does so with a dramatic, yet somehow realistic flair. A lot of this realism probably stems from the brilliant performances throughout the picture, but Iâ??ll get to that in a moment. One aspect of the script that I found particularly fascinating is the way it sympathetically deals with almost all of the characters. Take the character of Plato for instance. When we are introduced to him he is being held for questioning after shooting puppies. Generally, this is how a villain would be set up, but Plato becomes one of the most sympathetic characters in the whole story. Even the characters who we accept as the antagonists in the film are given strong enough motives or behave in logical enough ways that we canâ??t help but believe them and understand why they act as they do.

As I said before, the acting in this film is consistently fantastic from actor to actor. James Dean is obviously fantastic, this is his seminal role after all, and brings such a sense of honesty to his performance that you canâ??t help but relate to him and get pulled in. James Dean is on the first frame of film after the initial Warner Bros. Logo, he grabs your attention from the beginning and holds it all the way through. Sal Mineo as Plato is also perfect. The emotional highs and lows his character goes through are pulled off brilliantly, and the almost baby like innocence of Plato is absolutely believable. The third principal, Natalie Wood, is also very strong. Itâ??s a very complex role, but she pulls it off without missing a step. Every other actor, without any exception I can think of, seem totally believable in their roles.

The cinematography is another engrossing part of the film as a whole. The effective use of close-ups in the film kept things personal when they needed to be and the wide-shots were often used in a clever way as well. For example, when the two adults watch the knife fight towards the beginning of the film, they see mostly in wide-shot. They donâ??t see any individual personalities in the group of kids, they see a collective of raucous teenagers. I also love that, as things start to spiral out of control, the angles become more twisted and the camera starts to feel looser, almost hand held.

Itâ??s the successful combination of these elements on top of the music, editing and the numerous other elements of film that make Rebel Without a Cause so memorable and lasting. Its truthful telling of youth, loneliness, rebellion and need for acceptance is what makes the film important. I honestly do believe the film is as important as anything Shakespeare ever wrote. If they ever do (rightfully) start teaching a film class in school, this should be one of the first they add to the list of must sees (and if you havenâ??t seen it, should be added to your must see list as well.).