... denn sie wissen nicht, was sie tun (Rebel Without a Cause), 1955

Film description

This film is an iconic 1950s drama, widely considered a cult classic and a groundbreaking work that explicitly addressed the problems and alienation of post-war American youth—the so-called Silent Generation. The plot unfolds over a single day and night, telling the story of Jim Stark (James Dean), a rebellious, well-to-do teenager who moves to a new city with his family. Jim desperately seeks acceptance, love, and stability in a world that offers him none, fighting against his father's weakness and his mother's dominance. At his new high school, Jim quickly clashes with a gang of local hoodlums. He befriends the vulnerable Judy (Natalie Wood) and the lonely Plato (Sal Mineo), both of whom have similar issues with their families. The conflict escalates in a deadly game of dare (the "Chicken Run"), where young men drive stolen cars toward a cliff, and the first to jump out is branded a coward. The film is an unsparing cry for love and an existentialist portrait of feeling like an "outsider" and the search for identity. It posthumously cemented James Dean's legend and made him the prototype of the rebellious, non-conforming young man. The dramatic use of color and the intense performances of the main actors secured the film's status as a timeless classic.    

Direction                                      Nicholas Ray

Year            1955

Production                          USA, Warner Bros.

                                                 David Weisbart

Language                               English

Duration                                    106 minutes

Screenplay                            Stewart Stern

Camera                                Ernest Haller

Editing                                 William H. Ziegler

Music                                    Leonard Rosenman

Cast                          James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Dennis Hopper