Reviewing Movies

The James Dean legend is based on 487 minutes of film. East of Eden is based on the John Steinbeck novel; Rebel Without a Cause has become an iconic portrayal of teenage angst and rebellion. Due to its extreme length the sprawling Giant is not often seen on TV and on DVD the uncut four hour twenty-one minute version is a marathon.

James Franco who portraits James Dean in this biopic is already 6 years older than Dean when he died, is three inches taller and decidedly slimmer and lither of build. His depiction of Dean appears to be based on the movie persona. Aside from his relationship with his mother who died when he was nine and his life-long estrangement from his father little insight into his life is given. The bulk of the movie is taken up with his struggles to become an actor and scenes from the sets of his movies; in particular East of Eden. I will have to watch that movie again in light of the new insights I’ve gained.

Whatever his onscreen charisma if this film is at all accurate working with Dean must have been a royal pain for all involved. Given his penchant for motorcycles and fast cars no insurance company today would offer completion bonds for any film on which he worked on at any price. Rightly so as his two Academy Awards were both awarded posthumously after he died in a car wreck. Whatever the merits of this movie its ending seems rather weak and leaves one wishing for more.