East of Eden (1955) - A modern version of Cain and Abel

Review : 0001
Title : East Of Eden

Year : 1955

Director : Elia Kazan

Country : United States

World's Verdict : Rotten Tomatoes – 88%; IMDB – 8.0 out of 10.0; Academy Award – Best Supporting Actress; Cannes Film Festival – Best Dramatic Film.
My Verdict : 3.7 out of 5.0.

Lately, I love to watch films that I have already seen.  So today I did my best to expand my horizon by watching a movie that I haven’t seen yet.  I decided to watch a James Dean movie.  I like Dean, I like his acting in Rebel Without A Cause (1955) and Giant (1956) and that’s enough for me to pick East Of Eden as my movie today.  This 1955 film was directed by Elia Kazan, a director who loves to use “method actors” like Marlon Brando and James Dean.  His films include A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), On The Waterfront (1954) and Splendor In The Grass (1961).

Characters:

• Cal Trask (James Dean) – A wayward young man who strives for the attention and respect of his father.  This guy has a lot of insecurities and issues.
• Aron Trask (Richard Davalos) – Older brother of Cal.  A refined young man and that’s why he is favored by his father.
• Adam Trask (Raymond Massey) – A religious father of Aron and Cal. He raised his two sons because their mother abandoned them when his children were young.
• Abra (Julie Harris) – Girlfriend of Aron but flirts with Cal.
• Kate (Jo Van Fleet) – Mother of Aron and Cal.  She abandoned her young children to pursue her dreams.  Ends up owning a profitable brothel.

Unspoiled Plot:

• Cal discovers that his mother isn’t dead at all, but a rich lady who owns a brothel in another town.  He keeps this secret from his father and his brother because he knows that knowing the truth will hurt them.
• Cal strives to impress his father by helping in the family’s business ventures.  His father is not so impressed.
• Cal’s father lost a lot of money in his business venture.
• Abra flirts with Cal.
• Cal wants to impress his father so he goes to his mother to borrow money.  He uses the money to invest in a new business.
• Abra continues to flirt with Cal.
• You better watch the movie to know if:
• Cal will be successful in his business
• Cal’s father will be proud of him
• Cal’s family will know his secret about his mother
• Abra will continue to flirt with Cal 

Trivia:

• East of Eden is loosely based on the second half of John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel of the same name.

Top Reasons Why You Should Watch East Of Eden:

1. The best of James Dean.  Of the three great films of James Dean [other two are Rebel Without A Cause (1955) and Giant (1956)] this for me is his best when it comes to his acting.  I find the role emotionally draining but Dean is just right in portraying different moods of Cal, whether its paranoia, anger, sweetness, jealousy and despair.
2. Good cinematography. Shots of the scenes are very artistic.  I love how Kazan tilted the cameras and how he played with shadows.  The shots where James Dean is on top of a moving train are classically beautiful.

Top Reason Why East Of Eden is Not a Perfect Film:

• Julie Harris and Richard Davalos do not really shine in this movie.  They both have traces of classic Hollywood acting that I’m really not a big fan of.  I’m not sure why Kazan hired them, they don’t look like method actors to me.

Conclusion and Recommendation:

1. Did I like the film? Yes.
2. When will I watch it again?  Five years from now, I guess.
3. Would I recommend it for you to watch it?  Absolutely.

Let me know if you agree with me by writing on the comments section below.