East of Eden (film)

East of Eden
Theatrical release poster
Directed byElia Kazan
Screenplay byPaul Osborn
Based onEast of Eden
1952 novel
by John Steinbeck
Produced byElia Kazan
Starring
CinematographyTed D. McCord
Edited byOwen Marks
Music byLeonard Rosenman
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release dates
  • March 9, 1955 (1955-03-09) (New York City)
  • April 10, 1955 (1955-04-10) (United States)
Running time
117 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$5 million[1]

East of Eden is a 1955 American epic period drama film directed by Elia Kazan and written by Paul Osborn, adapted from the fourth and final part of John Steinbeck's epic 1952 novel.

It stars James Dean as a wayward young man who, while seeking his own identity, vies for the affection of his deeply religious father against his favored brother, thus retelling the story of Cain and Abel. Appearing in supporting roles are Julie Harris, Raymond Massey, Burl Ives, Richard Davalos, and Jo Van Fleet.

Although set in early 20th century Monterey, California, much of the film was actually shot on location in Mendocino, California. Some scenes were filmed in the Salinas Valley. Of the three films in which James Dean played the lead, this is the only one to have been released during his lifetime.[2]

East of Eden, along with Dean's other films Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and Giant (1956), was named one of the 400 best American films of all time by the American Film Institute.[3] In 2016, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[4][5]

Advertising card in South Korea
  1. ^ 'The Top Box-Office Hits of 1955', Variety Weekly, January 25, 1956.
  2. ^ James Dean at IMDb.
  3. ^ "American Film Institute's Top 400 American Films". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-12-29.
  4. ^ "With "20,000 Leagues," the National Film Registry Reaches 700". Library of Congress. 14 December 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-09-30.