{"id":37302,"date":"2016-09-07T13:27:27","date_gmt":"2016-09-07T20:27:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=37302"},"modified":"2023-09-24T20:27:53","modified_gmt":"2023-09-25T03:27:53","slug":"east-of-eden-1955","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=37302","title":{"rendered":"East of Eden (1955)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Some day, he&#8217;s going to know who his real son is.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Poster-300x236.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"236\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-37307\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Poster-300x236.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Poster-128x101.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Poster-768x605.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Poster-1024x807.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Poster.jpg 1240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nIn pre-WWI California, troubled Cal (James Dean) competes against his twin brother Aron (Richard Davalos) &#8212; engaged to a nurturing young woman named Abra (Julie Harris) &#8212; for the love and approval of his demanding father (Raymond Massey), while attempting to make contact with his long-lost mother (Jo Van Fleet) who works as a madam in a nearby town.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Burl Ives Films<\/li>\n<li>Elia Kazan Films<\/li>\n<li>Father and Child<\/li>\n<li>Historical Drama<\/li>\n<li>James Dean Films<\/li>\n<li>Julie Harris Films<\/li>\n<li>Lois Smith Films<\/li>\n<li>Prostitutes and Gigolos<\/li>\n<li>Raymond Massey Films<\/li>\n<li>Rivalry<\/li>\n<li>Siblings<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nIn his review of this adaptation of &#8220;the last part&#8221; of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/East_of_Eden_(novel)\">John Steinbeck&#8217;s sprawling novel<\/a>, Peary notes that salient themes include &#8220;misunderstood youth (a Dean specialty); the search for love; and rejection &#8212; every character is rejected by someone they love and in return rejects someone who loves them.&#8221; He argues that director Elia Kazan&#8217;s &#8220;audacious camera impositions no longer work&#8221; &#8212; indeed, the intentionally askew angles and movements feel awfully forced &#8212; but that &#8220;his handling of actors is still impressive&#8221; (Van Fleet won an Oscar for her supporting role as Cal and Aron&#8217;s wayward mother). <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Cinematography3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Cinematography3-1024x411.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"257\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-37306\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Cinematography3-1024x411.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Cinematography3-128x51.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Cinematography3-300x120.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Cinematography3-768x308.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Cinematography3.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>East of Eden<\/em> is best known as one of only three movies Dean starred in before his untimely death at the age of 24, and quite a bit has been written about his involvement in the film &#8212; including his initial casting; his method-informed acting style (as well as his awe for Brando); his challenging interactions with the more-traditional Massey (which Kazan milked for all its on-screen potential):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Dean-Massey.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Dean-Massey-1024x411.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"257\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-62697\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Dean-Massey-1024x411.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Dean-Massey-300x120.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Dean-Massey-128x51.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Dean-Massey-768x308.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Dean-Massey-1536x616.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Dean-Massey-604x242.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Dean-Massey.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and his deep emotionality both on and off set (Harris reports he sobbed for hours after shooting was over). <\/p>\n<p>Today, unfortunately, Dean&#8217;s performance comes across as distractingly hyper-kinetic. In his review for the <em>New York Times<\/em>, Bosley Crowther referred to Dean as &#8220;a mass of histrionic gingerbread&#8221;, and this wry description holds somewhat true: Dean&#8217;s all-pervasive angst means he&#8217;s literally never still or untroubled. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Dean.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Dean-1024x411.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"257\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-62700\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Dean-1024x411.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Dean-300x120.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Dean-128x51.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Dean-768x308.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Dean-1536x616.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Dean-604x242.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Dean.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Ironically, his role within such a broadly melodramatic, biblically-inspired narrative ultimately feels less convincing than his similar turn in the more intimately-themed <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5513\"><em>Rebel Without a Cause<\/em> (1955)<\/a> (though Peary disagrees with me, nominating his performance here as one of the best of the year in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>). Top-billed Harris gives a highly emotional and affecting performance (she&#8217;s also nominated by Peary), but one that &#8212; like Dean&#8217;s &#8212; simply never lets up. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Harris.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Harris-1024x411.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"257\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-62698\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Harris-1024x411.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Harris-300x120.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Harris-128x51.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Harris-768x308.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Harris-1536x616.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Harris-604x242.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Harris.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Davalos, meanwhile, is bland and forgettable; it&#8217;s too bad Paul Newman, who tested for the part, wasn&#8217;t cast instead!   <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Davalos.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Davalos-1024x411.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"257\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-62699\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Davalos-1024x411.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Davalos-300x120.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Davalos-128x51.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Davalos-768x308.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Davalos-1536x616.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Davalos-604x242.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Davalos.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jo Van Fleet as Kate<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Van-Fleet.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Van-Fleet-1024x411.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"257\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-37303\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Van-Fleet-1024x411.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Van-Fleet-128x51.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Van-Fleet-300x120.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Van-Fleet-768x308.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Van-Fleet.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine CinemaScope cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Cinematography-1024x411.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"257\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-37304\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Cinematography-1024x411.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Cinematography-128x51.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Cinematography-300x120.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Cinematography-768x308.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Cinematography.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Cinematography2-1024x411.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"257\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-37305\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Cinematography2-1024x411.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Cinematography2-128x51.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Cinematography2-300x120.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Cinematography2-768x308.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/East-of-Eden-Cinematography2.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, though of course it&#8217;s recommended for one-time viewing, given how few films Dean appeared in during his short life. Nominated by Peary as one of the Best Movies of the Year in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0048028\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1955\/03\/10\/archives\/the-screen-east-of-eden-has-debut-astor-shows-film-of-steinbeck.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/16719\/east-of-eden#articles-reviews\">TCM Articles<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s4327dean.html\">DVD Savant Blu-Ray Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/wjrwEpLTx5Q\">Tired Old Queen at the Movies Video Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Some day, he&#8217;s going to know who his real son is.&#8221; Synopsis: In pre-WWI California, troubled Cal (James Dean) competes against his twin brother Aron (Richard Davalos) &#8212; engaged to a nurturing young woman named Abra (Julie Harris) &#8212; for the love and approval of his demanding father (Raymond Massey), while attempting to make contact with his long-lost mother (Jo Van Fleet) who works as a madam in a nearby town. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Burl Ives Films Elia&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=37302\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=37302"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92005,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37302\/revisions\/92005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=37302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=37302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=37302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}