Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Nicholas Ray

Writers:

Stewart Stern (screenplay)
Irving Shulman (adaptation)

Release Date:

27 October 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Teenage terror torn from today's headlines

Plot:

A rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies.

Plot Keywords:

Cliff | Knife Fight | Mansion | Switchblade | Police

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

James Dean	...	Jim Stark
Natalie Wood	...	Judy
Sal Mineo	...	John 'Plato' Crawford
Jim Backus	...	Frank Stark
Ann Doran	...	Mrs. Carol Stark
Corey Allen	...	Buzz Gunderson
William Hopper	...	Judy's Father
Rochelle Hudson	...	Judy's Mother
Dennis Hopper	...	Goon
Edward Platt	...	Ray Fremick
Steffi Sidney	...	Mil
Marietta Canty	...	Crawford family maid
Virginia Brissac	...	Mrs. Stark, Jim's grandmother
Beverly Long	...	Helen
Ian Wolfe	...	Dr. Minton (lecturer at planetarium)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some violence and thematic elements. (2005 re-issue)

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Warnercolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (optical prints) | 4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording) (magnetic prints) | Dolby Digital (DVD version)

Certification:

Australia:PG (TV rating) | USA:Not Rated (video rating) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1981) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1956) | Spain:T | Iceland:12 | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | USA:Approved (No. 17504) (original rating) | France:-16 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Chile:18 | Norway:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:15 | UK:AA (re-rating) (1976) | UK:PG (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | USA:PG-13 (new rating) (2005) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

7529 Franklin Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

James Dean did not get malaria during filming, as some have reported. Nick Adams had a relapse of an old case of malaria he got while he was a merchant marine.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the fight between Buzz and Jim behind the planetarium, Buzz kicks a switchblade at Jim. It rolls on the ground and stops about 3-4 feet in front of Jim. The next moment when Jim picks it up, it's right at his feet.

Quotes:

Jim Stark: I've got the bullets!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Vradya epitheorisis: (#1.5)" (1984)

Soundtrack:

Lullaby

Greatest movie of 1950's

James Dean is an unbelievable actor. Basically his whole career consists of only three movies he acted in just right before his tragic death. Yet still, almost 50 years later people recognize his name and face. He's an icon of the 1950's and in the same line with Marilyn Monroe or Elvis Presley. That's simply miraculous, movie history knows no other example of anything like it. I personally consider Jimmy as one of my favorite actors too. Of course he is a sensational talent and maybe it's partly because he really had only three big performances so no one ever saw him actually doing something wrong, choosing a bad role or whatever. I personally think that James Dean would have been nearly as big if "Rebel without a cause" was his only movie. His devoted, stylish and touching larger-than-life performance as Jim Stark is just startling experience to watch. Legendary "Rebel without a cause" is a timeless drama and in many ways it's far from being old fashioned. It's moving, beautiful and incredibly impressive, the best movie of its decade and one of the best movies ever made. Period. 10/10.