Rebel Without A Cause (Nicholas Ray, 1955)
Imdb
Date Watched: 08/03/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 50s List
Rewatch: No
Potential Spoilers Ahead
I wanted to be sure to include this film in my 50s movie watching because of its iconic status in the gay community - daring to feature a gay character and male to male affection in a time when homosexuality was still a crime. And while I applaud Ray and the cast for that, the film is not without its problems.
Some of the portrayals just didn't work for me, particularly Jim's parents - the over-bearing bitch of a mother and the "whipped father." They felt more like caricatures than real people. The same holds true for "Buzz" and "The Kids." They were extremely one dimensional.
I also didn't particularly care for the way that Plato was presented. While homosexual teens are perhaps prone to psychological instability and depression - a tragic side-effect of repressed feelings and social rejection - it bothered me a bit that his character was written as having violent, psychopathic tendencies. From his very first scene in the film, I struggled to empathize or sympathize with his character because of the things he had done. Ultimately this struggle left me feeling only sadness for the few that cared about him, but not for Plato himself.
I also had mixed feelings about Jim. On the one hand, I appreciated his interactions with Plato and the acceptance and tenderness that he offered to the troubled younger teen. On the other hand, his contempt for his parents and his comments about what his father ought to do to his mother didn't exactly sit well with me.
But even with all those faults, I can say without doubt that it is unlike any other film I've seen from this era and I hope it secures a very respectable position on the countdown.
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