James Dean (2001)

A biopic about the actor James Dean, whose stardom of the ultimate teenage rebel as well as the premature death made him a legend. His roles are depicted having much in common with his ... See full summary »

Director:

Mark Rydell

Writer:

Israel Horovitz

Stars:

James Franco, Michael Moriarty, Valentina Cervi

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 5 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Franco	...	James Dean
Michael Moriarty	...	Winton Dean
Valentina Cervi	...	Pier Angeli
Enrico Colantoni	...	Elia Kazan
Edward Herrmann	...	Raymond Massey
Joanne Linville	...	Hedda Hopper
John Pleshette	...	Billy Rose
Barry Primus	...	Nicholas Ray
David Proval	...	Daniel Mann
Samuel Gould	...	Martin Landau (as Sam Gould)
Amy Rydell	...	Christine White
Wendy Benson-Landes	...	Julie Harris (as Wendy Benson)
Karen Kondazian	...	Mrs. Pierangeli
David Parker	...	James Whitmore
Craig Barnett	...	George Stevens

Storyline

A biopic about the actor James Dean, whose stardom of the ultimate teenage rebel as well as the premature death made him a legend. His roles are depicted having much in common with his personal life, most notably the difficult relationship with his father.

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Plot Keywords:

actor | 1950s | hot dog stand | drink | theatrical agent | 

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Taglines:

Too fast to live. Too young to die.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild language

Details

Official Sites:

TNT

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 August 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

James Dean: An Invented Life

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Five Mile River Films, Gerber Pictures, Marvin Worth Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 95 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Franco became so immersed in playing James Dean that he went from being a non smoker to smoking two packs a day (he has since quit), as well as playing the guitar, the bongos, and learned to ride a motorcycle.

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Goofs

The label on the box James Dean sends, reads "Santa Monica, CA". In the late forties/early fifties it would have read "Santa Monica, Calif." because the two-letter state abbreviations weren't used yet.

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Quotes

James Dean: "I'm playing the drums! Go to hell!"

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Crazy Credits

Most of this film was based on fact... some was an educated guess.

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Connections

Featured in The 54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2002)

User Reviews

Typical TV Biography

This film biography of 1950's Hollywood legend James Dean highlights his public life and the estranged relationship that he had with his father. Other aspects of his private life are merely hinted at, probably because to cover them honestly and forthrightly might have alienated some TV viewers. And so, the cinematic result here is shallow and superficial.

The film stars James Franco, as Dean. Most viewers adore Franco's performance. Certainly, he has Dean's mannerisms down pat. Franco does a good imitation of Dean. But Franco's acting is a little too affecting, a little too shallow, to be persuasive, in my opinion. In addition, Franco seems too young and innocent, compared to the real James Dean, a person who looked older than his years, and more sophisticated.

Actually, it is the secondary performances that lift the film's overall acting quality. Edward Herrmann, Mark Rydell, and especially Michael Moriarty are terrific in their roles. Other secondary performances are also quite good.

Despite a superficial, and sanitized, script, and despite Franco's mannered performance, the film is mildly entertaining, thanks to great production design, realistic costumes, excellent film editing, and the acting in secondary roles. The photographic stills of Hollywood and Manhattan, when combined with the jazzy background music, add authenticity to the story's settings, and therefore depth and texture to the film.

For viewers who know little or nothing about the real James Dean, this superficial flick is worth watching, with the proviso that the film touches only on the most obvious aspects of Dean's life. A lot is left out. A longer, more in-depth, script would have perhaps yielded a more realistic, and therefore satisfying, film.