| Rebel Without a Cause | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Nicholas Ray |
| Screenplay by | Stewart Stern Irving Shulman (adaptation) |
| Story by | Nicholas Ray |
| Produced by | David Weisbart |
| Starring | James Dean Natalie Wood Sal Mineo Jim Backus Ann Doran Corey Allen William Hopper |
| Cinematography | Ernest Haller |
| Edited by | William H. Ziegler |
| Music by | Leonard Rosenman |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 111 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.5 million |
| Box office | $4.5 million (US rentals)[2] |
Rebel Without a Cause is a 1955 American coming-of-age romantic drama film, directed by Nicholas Ray. The film stars James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Jim Backus, Ann Doran, Corey Allen and William Hopper. It is also the film debut of Dennis Hopper, albeit in a minor role. It was filmed in the then recently introduced CinemaScope format. Focusing on emotionally confused suburban, middle-class teenagers, the film offers both social commentary and an alternative to previous films depicting delinquents in urban slum environments.[3][4]
The film was an attempt to portray the moral decay of American youth, critique parental styles, and explore the differences and conflicts between generations, namely the Interbellum Generation and the Silent Generation. The title was adopted from psychologist Robert M. Lindner's 1944 book, Rebel Without a Cause: The Hypnoanalysis of a Criminal Psychopath, although the film itself does not make any other references to Lindner's book. Warner Bros. released the film on October 27, 1955, nearly a month after Dean's death in a car crash on September 30, 1955.
Over the years, the film has achieved landmark status for the performance of Dean, fresh from his Oscar-nominated role in East of Eden, in his most celebrated role. This was the only film of Dean's in which he received top billing. In 1990, Rebel Without a Cause was added to the Library of Congress's National Film Registry as being deemed "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant".[5][6]
- ^ Alan Bisbort (2010). Beatniks: A Guide to an American Subculture. Greenwood Press/ABC-CLIO. p. xxi. ISBN 978-0-313-36574-4.
- ^ 'The Top Box-Office Hits of 1956', Variety Weekly, January 2, 1957
- ^ Variety film review; October 26, 1955, page 6.
- ^ Harrison's Reports film review; October 22, 1955, page 170.
- ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
- ^ Gamarekian, Barbara (1990-10-19). "Library of Congress Adds 25 Titles to National Film Registry". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-08-06.