East of Eden (1955)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Elia Kazan

Writers:

John Steinbeck (novel)
Paul Osborn (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 April 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The searing classic of paradise lost.

Plot:

In the Salinas Valley, in and around World War I, Cal Trask feels he must compete against overwhelming...

Plot Keywords:

WWI | Father Son Relationship | Young Love | Brother Brother Relationship | Brothel

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 7 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Julie Harris	...	Abra
James Dean	...	Cal Trask
Raymond Massey	...	Adam Trask
Burl Ives	...	Sam the Sheriff
Richard Davalos	...	Aron Trask
Jo Van Fleet	...	Kate
Albert Dekker	...	Will Hamilton
Lois Smith	...	Anne
Harold Gordon	...	Gustav Albrecht
Nick Dennis	...	Rantani
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Abdullah Abbas	...	Carnival Townsman (uncredited)
Rose Allen	...	Townswoman at Carnival (uncredited)
José Arias	...	Prisoner (uncredited)
Barbara Baxley	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Joe Brooks	...	Carnival Townsman (uncredited)
Timothy Carey	...	Joe (uncredited)
Jack Carr	...	Carnival person (uncredited)
Wheaton Chambers	...	Carnival person (uncredited)
Lonny Chapman	...	Roy (uncredited)
Edward Clark	...	Carnival person (uncredited)
Harry Cording	...	Bouncer at Gym (uncredited)
Roger Creed	...	Carnival person (uncredited)
Ray Dawe	...	Workman (uncredited)
Anna Dewey	...	Townswoman at Carnival (uncredited)
Lester Dorr	...	City Official at Parade (uncredited)
Darren Dublin	...	Student (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Carnival person (uncredited)
Al Ferguson	...	Carnival person (uncredited)
Cliff Fields	...	Student (uncredited)
Richard Garrick	...	Dr. Edwards (uncredited)
John George	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Leonard George	...	Carnival Townsman (uncredited)
John Halloran	...	City Official at Parade (uncredited)
Jonathan Haze	...	Piscora's Son (uncredited)
Ramsay Hill	...	English Officer (uncredited)
Earle Hodgins	...	Shooting Gallery Attendant (uncredited)
Charles Anthony Hughes	...	City Official at Parade (uncredited)
Carolyn Jones	...	(uncredited)
Effie Laird	...	Carnival person (uncredited)
Frank Mazzola	...	Student (uncredited)
Edward McNally	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Ken Miller	...	Student (uncredited)
Tex Mooney	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Paul Nichols	...	Carnival Townsman (uncredited)
William 'Bill' Phillips	...	Coalman at Lettuce Fields (uncredited)
Rose Plumer	...	Carnival person (uncredited)
Julian Rivero	...	Prisoner (uncredited)
Mickey Roth	...	Student (uncredited)
Loretta Rush	...	Card Dealer (uncredited)
Mario Siletti	...	Mr. Piscora (uncredited)
Hal Taggart	...	City Official at Parade (uncredited)
Bette Treadville	...	Madame (uncredited)
Max Wagner	...	Workman (uncredited)
Lillian West	...	Townswoman at Carnival (uncredited)
Chalky Williams	...	Carnival Townsman (uncredited)

Directed by
Elia Kazan

Writing credits
John Steinbeck		(novel "East of Eden")
Paul Osborn		(screenplay)

Produced by
Elia Kazan	....	producer

Original Music by
Leonard Rosenman

Cinematography by
Ted D. McCord		(as Ted McCord)

Film Editing by
Owen Marks

Art Direction by
James Basevi
Malcolm C. Bert		(as Malcolm Bert)

Set Decoration by
George James Hopkins

Makeup Department
Gordon Bau	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Don Alvarado	....	assistant director (as Don Page)
Horace Hough	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Stanley Jones	....	sound

Stunts
Mushy Callahan	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Conrad L. Hall	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Anna Hill Johnstone	....	wardrobe designer

Editorial Department
John Hambleton	....	color consultant

Other crew
Guy Thomajan	....	dialogue director

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1955) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Pictures (1957) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Warner Bros. (2005) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Asociace Ceských Filmových Klubu (ACFK) (2006) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Also Known As:

John Steinbeck's East of Eden (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements and some violent content. (2005 re-issue)

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Warnercolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) (RCA Sound Recording) | Mono (Perspecta Sound encoding) (35 mm optical prints)

Certification:

Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Germany:16 | Iceland:L | Spain:13 | UK:AA (1976) (cut) | UK:PG (video rating) | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #17086) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | South Korea:15 | Sweden:11 (re-release) | Switzerland:16 (canton of the Grisons) | USA:PG (2005 re-issue)

Filming Locations:

Cape Mendocino, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Elia Kazan, in his autobiography "A Life" (1988), said that Raymond Massey came to despise James Dean. Kazan did nothing to dispel the tension between the two, as it was so right for their characters in the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: Near the beginning of the movie after Cal climbs up on the train, the position of the sleeves around his neck changes between shots.

Quotes:

Cal Trask: Man has a choice and it's a choice that makes him a man.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Population: 1 (1986)

Elia Kazan and James Dean at their best

I've seen this movie several times, most recently on DVD with an additional DVD that includes the premier and a documentary about James Dean. Each time I see this movie I see it from a new perspective. I learned from the DVD and from reading Elia Kazan's comments that the character Cal (played by Dean) is really Steinbeck in many ways in his youth and Kazan also identified with him. I learned that there was real friction between Dean and the man who played his father, Raymond Massey and that Dean deliberately provoked Massey to get angry with him to bring out the moment in the film of the father's feelings towards his son. I also marvel each time i see this movie at the outstanding performance of Jo Van Fleet. She deserved her best supporting actress academy award. This movie resonates on many levels as do most of Kazan's films. It is modern retelling of the garden of eden story and it is the story of the troubled youth of the fifties fighting against the conservatism of the Eisenhower years. It is a story of the confusion and conflicts in a family with a war approaching and it's a story about a woman (Van Fleet's character) who doesn't like being bottled up in a controlled religious setting. Many things to enjoy here and one wonders where the artists of Kazans stature are in this day and age. I only wish that all of Kazan's films were on DVD, such as Baby Doll and Wild River. I wonder if anyone but me notices that on the extra DVD where there is an interview with John Steinbeck that he shifts and contorts his mouth in a manner very like Dean in the movie. It was said that neither Steinbeck nor Kazan originally liked Dean but both agreed that he was perfect for the part and both identified with him very much.