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DVD East of Eden (Two-Disc Special Edition)
East of Eden is an acknowledged classic, and the starring debut of James Dean lifts it to legendary status. John Steinbeck's novel gave director Elia Kazan a perfect Cain-and-Abel showcase for Dean's iconic screen persona, casting the brooding star as Cal, the younger of two brothers vying for the love of their Bible-thumping father (Raymond Massey) in Monterey, California, at the dawn of World War I. Massey is a lettuce farmer, striving for market domination with an ill-fated refrigeration scheme. Having discovered that his presumed-dead mother (Oscar® winner Jo Van Fleet) is a brothel owner in nearby Salinas, Cal convinces her to finance an investment that will restore his father's lost fortune, but neither money nor the tenderness of his brother's fiancée (Julie Harris) can assuage Cal's anguished need for paternal acceptance that comes nearly too late. Kazan's oblique camera angles and Dean's tortured emoting may seem extreme by latter-day standards, but their theatrics make East of Eden a timeless tale of family secrets and hard-won affection. --Jeff Shannon
Review(s): DVD East of Eden (Two-Disc Special Edition)
"My punishment is greater than I can bear!"
John Steinbeck's moving novel (last section) of the Cain and Abel story brought dramatically to the screen. It was also James Dean's (as Cal) debut on film, and as this misunderstood and tormented youth he captured a lot of attention, with much comparison being made to Marlon Brando - though Brando mined this field with much more bravura, mesmerism, and talent. (Where Brando would be on fire and seem truly dangerous, Dean was just moody.)
Raymond Massey plays the Bible-spouting father, full of what's right but incapable of showing love or compassion, and Richard Davalos is Aaron, who takes after his father. Dean is desperate for his father's love, and when his father's attempt to ship refrigerated lettuce (a new concept - the year is 1917) fails and he loses a lot of money, Dean borrows money from his long-lost mother, now a prostitute, to plant beans. With WW I raging in Europe, beans go sky high, and Dean makes enough money to give his father what he lost - but his father rejects it for pious reasons ("dirty" money earned off a killing enterprise: war). Dean takes his anger out on Aaron by revealing their mother to him (he believed his father's story that she was dead).
The movie starts out slow, but soon the story and the conflicts develop and we become absorbed in the proceedings. Dean, of course, is the actor who made the biggest sensation here, but Davalos is also excellent and Jo Van Fleet took an Oscar in her role as the mother, Kate. An excellent production, and a great job by director Kazan. Definitely worth a watch. [This movie is only based on the last section of Steinbeck's book; a TV mini-series later was based on the whole book. It, too, was very effective - in some ways even more so than this movie.]
James Dean in his first feature film!
I'll start first by mentioning the wonderful extras on the second disc of this two-disc edition of "East of Eden." For one, there's several outtakes of the same scene -- Cal (James Dean) and Abra (Julie Harris) preparing for Cal's father's (Raymond Massey) birthday party. Each scene differs just a little in nuance and expression. You can see Dean's famous penchant for improvising lines and also stealing scenes. There's also two outtakes of a deleted scene between Cal and his brother Aron (Richard Davalos). I wonder why this scene was deleted because it IMO adds a lot to the story -- for one it humanizes Aron and deepens the relationship between the brothers. There's also a screen test that is the same scene between the brothers. The outtakes are much more sensitive and nuanced than the rather rough screen test. John Steinbeck's children narrate a documentary about Steinbeck's novel "East of Eden" and its relationship with the film. The children explain many of the plot points that are not quite explained in the film, while Julie Harris and others reminisce about the filming. To top it off there's a documentary about James Dean. A college roommate reminisces about Jimmy, as do Julie Harris and a cameraman, and there's some footage of his early acting stints in commercials and TV. His friends vigorously refute the rumor that Dean was gay. Although it's extremely complimentary, it's not a hagiography, but a much better documentary than most. There's also wardrobe tests (which are fun to watch) and footage of the NYC premiere of the movie.
As for the film, I think it holds up remarkably well despite some heavyhanded Biblical symbolism. It's not very faithful to Steinbeck's novel, but works very well as a family drama. The story is simple: Cal, the "bad boy" (James Dean) and Aron, the "good son" (Davalos) vie for their father's (Raymond Massey) affection, as well as for Aron's girlfriend, Abra (Julie Harris). The movie is very well-cast, with wonderful performances from James Dean, Julie Harris, Raymond Massey (the father), Jo van Fleet (Cal and Aron's mother). I particularly like Julie Harris's Abra. At 30, she was too old to play the teenaged Abra, but she's so radiant you forget about the obvious age difference between her and the brothers. Harris also is wonderful at suggesting the passion beneath her wholesome exterior -- for instance, the way she flirts with Cal by rubbing a dandelion on his nose, even though she's supposed to be Aron's girl. Davalos as the good-boy Aron is also excellent -- we watch his character slowly meltdown, scene after scene, as he realizes that Abra has fallen in love with Cal.
In the documentaries we find out that James Dean and Raymond Massey did not get along offscreen, and this tension between the actors is palpable onscreen. Dean loved to improvise lines (this can be seen in the outtakes and deleted scenes), whereas Massey was rather rigid about sticking to the script. Elia Kazan worked to provoke the natural antagonism between the two actors. In the famous scene where Massey rejects Dean's birthday present, the script called for Dean to walk out of the room. Instead, Dean has a tearful meltdown. Massey acts shocked and uncomfortable. This was the take Kazan used.
The story has the patented Kazan sensitivity, and used techniques that are commonplace today: long takes that accumulate tension, a naturalistic style of dialogue and action that relies on body language and minute changes in facial expression. For instance, in the famous Ferris Wheel scene Abra talks about how much she loves Aron, but you notice her leaning closer and closer towards Cal, until finally they kiss. In other ways, Kazan's methods seem dated today. He is fond of using bombastic, unsubtle music during "dramatic" moments. His background in Broadway made him a weak on the cutting room floor -- compare his films to the snappy, elegant editting of Frank Capra or Francois Truffaut and you'll see that Kazan's takes often go on a touch too long.
And of course this was James Dean's first feature. I disagree with those who downgrade his acting as poor-man's "Method." I agree that James Dean wasn't a "Method" actor the way Marlon Brando was. There is always something more stylized and choreographed about Dean's acting. This makes his acting seem a little more overwrought today. Yet, there's his undeniable charisma and quiet sensitivity. Compare his performance to the matinee idols of today, like the excruciating Ben Affleck, and you'll be a lot more grateful for Dean's sensitivity and style.
I know this review rambles, but there's just so much to write about. This film is noteworthy not only for the storyline and direction and acting, but to witness the beginning of a legend. Highly recommended.
Anyone in Australia or Region 4 seen the DVD?
I was going to order this one from the U.S., but discovered it in a local shop here in Sydney. However, much to my dismay, although U.S. discs are listed as WIDESCREEN on Amazon, the back cover of the ones here have ambiguous information. On the one hand the back cover indicates TV formatting with a rectangular box with the word "REGULAR" within it and the numbers 1.33.1 below the rectangule and on the other hand just to the right of that rectangle appears the statement: THIS FILM IS PRESENTED IN "LETTERBOX" FORMAT PRESERVING THE SCOPE ASPECT RATIO OF ITS ORIGINAL THEATRICAL RELEASE. THE BLACK BARS AT THE TOP AND BOTTOM ARE NORMAL FOR THIS FORMAT.
Anyone have a clue as to which is correct?
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