Rebel Without a Cause (1955) | |
| Director(s) | Nicholas Ray |
| Producer(s) | David Weisbart |
| Top Genres | Drama, Romance |
| Top Topics | Coming of Age, Los Angeles, Romance (Drama) |
Featured Cast:
Rebel Without a Cause Overview:
Rebel Without a Cause (1955) was a Drama - Romance Film directed by Nicholas Ray and produced by David Weisbart.
SYNOPSIS
What could have been merely a teen-exploitation flick became, in the hands of director Ray (perhaps the greatest screen interpreter of alienated outsiders), a timeless study of maturity formed in rebellion and tragedy. Dean's brooding, troubled character (along with Brando's character in The Wild One, 1954) also set the stage for the countless teen pictures to follow as the restless youth of the mid-'50s defined team culture. Dean and his family settle in Los Angeles, the latest in a series of moves driven by Dean's delinquency. Confused by his father's (Backus) surrender to his domineering mother (Doran), Dean tries to establish himself with fisticuffs and daredevil stunts. When he meets Wood and Mineo at the police station, his pursuit of Wood leads to a deadly hot-rod showdown and a tragic run from the police. In the face of pursuit by the authorities, and with no effective adults to turn to, the three form an imitation family of their own until Backus finally finds the courage to reach out to his son. Ray dignifies the story with his characteristically careful compositions and by drawing electrifying performances from his cast.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
.Rebel Without a Cause was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1990.
Academy Awards 1955 --- Ceremony Number 28 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Supporting Actor | Sal Mineo | Nominated |
| Best Supporting Actress | Natalie Wood | Nominated |
| Best Writing | Nicholas Ray | Nominated |
BlogHub Articles:
"Rebel Without A Cause"
By Jeremy Carr on Dec 10, 2013 From Studies in CinemaThat Rebel Without a Cause was such a success upon its initial 1955 release, and that it still stands as a hugely influential classic of American cinema, is not just a result of James Dean’s most iconic performance, nor is it simply the outcome of director Nicholas Ray’s talents. Why... Read full article
Old Hollywood Book Reviews: Live Fast, Die Young – The Wild Ride of Making Rebel Without a Cause
By Kristen on Aug 13, 2012 From Journeys in Classic FilmI don’t often praise books right out the gate but you should go out and buy today’s book. ?Live Fast, Die Young: The Wild Ride of Making Rebel Without a Cause is one of the most comprehensive books I’ve read not only detailing the making of a film, but discussing the film’s r... Read full article
Rebel Without a Cause (1955) @ the Park
By Google profile on Aug 10, 2009 From Out of the Past - A Classic Film BlogAbout MeBlogger, Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog and more. Please add my Google profile to your circles. On Thursday, I went to go see Rebel Without a Cause (1955) outdoors on the big(ish) screen. The film was screened at Nathan Tufts Park in Somerville, MA and it was part of the town's Somer... Read full article
Rebel Without a Cause (1955, Nicholas Ray)
on Jan 27, 2009 From The Stop ButtonFor a film with pioneering use of widescreen composition–the shot with the cars moving past Natalie Wood–and one of the better film performances (James Dean), Rebel Without a Cause is a curious failure. It’s loaded with content–there’s the stuff with Dean and his parent... Read full article
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Quotes from
Jim Stark: [Gets up from his seat and takes his jacket off] You want my jacket?
Jim Stark: If he had guts to knock Mom cold once, then maybe she'd be happy and then she'd stop picking on him. Because they make mush out of him! Just mush!
Jim Stark: You can wake up now, the universe has ended.
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Facts about
The movie was originally to be shot in black and white, and some scenes had already been filmed that way, when the studio decided to switch to color. The official explanation at the time was that Twentieth Century-Fox, which owned the wide-screen CinemaScope process, had ordered that all films shot in the process had to be in color, but some also believe that Warners ordered the switch to head off comparisons with Blackboard Jungle and because James Dean's increasing popularity gave the film more prestige.
Some of the earlier drafts for the movie had the three main kids named Jim, Eve and Demo. Demo was later changed to a 13 year old boy named The Professor.
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