‘Rebel Without a Cause’ (1955) Review

In 1955, Hollywood was met with one of the most unexpected casualties of the time - James Dean. No doubt you associate him with teenagers, rebels and Method acting. The concept of teenagers didn’t really exist until after WW2, so the 1950s saw a few movies released targeted at teenagers. The untimely death of James Dean created huge anticipation for Warner Brothers’ ‘Rebel Without a Cause’, directed by Nicholas Ray and starring, obviously, James Dean, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo.

The film focuses on three teenagers: Jim Stark (James Dean), a teenager who is living a different reality from his strict mother and his weak father, Judy (Natalie Wood), a girl who receives little to no affection from her father, and John “Plato” Crawford (Sal Mineo), a boy abandoned by his parents and not able to “fit in” with the crowd. All three cross paths when Jim Stark moves away (again) and finds himself in the same school as Judy and Plato. Judy is the girlfriend of Buzz, the leader of a gang, and Plato a wants to be Jim’s friend, but he is rarely noticed. Aside from school issues, Jim has to live life with his mother, who is strict, and his father, who can’t stand up for himself or set a good example for Jim. Both of his parents are unable to comprehend teenage lifestyle, so Jim essentially feels alone a lot of the time, which is where the troublemaking comes in to play.

Firstly, I want to praise the storyline and the message of the film. By today’s standards, the teenagers may seem incredibly exaggerated, but it’s a fitting product of the time. Unlike what the title may suggest, this film actually explores the causes of rebelling, and briefly shows the transition from teenagers to adulthood. Considering Dean was 24 when this film was made, he actually played Jim Stark in a very convincing manner. While Method acting was first introduced before his Hollywood stardom, he is often credited among the original Method actors of motion pictures. His Method acting meant that he mumbled often, however, his mumbling fit the character of a lost Jim Stark. He was also known for being very distant to people away from the screen, so the dynamics between him and the characters, particularly between him and his parents, are very believable.

The female lead in this film is Natalie Wood. Warner Bros. had considered many famous actresses for the role of Judy, however, most of them were already adults like James Dean. Natalie Wood was one of only two teenagers to audition (the other being Margaret O‘Brien, who didn’t have the same adulthood fame as she did in her childhood). Natalie Wood was the only one of the three major players who had grown up in Hollywood. She was first brought to Hollywood as a child, and immediately made an impression on the filming crew at Hollywood, so she found herself landing roles in no time. However, her reputation for playing innocent children made it hard for Wood to be taken seriously by studio bosses. Jayne Mansfield, a blonde sex symbol who was growing in popularity, was among those considered, and she was a stark comparison to Wood. She rose to fame through her glamorous and mature looks, whereas Wood was seen as the adorable child. However, Wood won over director Nicholas Ray (not just through auditioning but also through dating), and this is considered her first real mature role. Even her mother was against her being in this film due to the negative depiction of parents, but as Wood put it, this was her “first real rebelling”. I have to admit, Judy has many flaws, which I’ll get on to later, but Wood is great in her role as a rebellious teen who is part of gang culture.

The final major teenage figure in this film is Sal Mineo’s Plato. Plato is still part of the troublemaking, supporting Jim when he wants to join the gang, and even admitting to shooting puppies when we first meet him, however, he is much more toned down than the other teenagers in this film. He has more softness than Jim and Judy, and appears to be much more confused in life. His parents are absent throughout the movie, and while he has a caring nanny, Plato can’t help but feel abandoned. His character is arguably the worst off mentally, however, he is the most friendly and accepting. He is the first one to become Jim’s friend, and also views Judy as an important figure in his life. He could also be a subtle reference to homosexuality, which I will get on to later.

The rest of the players also deserve their praise. Jim Backus and Ann Doran play Jim’s parents. Jim Backus mainly played comedy roles, and while the father isn’t a comedic character, he is supposed to be humiliated at times on-screen, so Backus’ comedic experience may have helped him in his role. Ann Doran was the most experienced actor working on this film, having been in the motion picture industry as early as the silent era. When she first witnessed Dean’s Method acting, she found it ridiculous and didn’t think much of him. Doran’s feelings towards Dean are mirrored when she plays Mrs. Stark. As filming went on, however, Doran grew more fond of Dean and respected him more, and in the film, specifically towards the end, we can see that while Mrs. Stark is a cruel lady, she does care about her son. When she is in a car, she talks about how many kids rebelled but couldn’t seem to understand why it had to happen to her son of all people. Mr. and Mrs. Stark are truly among the first set of parents to not understand teenagers - they never had the chance to be teenagers! Remember, teenagers didn’t really come to play until the 1950s, so no parent at the time was able to truly realise why teenagers came to be. This means that Backus and Doran give very convincing performances.

As much as I’d love to continue praising the actors in this film, I would like to now steer my focus on the characters. As mentioned earlier, the teenagers in this film would be considered exaggerated by today’s standards, since driving, smoking, drinking and killing isn’t ordinary teen culture. That being said, the characters are actually quite relatable to an extent. Jim Stark represents lost teenagers, and his mother may even be borderline abusive (mentally). Those who knew and worked with Dean claimed that he was lost, so he naturally fit into the role of Jim. Jim could also possibly represent the longing to “fit in” with society, although Plato seems to be representing that idea more. He may even be a subtle reference to homosexual people. In the 1950s, homosexuality wasn’t even legal, however, both James Dean and Sal Mineo had attractions to men, and since Nicholas Ray encouraged the actors to develop their own characters, it is possible that Plato represents homosexuality. Upon meeting him, there is a random photo of Alan Ladd in his locker, and he is very close to Jim, although the film portrays their dynamics as that of a “father/son” one. Natalie Wood’s Judy isn’t so well written in my opinion, however, I do think that there is still some story to her. She is unloved (almost neglected) by her father, and her mother does nothing to help. However, Judy isn’t shown to be as remorseful as the other two characters. In the opening scene at the police station, Plato seems distressed that he killed the puppies, and Jim, despite being on bad terms with his rival, Buzz, has some guilt when Buzz meets his untimely fate. Judy, however, isn’t very remorseful at all. In a way, it could be argued that she is emotionally numb, but I think her character was just written poorly. As soon as her boyfriend, Buzz, dies, she instantly becomes romantically affiliated with Jim. She doesn’t have much personality either, and as she puts it, “no one is sincere”, referring to her membership in the gang. Once she leaves the gang, nothing about her really changes. Even when Plato is in trouble, her first thought is about her needing Jim, and not thinking of Plato. It does make you wonder, has Judy gone emotionally numb from her father and the gang, or is she the unsung villain of the film? Slightly off-topic, but Wood is much better in the film, ‘West Side Story’ (1961). It also deals with teenage delinquency, and while her character isn’t involved in any of the gang stuff, she does have much more personality and delivers a strong message in the movie.

While this movie is aimed at teenagers, it does contain some messages about parenting. The main one is to just love your child. Mrs. Stark was nasty and stuck in her old ways, Mr. Stark was a doormat and not a good example for his son, Mrs. Crawford neglected her child heavily, and Judy’s father was distant and cold. It makes sense why Wood’s mother hated this film, and it is because all the parents are shown in a negative light. However, as it’s an early teenage film, it may just be telling adults to accept the newly found teenagers. Many old movies I’ve seen deal with romance, marriage and sometimes even divorce, but there is rarely ever a message left for parents. I think this film is less about hating on teenagers and more about accepting them for who they are.

James Dean was a very lost person in Hollywood, and didn’t know what he was doing, but one thing’s for sure, his legacy as a rebel will continue...