“Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today“
James Dean
‘Rebel Without a Cause’ would have to be one of my favourite old movies. Released in 1955, this American film by Nicholas Ray stares James Dean in the classic tale of teen angst and rebellion. This sadly was one of James Dean’s final acting roles as he passed away one month before the movies’ release. James Dean plays the character of Jim Stark, a sensitive but troubled youth, who although desperately wants to fit in, rejects his parents’ morals. Jims new in town and looking for a fresh start away from trouble, however, trouble always seems to find him.
Early on in the movie, Jim becomes known to a group of violent, rough boys who dare him to a game of chicken. Consequently, this leads to an accident and an unfortunate death. Being the sensitive teen he is, Jim attempts to confess to the Police, but his elders’ refuse him to do so. Tension surfaces as the violent boys suspect Jim will confess to the police.
‘Rebel Without a Cause’ is a film, which sympathetically conveys rebellion, misunderstood, America, middle-class youth. The story of youthful disobedience offers a rich, but stylised outlook at the world of the conventional 1950s. The audience views this perception from the eyes of the main character ‘Jim’. Television dominated American culture during the 1950s. The 50s and future decades altered the nation’s outlook of youth, who became a vital part of society.
If you have seen the film, it becomes quite clear that the intended audience was youth during the 1950s. Ultimately, the film served as a stepping stone for all youth rebellion films in the future. In 1955, Hollywood released two correlating youth films. In 1956, there was 10 and in 1957 there was 40. By the mid-1950s youth accounted for more than 50% of the ticket consumers for Hollywood movies. ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ was the first film to relate teen audiences on their terms. ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ is a perfect example of a film, which pushes the boundaries, having a social influence on its time due to its material. This classic film disturbed the social idea that home, community and school are essential environments for youth upbringing. In contemporary society, a movie like this is standard. However, in the 1950s, it attracted quite a lot of attention due to the social barriers it broke regarding these institutions.
Cultural knowledge based around the 1950s conventional lifestyle would surely help audiences intending to engage with the film. It is highly focussed on youth of the time, highlighting themes of miscommunication, masculinity and teen rebellion. Cultural homogenisation is a feature of cultural globalisation. It indicates a decrease in cultural diversity through conformity to common standards and cultural patterns. ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ presents a stylised view of 1950s American life. As a result, Western cultures such as Australia are able to relate closely due to the various similarities between cultures.
For anyone out there who also shares a love for classic movies, I highly recommend!!
xx
Leonard K 