Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

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:

Los Angeles California | Teen | Juvenile Delinquency | Absent Father | Dead Boy

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:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording) (magnetic prints) | Mono (optical prints)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (cut) (1956) | Canada:14A (video rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #17504) (original rating) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Australia:PG (TV rating) | USA:Not Rated (video rating) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1981) | Spain:T | Iceland:12 | 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 (re-release) (2005) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

641 N. Irving Blvd., Midtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Originally based on a non-fiction work by Dr. Robert M. Lindner, about the hypno-analysis of a young criminal. Producer Jerry Wald intended to make a film of the work and commissioned several scripts, including one by Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel), and Marlon Brando was set to star at one point, but the project was eventually shelved. When the studio bought Nicholas Ray's treatment "The Blind Run" it asked him to use the title of Lindner's work, but the film doesn't include anything else from the book.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Buzz puts his switchblade through Jim's car tire, there are two cutaways. After the first cutaway, the tire appears to still be completely inflated. After the second cutaway (which only lasts a few seconds), the tire is completely flat.

Quotes:

Plato: Do you think the end of the world will come at night time?
Jim Stark: Uh-uh, at dawn.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Angels' Revenge (#7.22)" (1995)

Soundtrack:

Five O'Clock Whistle

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.