Rebel without a Cause

Directed by Nicolas Ray, the film Rebel without a Cause follows a young Jim Stark (James Dean) as he begins yet another school year at yet another school. The film avidly details’ the life of a young rebel in the 50’s as he desperately tries to fit in at a new school. The films offers a wonderful opportunity at a glance into the past where one can understand the logic behind the rebellious teens of the 50’s.

The movie begins with a scene where our young Jim Stark is lying in the middle of the street in the midst of a drunken stupor. The police soon arrive on the scene and escort Jim to the police station where we see that he is not your average teen. While at the station Jim is introduced to Judy (Natalie Wood), another troubled teen whom he seems to instantly take a liking to. Once Jims parents show up we are able to see that Jim hates his father because he won’t stand up to his mother, and he views him as weak. Throughout the opening scenes we are able to gather that the root of all evil in this movie is the domestic problems within the families. On his first day of school Jim becomes the newest victim of the jocks lead by Buzz Gunderson (Corey Allen). Jim, being the rebellious individual that he is, does not take kindly to this treatment and constantly fights back, accepting every challenge that they throw at him. However one of these challenges ends tragically when Buzz dies in a game that they call chicken. Even though Buzz’s death was not his fault Jim feels obliged to expose the truth behind the whole ordeal, for he is tired of constantly running away from everything. While in the midst of this problem Jim becomes close friends with Judy and a boy names John who has become strangely attached to Jim.

This film had a strong impact on me as I was given the chance to peer into the lives of these troubled young teenagers. The film offers everything that a good movie should have: love, action, death, friendship, and a complex plot. The actors are superb and fun to follow. I often found myself cringing as the characters went through their harsh reality and avidly following each one. The film effectively builds a suspenseful plot that had me on the edge of my chair absorbing every scene, and ended by answering all my questions and leaving my appetite for entertainment completely filled. I would recommend this film to any self-respecting family who is interested in indulging their senses into an action packed film that fully details the life of the rebellious teens of the 1950’s.