| Photos (See all 83 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 4) |
| 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 | ... | (uncredited) | |
| Paul Bryar | ... | Desk Sergeant #2 (uncredited) | |
| John Close | ... | Police Officer (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) | |
| Dick Wessel | ... | Planetarium Guide (uncredited) | |
| Robert Williams | ... | Ed (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's (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) | |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb USA section |
"East of Eden" and "Giant" are both great, don't get me wrong. But this is the James Dean that set the archetype for not only the cool Fifties American teenager but perhaps every teenager since. Dean has his white t-shirt, sleeve rolled up for his smokes. He has his red jacket and blue jeans, he's ready to drag and he's ready to fight. From the first moment we see Dean, drunk on a school night, busted by the cops, he's amazingly both personally secretive and universally accessible at once. He's hurt, lonely and looking for kicks - and no one understands him except, maybe, just maybe, that one person in the audience...
Sure, this movie has it's faults. The parents are cartoonish, some of the kids are hip in only a stilted sense and a lot of the movie is unrealistic. There's something disturbingly hokey and amateurish in this portrayal of a typical American town with it's typical American high school. Yet, Dean, Mineo and Wood put on performances that let the viewer suspend reality all the way through..each of these three put on the performance of their lives!
Sal Mineo plays a mousey misfit named Plato (whose homosexuality is thinly veiled). Natalie Wood plays a young women named Judy, part of the in-crowd, who deep down is at wit's end. Both of these characters are amazingly believable, even fifty years later. Mineo's never been as enigmatic or as compelling as he is here as Plato. Then there's Wood - as cynical and alone in her world as Judy feels, we realize quickly she likes James Dean, she needs James Dean - and Dean can dig her.
In retrospect, it's not surprising that the jacketed juvenile delinquent that Dean plays here would become a role model for both young gay men and young straight men alike. He's comfortable being intimate with Plato, his words, his expressions are all too much, too overly emotional (for a straight man). But, the kids, the town itself, quickly learn Dean's no pushover. He yells, he fights and he's afraid of nothing that other people are afraid of - staring down death is just a way for him to kill time. But, he's afraid, something just isn't right with his life. And most importantly, even if he never really does connect with this "typical town" filled with "typical people", Dean does indeed connect - to anyone whose ever been young - and alone.....