Rebel Without a Cause had its first debut in 1955. Directed by and written in part Nicholas Ray, Jim Stark (played by James Dean) is a teenage boy that is anything but cookie cutter. Veiled family issues boiling past the brim, Jim is frequently cencured for his anger managment problems, especially when he's called "Chicken". This trigger word throws him into Fight Mode. Moving to Los Angeles doesn't help with this delema. Buzz Gunderson (Corey Allen) and his gang decide to make an example of this newcomer and show the comedian who's boss with a Chickie-Run, ending in Gunderson's death. Remarkably, like nothing had ever happened, everyone seems to forget about Buzz, marking this movie as unrealistic as a Barbie. The human race tends to mourn over our loved ones a little bit more than a few days. Natilie Wood, who plays Judy, is probably one of the least responsive to her newly-dead boyfriend, instantly attaching onto Jim like a starving leech. She seems to be a mooch, willing to latch on to whoever appears to be in charge, belittling herself to "that guys girlfriend." Dean's character seems more determined to defy every law set in front of him by both nature and adults.
This technical accomplis in a murder, girl-stealing, rule breaking jailbird shows the world how it's done in his attempt to be different; but by doing so, fails to grasp a true sense of reality. People, by natural law, crave companionship, but Sal Mineo (Plato) takes things a bit far by going TOO far. After only one (sober) encounter with Jim, Plato is already attempting to plan a sleepover as though the two were long-time pals. Yes, this friendship results in Jim eventually attempting to save Platos life, but it's like stories with love at first sight that end in a happily-ever-after --- a fairytale. Aka, not too realistic.
Though the first few impractical scenes give a sense of an overly dramatic melodrama, a certain depth is obtained as the film progresses, revealing, that, even though we bury ourselves in our own differences, we yearn to fit in.
Really good job, Hannah! I like that you gave us a taste of the plot, but didn't give the whole thing away. Perhaps some of the "that guy's girlfriend" attitude you see in Judy is a reflection of the time period. The evolution of gender roles seems to be central in this story, causing grief when the roles are challenged and joy when the roles revert to the status quo.
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