I must have gotten my pop culture wires crossed somewhere along the line. I had always been under the impression that “Rebel Without a Cause” featured James Dean in a leather jacket riding a motorcycle around raising all sorts of hell. I thought the classic “What are you rebelling against?” “Whaddya got?” dialogue came from his movie (rather it was Marlon Brando in “The Wild One”) and I always thought the famous James-Dean-as-a-badass image was lifted directly from this film. Maybe I thought all these things because the guy only lived to be in like three movies and through process of elimination this one must be the one where all the iconic imagery came from. Turns out there was no motorcycle, no leather jacket and to be honest he’s actually kind of a wuss in this movie; which actually benefits it because I hate bikers and greasers.
Instead, “Rebel Without a Cause” is an angsty, brooding and insightful piece of work that actually deals with some delicate subject matter. There have been far too many movies that focus on high-school aged kids and the struggles they face fitting in or the home lives they try desperately to conceal; but they either wind up being too syrupy (see the John Hughes filmography)or too sophomoric (see “American Pie”). “Rebel Without a Cause” on the other hand does something that Hollywood previously had failed to do and continues to rarely do now. It listened to the youth, got its information right and never lost sight of the main premise: being a teenager sucks.
Three separate vignettes but all in the same location (a police station) introduce three of the primary characters; Jim Stark (James Dean) is hauled in for drunken disorderly and is running the gamut of typical hammered emotions (laughing, crying, yelling etc). His father (Jim Backus- or Mr. Howell from “Gilligan’s Island”) arrives with an extremely blasé attitude, indifferent to his son’s criminal behavior it is clear that Mr. Stark is one of those parents who throws money at problems to make them go away.
The next character is Judy (Natalie Wood, who is the punchline of the greatest dead celebrity joke of all time) who has just had some kind of rout with her father. Through sobs she explains to an officer that her father unleashed a verbal tirade on her, culminating with him questioning her womanly virtue. Judy seems to be in the least amount of trouble of the kids shown in the introduction but the lack of further details about her situation implies an absence of key information and probably a deeper secret.
Finally, there is a young Hispanic boy referred to simply as Plato, who is being interrogated as to why he was arrested for shooting puppies (classic sociopathic/misfit behavior which will rear its head again later) Unlike the other two kids though, there appears to be a complete lack of a parental figure, instead his nanny is speaking on his behalf, describing to the officers that Plato pretty much raises himself since his mother is always recreationally traveling. Near the end of Plato’s introduction we see the principle character’s lives intertwine for the first time; Jim offers his jacket to Plato who is clearly freezing. This is the first of many times happenstance will bring characters together in this film.
The next morning we find out that Jim is the new kid in town and is warily preparing for his first day in his new school. Along the way he recognizes Judy from the police station the night before and attempts to talk to her. Partly simply based on social hierarchy but certainly also based on embarrassment from her predicament the night before Judy rudely snubs Jim, instead getting into a car full of typical 1950’s hoodlums driven by her boyfriend Buzz. Jim doesn’t seem to have a lot of trouble transitioning at his new school, though there is clearly a conflict between him and Judy’s group of friends. The stage is also set for the unorthodox relationship Jim and Plato will have as Plato recognizes Jim from the police station encounter and proceeds to stalk him through the halls of the school.
A field trip to a planetarium turns violent as the “bad kids” slash Jim’s tires and attempt to provoke him into a knife fight with Buzz, which Jim emphatically attempts to avoid. Pushed to his limit he finally takes up a switchblade and works Buzz into a life-or-death scenario; once he has made his point that he could have killed Buzz had he wanted to Jim walks away from the fight. Knowing he is outmatched in a physical confrontation with Jim, Buzz pushes him into agreeing to a “chickie run,” where they both race towards the edge of a cliff in stolen cars- the first one who jumps out of his car is the “chicken” and thus the loser. Seemingly out of options, since he knows the harassment will only get worse, Jim accepts.
This entire sequence at the planetarium is loaded with some of the most obvious but still imaginative and haunting foreshadowing I’ve ever seen. The lecturer bases his presentation on the inevitable end of the cosmos. Planets colliding, young stars burning out and dying and cataclysmic explosions act as metaphors for human life. Whereas most explanations of astronomy focus on the beginning of life in the solar system and the various ways nature and the environment sustain existence, this segment takes on a very “doom and gloom” sort of attitude. As the lecture concludes, Jim nudges Plato awake and informs him facetiously that they have reached the end of the world. The planetarium segment alone is worth the price of the movie- especially if you pick it up on Amazon Marketplace for like eight bucks.
”I don’t know what to do anymore. Except maybe die.” (Jim Stark, “Rebel Without a Cause”)
The buildup to the “chickie run” gives us an intimate look at the real lives of Jim, Judy and Plato. Jim’s father continues to turn a blind eye to what is going on with his son, even when Jim attempts to reach out to him. The disconnect between Mr. Stark and Jim has less to do with neglect or bad parenting than it does Mr. Stark’s pushover nature and desire to be friends with his son rather than be an authority figure. In a word, the man is too spineless to be a parent.
The situation over at Judy’s house teeters on the creepy side when she innocently kisses her father. His reaction is so bizarre that it begs the question as to the possibility of what kind of physical boundaries exist in their household. His reaction seems to intensify due to the fact that Judy’s mother is within earshot. He insists that her affection for him is abnormal at her age and has to stop. Her surprise and obvious confusion with his sudden outburst ever so quietly implies some disturbing possibilities, such as possible incest that he is so paranoid of being exposed that he reverts to extreme measures as it relates to displays of affection or even a cold emotional detachment from his daughter. When paired with the opening scenes of Judy in the police station relaying the story of her dad berating her for alleged promiscuity, all the signs are evident of a classic abuser. This grim possibility only becomes more frightening when you realize that there were very little specifics given as to why Judy had to go to the police. Immediately after chastising and striking Judy, her father displays a disgusting change of personality by lovingly embracing and playing with his young son. This additional insight piles on the possibility of more speculation; perhaps he is a woman hater or prefers younger children.
The “chickie run” ends the only way it can- with Buzz dying in a fiery crash. The absence of a leader causes his gang to fracture off and drift about aimlessly- identityless without Buzz. Judy decides she is now in love with Jim and begins to press Plato for information about him. Despite barely knowing him, Plato describes Jim as his best friend, which further confirms his social ineptitude. The three hole up in the planetarium overnight; seemingly knowing they are making some sort of “last stand.” As Buzz’s closest loyalists and the police close in on them Jim, Judy and Plato cathartically fantasize about a life free of all the restrictions that bind them, age, family and authority. Their dreams are short lived when Plato is shot and killed by the police when he is spotted brandishing a gun he has brought along for protection. Jim’s earlier prophesy comes true- for Plato, the world really did end, and in the planetarium where Jim inadvertently forecasted it.
While I believe that the most symbolic aspects of this film were “dumbed down” a little I think they are still impactful and relevant. All the main characters, especially Plato capture the awkwardness and agony of high school, particularly in a scene were Plato asks Jim to spend the night with him and mentions that they can have breakfast together like a real family, which implies his desperation for a normal family life as well as a delicately implied homoeroticism which could possibly contribute further to Plato’s discomfort in his own skin. And of course the name Plato alone warns us very early on that there is some element of Greek-like tragedy that will be associated with him.
Overall my biggest complaint about the other James Dean film on the list, “Giant” is my biggest point of praise for this film; James Dean’s mumbly and self conscious acting style. The broodiness and under-enunciating actually make this picture work as opposed to bringing the film down, as he did when held up next to the far superior performances in “Giant.” The other thing that sticks out with me with “Rebel Without a Cause” is the fact that the dysfunctional families are shown to be well off and “upper-class.” It is important to show that the idealized concept of suburbia and achievement of the American Dream do not necessarily equate to happiness.
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