2. Rebel Without A Cause
A person who is dissatisfied with society but
does not have a specific aim to fight for.
3. Basic Information
Melodrama, teen film
January, 1955
Nicholas Ray, Stewart Stern
James Dean, Natalie Wood
Suburban, middle-class teenagers
Originally black & white
4. Plot
Jim Stark (James Dean) is a troublemaking
teen.
Jim moves to a new town and tries to make
friends.
However, being the new kid in town brings
problems. (e.g. Buzz challenges Jim to race
him.)
Through conflicts, Jim forms a bond with Plato
and falls for local girl Judy.
6. Social Context
1950s America – Unity of community, everyone
being happy, utopian society
New Age of Film
- Addresses social issues
- Not completely happy ending
Jim = Rebel = New type of role
Emergence of teenage audiences
7. Characteristics
Several different plots within a plot (life that
each of the three characters go through)
Both beginning and ending Dawn, police
- “Do you think the end of world will come at
nighttime?” “Uh-uh, at dawn.”
8. Color
Much emphasis on red
- Jim’s red Jacket, Judy’s red lipstick and clothes,
Jim’s couch, Plato’s socks, the monkey doll etc.
Red = Desire, passion, love, anger, rebellious
Connection among three characters
9. Symbols and Allusions
Plato shooting puppies
“Chicken”
Father’s apron
Playing house until interruption
10. Themes
Existentialism
- Seeking identity and purpose of life
- “Is this where you live?” “Who lives?”
- “I don’t know what to do anymore, except
maybe die.”
Family
- Dysfunctional conflict between parents and
children
- Problems that children face due to lack of
“father figure”
- “If only you coulda been my dad.”
11. Themes (Common themes in 50s)
Women’s changing roles
- Jim’s mother, grandmother > Jim’s father
Post-war prosperity
- Cars, TVs, large houses etc.
The rise of suburbia
12. Aspects of Melodrama
Melodrama: sub-type of drama films,
characterized by a plot designed to appeal
strongly to the emotions
Family melodrama
- Conflicts in family
- Characters’ aspiration of happy family
Male melodrama
- Struggle of identity is the core
- Masculine figure becomes emotional
- “You did everything a man could.”
13. Aspects of Melodrama
Melodrama: moral tales that illustrate a battle
between good and evil
14. Conflicts / Struggles
Seeming vs. Being
- Judy acts differently according to the group
- Jim’s parents tell him not to confess to the
police
- “I don’t know! I mean maybe he doesn’t mean it
but he acts like he does.”
Lack of trust among all characters
- Judy hesitates following Jim to the room
- Plato loses trust for Jim when he leaves with
Judy
- Police shoots Plato even when Jim tells him
he’s safe
15. Conflicts / Struggles
Desire vs. Ability
- Jim’s desire for Judy
- Jim’s desire to see his father act like a man
- Judy’s desire to receive her father’s love
- Plato’s desire to be with Jim or his family
- Buzz’s desire to prove his authority and power
Expectation vs. Reality
16. Jim, Judy and Plato
Middle-class, misunderstood, alienated
teenagers
Identity-seeking Confusion
- “You're tearing me apart!...You say one thing, he
says another, and everybody changes back
again.”
- "I'll tell you one thing, I don't ever want to be like
him.”
Attain maturity through rebellion and tragic
circumstances
17. Plato (Sal Mineo)
Powerless figure
- Housemaid answers all his questions, tells him
what to do and stops him every time
- Only feels safe by a presence of Jim or gun
Skeptical of paternal gestures and kindness
- In the beginning, rejects Jim’s offer of jacket
in the end, accepts it
18. Plato (Sal Mineo)
Closeted gay
- Milestone for gay rights
- The first in a mainstream film to depict
homosexual desire
Psychopath
- Shoots puppies
19. Resolution
Three characters’ search for ideal father figure
- Jim Hears father say “I’ll stand up for you.”
- Judy and Plato Finds Jim
