Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

Director:

Nicholas Ray

Writers:

Stewart Stern (screenplay)
Irving Shulman (adaptation)
(more)

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:

Car | Friend | Cliff | Love | 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
Frank Mazzola	...	Crunch
Robert Foulk	...	Gene
Jack Simmons	...	Cookie
Tom Bernard	...	Harry
Nick Adams	...	Chick
Jack Grinnage	...	Moose
Clifford Morris	...	Cliff
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dorothy Abbott	...	Nurse (uncredited)
David Alpert	...	Police Officer (uncredited)
Jimmy Baird	...	Beau (uncredited)
Paul Birch	...	Police Chief (uncredited)
Harold Bostwick	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Paul Bryar	...	Desk Sergeant #2 (uncredited)
John Close	...	Police Officer (uncredited)
Chuck Hamilton	...	Police Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
Chuck Hicks	...	Ambulance Attendant (uncredited)
Skipper Huerta	...	Little Boy (uncredited)
Louise Lane	...	Policewoman (uncredited)
Nelson Leigh	...	Desk Sergeant #1 (uncredited)
David McMahon	...	Crunch's Father (uncredited)
Edward McNally	...	Approaching Officer (uncredited)
Peter Miller	...	Hoodlum (uncredited)
Bruce Noonan	...	Monitor Admonishing Plato (uncredited)
House Peters Jr.	...	Officer at Police Station (uncredited)
Stephanie Pond-Smith	...	Girl (uncredited)
Charles Postal	...	Teacher (uncredited)
Nicholas Ray	...	Man in Last Shot (uncredited)
Gus Schilling	...	Attendant (uncredited)
Almira Sessions	...	Old Lady Teacher (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Police Detective (uncredited)
Dick Wessel	...	Planetarium Guide (uncredited)
Robert Williams	...	Ed - Moose's Father (uncredited)

Directed by
Nicholas Ray

Writing credits
Stewart Stern		(screenplay)
Irving Shulman		(adaptation)
Nicholas Ray		(story)

Produced by
David Weisbart	....	producer

Original Music by
Leonard Rosenman

Cinematography by
Ernest Haller		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
William H. Ziegler		(as William Ziegler)
James Moore		(uncredited)

Production Design by
Malcolm C. Bert		(uncredited)

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

Set Decoration by
William Wallace

Costume Design by
Moss Mabry		(costumes designed by)

Makeup Department
Gordon Bau	....	makeup supervisor
Tillie Starriett	....	hairdresser (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Don Alvarado	....	assistant director (as Don Page)
Robert Farfan	....	assistant director
Gary Nelson	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Stanley Jones	....	sound
Carl Mahakian	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Stunts
Rod Amateau	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Paul Baxley	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ron Burke	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mushy Callahan	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Hickman	....	stunts (uncredited)
Carey Loftin	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Floyd McCarty	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joan Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)
Marguerite Royce	....	wardrobe: women (uncredited)

Other crew
Dennis Stock	....	dialogue supervisor
Florence Granroth	....	researcher: lecturer's speech (uncredited)
Douglas M. Kelly	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Frank Mazzola	....	technical advisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros (presents) (A Warner Bros.-First National Picture)

Distributors

• Warner Bros (1955) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1955) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1956) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Films (1956) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Films (1981) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Fazer Musiikki Oy/Fazer Video (1989) (Finland) (VHS)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2000) (Finland) (DVD) (1-disc edition)
• Warner Bros. Entertainment Finland Oy (2005) (Finland) (DVD) (2-disc edition)
• TV3 (1991) (Finland) (TV)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1995) (Finland) (TV)
• AFEX (1956) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (1988) (Greece) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (19??) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)

Other Companies

• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  this picture made under the jurisdiction of (as I.A.T.S.E.)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some violence and thematic elements

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:

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) (1986) (1995) | UK:X (original rating) (passed with cuts) | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:16 | Australia:PG (TV rating) | USA:Not Rated (video rating) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1956) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1981) | Spain:T | Iceland:12 | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | USA:Approved (No. 17504) (original rating) | France:-16 | South Korea:15 | UK:PG (re-rating) (2004) | Peru:18 | Brazil:14 | Italy:T | USA:TV-PG

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Warner Bros

Trivia:

The empty pool in which the characters sit and discuss their lives first appeared in Sunset Blvd. (1950). The pool had been built specially for the earlier film, as a condition of renting the site from its owner, Mrs J. Paul Getty.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jim drives home to find Judy sitting on the brick wall, she is seen in the headlights of Jim's car. In the next shot, she is sitting on the wall right beside Jim's window.

Quotes:

[first lines]
First police officer:Get up, get up. Mixed up in that beating on 12th street, huh?
Second police officer:No. Plain drunkenness.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Teenage Strangler (#6.14)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

Five O'Clock Whistle

Not perfect, but still extraordinary

I was quite impressed with _Rebel Without a Cause_. I expected it to be quite standard, having only gathered its reputation because of the tragedy surrounding James Deans' death. Fortunately, it stood up on its own quite well. Its superficial situations are somewhat dated, which was inevitable, but its themes remain potent after many decades.

The major theme is the burgeoning relationship between adults and their teenage children. All three of the main characters are at different stages in this process. Jim (James Dean) is surprisingly at the earliest stage of this. His mother is pretty distanced and unresponsive already, but he still seems to communicate well with his father (Jim Backus, who is amazing. His character's relationship with his wife also provides an interesting view into 1950s gender politics; in one scene, Backus is wearing a cooking apron, which is very obviously meant for a woman). Judy (Natalie Wood, whom I didn't even recognize here) is almost completely rejected by her father, who feels that her affection is out of place in her teenage years. Worst of all is Plato, both of whose parents have left him alone in the world. He tries desperately to make Jim and Judy his parents (although from this vantage point in time, Plato seems resoundingly sexually attracted to Jim, and he sees Judy as a threat to their relationship. Although the writer/director has denied that forever, no human being can watch it nowadays without that thought constantly crossing their mind).

The reason that I say this film is flawed lies in the actions of Plato near the end of the film. I felt his escalating insanity was kind of a cop-out. Instead of actually delving into Plato's true character and motives by having intelligent and realistic dialogue and actions, he is just made to go batty, wherein he spouts off his thoughts as if he were some eight year old or man-child. Plato may have been sycophantic throughout the film, but he was anything but a moron. His actions provide an easy way for the director/writer to answer all questions about his character, and then to facilitate an ending which is tragic, but more than a little contrived.

Despite what I feel is a cop-out ending, _Rebel Without a Cause remains a thoroughly powerful film. I liked it, and I'll never forget it. 9/10