A rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies.A rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies.A rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies.
- Nominated for 3 Oscars
- 3 wins & 7 nominations total
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Iconic Movie Moments: 'Rebel Without a Cause'
Iconic Movie Moments: 'Rebel Without a Cause'
In celebration of the 65th anniversary of Rebel Without a Cause, we take a look back at the iconic film, starring James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe exterior of the mansion where the main characters confront each other with guns, as well as the empty pool in which they sit and discuss their lives, previously appeared in Sunset Blvd. (1950). The pool had been built specially for the earlier film, as a condition of renting the property from its owner, Mrs. Jean Paul Getty.
- GoofsWhen Jim takes the ammunition clip out of Plato's pistol, he fails to remove the round that would have already been housed in the chamber.
- Alternate versionsTo receive a UK cinema certificate, the film was extensively cut by the BBFC. The entire knife fight scene between Jim and Buzz was removed, and heavy edits were made to the chicken race scene, to shots of Jim attempting to throttle his father, and to the fight between Jim and probation officer Fremick. Although the distributors initially wanted an 'A' certificate, they were told that further cuts would have to be made, so the above print was released as an 'X'. All later UK releases were fully uncut, and since 1986 the film has been PG rated.
- ConnectionsEdited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Une histoire seule (1989)
- SoundtracksRide of the Valkyries
(uncredited)
from "Die Walküre"
Composed by Richard Wagner
[Hummed by Jim in the police station]
Featured review
Well you gotta do SOMETHIN'.
I'm getting really sick of people on here saying "this film is not relevant today, because kids don't face the same problems, blah blah..." when these are ADULTS saying this, who wouldn't know the first thing about the problems kids face today because they aren't one. Well I'm 16 and I can say that this film is every bit as involving and affecting as it was the day it came out. I mean, name one thing in Rebel that isn't a part of teen life now. Drag racing: that's the only thing.
But anyway, the movie. I'm a hard-core film buff and have seem many many many many movies in my 16 years. Only two of them have accurately depicted teen life: Rebel Without a Cause and a beautiful Japanese anime film called Whisper of the Heart. Rebel on a whole is a bit exaggerated, but it's only fitting - a teen exaggerates everything that happens to them. In fact, some of the images and themes - kids and adults seem to be speaking different languages, a group of outcasts living in a secluded house - would be right at home in a Bunuel film. That house of outcasts in particular is very touching...I think all teens would want to live away from the real world once in a awhile.
The three principal characters are all like people I know. Sal Mineo as the troubled kid who wants nothing more than a friend. Natalie Wood as the girl who just goes along with what other people do because she wants to fit in. And of course, the ultra-cool James Dean as the kid who may have a rough-and-tumble exterior, but who is really a big softie at heart. Dean was a bit of a revelation to me. I'd never seen one of his movies before, so I assumed that, like Marilyn Monroe, it was the image that people grieved over and not the talent. Boy was I wrong. The guy could act. When he howls "You're tearing me apart!" at the beginning, you know what you're in store for.
The depiction of the parents also must have been a revelation for 1955 audiences. Juvenile delinquents had been (and are continuing to be) depicted as either overall bad seeds or having abusive parents. This film was the first to acknowledge that something as simple as a lack of communication and an unwillingness to pay attention to your child can do just as much damage.
Nicholas Ray's direction was also excellent. Besides coming up with the idea for Jim's red jacket to "make him stick out more" you have Plato's mismatched socks, and I was also surprised by the frequently-titled camera. I didn't know they did that back then! It certainly added more to the disjointed feeling and wasn't just there for style purposes like todays movies.
The only point at which the film falters is the pat resolution between Jim and his parents at the end. But the ending is great otherwise, with a wonderfully framed shot of the observatory, proving Jim's theory that the world will end at dawn.
But anyway, the movie. I'm a hard-core film buff and have seem many many many many movies in my 16 years. Only two of them have accurately depicted teen life: Rebel Without a Cause and a beautiful Japanese anime film called Whisper of the Heart. Rebel on a whole is a bit exaggerated, but it's only fitting - a teen exaggerates everything that happens to them. In fact, some of the images and themes - kids and adults seem to be speaking different languages, a group of outcasts living in a secluded house - would be right at home in a Bunuel film. That house of outcasts in particular is very touching...I think all teens would want to live away from the real world once in a awhile.
The three principal characters are all like people I know. Sal Mineo as the troubled kid who wants nothing more than a friend. Natalie Wood as the girl who just goes along with what other people do because she wants to fit in. And of course, the ultra-cool James Dean as the kid who may have a rough-and-tumble exterior, but who is really a big softie at heart. Dean was a bit of a revelation to me. I'd never seen one of his movies before, so I assumed that, like Marilyn Monroe, it was the image that people grieved over and not the talent. Boy was I wrong. The guy could act. When he howls "You're tearing me apart!" at the beginning, you know what you're in store for.
The depiction of the parents also must have been a revelation for 1955 audiences. Juvenile delinquents had been (and are continuing to be) depicted as either overall bad seeds or having abusive parents. This film was the first to acknowledge that something as simple as a lack of communication and an unwillingness to pay attention to your child can do just as much damage.
Nicholas Ray's direction was also excellent. Besides coming up with the idea for Jim's red jacket to "make him stick out more" you have Plato's mismatched socks, and I was also surprised by the frequently-titled camera. I didn't know they did that back then! It certainly added more to the disjointed feeling and wasn't just there for style purposes like todays movies.
The only point at which the film falters is the pat resolution between Jim and his parents at the end. But the ending is great otherwise, with a wonderfully framed shot of the observatory, proving Jim's theory that the world will end at dawn.
helpful•21956
- Evan-29
- May 18, 2000
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Juvenile Story
- Filming locations
- Griffith Observatory, 2800 E Observatory Rd, Los Angeles, California, USA(planetarium and climactic shootout)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,500,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $212,780
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $116,668
- Sep 23, 2018
- Gross worldwide
- $214,883
- Runtime1 hour 51 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.55 : 1
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![James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Corey Allen in Rebel Without a Cause (1955)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYzk2ZDU3MmMtMDBmMi00YWIyLTkxM2YtZjg3MzgyOTAzZjg0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUzOTY1NTc@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,3,90,133_.jpg)