East of Eden - James Dean

[newclassicfilmfan]

I watched East of Eden. Thought it was a great film. I'd like to start a discussion of this film and James Dean. I thought James Dean was a very good actor, however, his 3 films were primarily characters that were young, vulnerable and outcasts. I would have loved to see him progress to more varied roles, had he gotten older. Sadly, he passed on at only 24 years old and became eternally young - an icon.

 

East of Eden was my favorite of James Dean films. I thought the film was very, very good.

[vickix33]

East of Eden is one of my favorite films. James Dean was fantastic playing the role of Cal Trask. I also would of loved to see where his career would of gone if he hadn't died young. The best scene in East of Eden would have to be when Cal tries to give the money to his father but he doesn't accept it and feels like he was rejected by him. James Dean shows so much emotion in this scene it is fantastic to watch. I read that he didn't tell Raymond Massey, who plays his father that he was going to grab him like that and then storm off in the scene.

[Vertigo2]

Dean was set to play the lead in "Somebody Up There Likes Me" which was played by Paul Newman after Den's death. It would have been a more msture part for him.

[Sepiatone]

Both Dean and this movie had been discussed often in these forums. The acceptance of him being a "great" actor has been mixed, however. Some DO agree he was, others feel he wasn't worth the time of day.

 

I'm somewhere in the middle.

 

Based extremely loose on Steinbeck's towering novel, this movie only concentrates on one third of the whole story. But I think it tells it well. There was a TV mini-series that attempted the whole story, and did it pretty good, too. Came out in the late '70's or early '80's. I could only find a very abbreviated VHS copy of it, though.

 

Sepiatone

 

Edited by: Sepiatone on Oct 14, 2013 10:48 AM

[FlyBackTransformer]

I hate East of Eden because the point of the film is to indict the elder Trask as too puritanical despite his misfortunes with Jo Van Fleet who plays one of the most disreputable mothers in screen history. A much better ending for me would have been to have Cal drag his "mother" to his father's deathbed and have her beg the dying man for his forgiveness. p.s. the heck with Steinbeck

[HoldenIsHere]

A new adaptation of EAST OF EDEN from Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment is in the works, to be directed by THE HUNGER GAMES director Gary Ross. The plan is to split the novel into two movies, with the first movie focusing on the younger Adam Trask (the role that Raymond Massey played in Kazan's film) and Cathy Ames (who later became the madam "Kate" after she left Adam and her newborn twin sons). The role of Cathy/Kate is to be played by Jennifer Lawrence, who won an Oscar for her role in SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK and who was directed by Ross in THE HUNGER GAMES. Work is reportedly not supposed to begin until Ross and Lawrence have completed the remaining two HUNGER GAMES movie installments.

[FlyBackTransformer]

> A new adaptation of EAST OF EDEN from Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment is in the works, to be directed by THE HUNGER GAMES director Gary Ross. The plan is to split the novel into two movies, with the first movie focusing on the younger Adam Trask (the role that Raymond Massey played in Kazan's film) and Cathy Ames (who later became the madam "Kate" after she left Adam and her newborn twin sons). The role of Cathy/Kate is to be played by Jennifer Lawrence, who won an Oscar for her role in SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK and who was directed by Ross in THE HUNGER GAMES. Work is reportedly not supposed to begin until Ross and Lawrence have completed the remaining two HUNGER GAMES movie installments.

 

Some modern day buffoon is now the equivalent of Elia Kazan?

[Tikisoo]

>directed by THE HUNGER GAMES director Gary Ross

 

Aw, I am so sorry to hear once promising director Ross has succumbed to making this teen driven dreck. I imagined him as the next Capra when he did his own stuff. Guess we all have to eat.

[Sepiatone]

> the heck with Steinbeck

 

Ah, well, they can't ALL be Dr. Seuss...

 

Sepiatone

[twister]

I liked East of Eden. My only qualm with it was the casting of Julie Harris. While she was a terrific actress, I felt she was too old to play the love interest for Cal Trask and the brother Aaron. I felt like she was James Dean's mother in the film.

[FlyBackTransformer]

> A new adaptation of EAST OF EDEN from Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment is in the works, to be directed by THE HUNGER GAMES director Gary Ross. The plan is to split the novel into two movies, with the first movie focusing on the younger Adam Trask (the role that Raymond Massey played in Kazan's film) and Cathy Ames (who later became the madam "Kate" after she left Adam and her newborn twin sons). The role of Cathy/Kate is to be played by Jennifer Lawrence, who won an Oscar for her role in SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK and who was directed by Ross in THE HUNGER GAMES. Work is reportedly not supposed to begin until Ross and Lawrence have completed the remaining two HUNGER GAMES movie installments.

 

Set the film in Des Moines, Iowa and call it East of Hollywood. LOL

[FlyBackTransformer]

> liked East of Eden. My only qualm with it was the casting of Julie Harris. While she was a terrific actress, I felt she was too old to play the love interest for Cal Trask and the brother Aaron. I felt like she was James Dean's mother in the film.

 

Yeah, it has never seemed quite believable that she should be attracted to the rebellious Cal. She shoulda been Aaron's girl.

[lanceroten]

I've seen both Rebel Without A Cause and East of Eden. Like both a great deal, prefer the support in Rebel, prefer Dean's work in East. Have yet to see Giant, will at some point. Stating the obvious but truly a loss that we never had the chance to see how an older Dean would have done in Hollywood.