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East of Eden (Elia Kazan, 1955)
Director: Elia Kazan
Writers: John Steinbeck(novel), Paul Osborn(screen play)
Cast: James Dean, Raymond Massey, Julie Harris
Genre: Literary Drama, Romance
East of Eden incorporates the best of John Steniback's novel, along with Elia Kazan's personal style of direction...and pairs two phenomenal actors, James Dean and Julie Harris. On top of all that, it's a very powerful story of unfulfilled love and forgiveness.
Novelist John Steinback once said of his novels, 'that he wanted to help reconnect people to their lost humanity.' Steinback felt if his stories could point a way for people to reconnect and heal, it would be a better world. And that's what this movie is about, it's about the inability to love and the inability to forgive and the ultimate need to heal those festering wounds.
John Steinback upon meeting James Dean said "He is Cal!"
This is the role James Dean was born to play. East of Eden is the only movie he ever lived to see released and the only one he ever got to watch. He died in a car crash before his other two films were ever released. I think Dean is amazing in this.
But it wasn't until my second viewing of this movie that I realized just how wonderful Julie Harris is in this. When she's doing a scene with the older brother, Aron (Richard Davalos) she's good as any other actress. But when she has scenes with James Dean she lights up and 'is in the moment.'
I watched a documentary interview with her done a few years back, and I could tell that she was deeply touched by her time working with James Dean...and it shows on the screen as she comes alive when her and Dean have scenes together.
It's a tragedy James Dean only was able to star in three movies before his untimely end. If you wonder what about him, East of Eden is a good place to start.
East of Eden (Elia Kazan, 1955)
Writers: John Steinbeck(novel), Paul Osborn(screen play)
Cast: James Dean, Raymond Massey, Julie Harris
Genre: Literary Drama, Romance
East of Eden incorporates the best of John Steniback's novel, along with Elia Kazan's personal style of direction...and pairs two phenomenal actors, James Dean and Julie Harris. On top of all that, it's a very powerful story of unfulfilled love and forgiveness.
Novelist John Steinback once said of his novels, 'that he wanted to help reconnect people to their lost humanity.' Steinback felt if his stories could point a way for people to reconnect and heal, it would be a better world. And that's what this movie is about, it's about the inability to love and the inability to forgive and the ultimate need to heal those festering wounds.
"When they first arrived in Los Angeles to begin production,Elia Kazan accompanied James Dean to visit his estranged father, who was living there at the time. Kazan witnessed first hand how badly the father treated Dean and how much the boy wanted to please him. As he got to know Dean better, Kazan saw how this relationship had instilled in him a great deal of anger because of frustrated love, the key to the character of Cal. "It was the most apt piece of casting I've ever done in my life."
John Steinback upon meeting James Dean said "He is Cal!"
This is the role James Dean was born to play. East of Eden is the only movie he ever lived to see released and the only one he ever got to watch. He died in a car crash before his other two films were ever released. I think Dean is amazing in this.
But it wasn't until my second viewing of this movie that I realized just how wonderful Julie Harris is in this. When she's doing a scene with the older brother, Aron (Richard Davalos) she's good as any other actress. But when she has scenes with James Dean she lights up and 'is in the moment.'
I watched a documentary interview with her done a few years back, and I could tell that she was deeply touched by her time working with James Dean...and it shows on the screen as she comes alive when her and Dean have scenes together.
It's a tragedy James Dean only was able to star in three movies before his untimely end. If you wonder what about him, East of Eden is a good place to start.