Rebel Without A Cause, yo

Rebel Without A Cause –

A Review by Jose Ruiz

March 13, 2014

 

Being the godfather of teen movies, “Rebel Without A Cause” explores the adversity and the search for identity of mid-1950’s adolescents. Nicholas Ray’s film was released in 1955, and despite its’ different take on teen life, modern teens could learn something about themselves when viewing the film. The movie dives into the hearts and minds of three teens: Jim Stark (James Dean), Judy (Natalie Wood), and Plato (Sal Mineo).

The three adolescents meet in a police station, after opening the film with Jim, lying in the middle of street, drunk and taking care of a toy monkey. Each character has their own reason for being at the station: Jim got drunk after his parents left him to go to a party, Judy ran away from home because of her relationship with her father, and Plato had killed puppies with a gun he found in his mother’s drawer. Jim’s caring personality reaches out to take care of Plato as he offers him his jacket. Throughout the film, Jim is a new student in high school, interacting with Plato and encountering a similar internal-conflict with Judy.

What sparked an inner interest was the film’s ability to ignite emotions that several of teens have gone through nowadays despite the film’s fifties sensation. Like many films today, most teens live a certain way with advanced technology and a modern society. The film captured the emotions felt by teens at the time and it could be seen through the film’s depiction of high school and the hardships that come along with being different. James Deans’ work in the film was great, and his acting was surprising because it was the first film I have seen of him.

Simply put, the film dives into the problems that adolescents felt with being different and searching for who they really are. The cinematography of the film was surprising, and it felt ahead of its’ time in terms of angles and symbolism. If you enjoy observing the different styles of film, this movie provides the feeling of a fifties movie. The message of the film is to find yourself through hard times, especially through adolescence.