wab-wad replied to your post: I’m so interested in understanding Rebel Without a...
Part of the reason it did well was because it was the first film to acknowledge kids even had issues, it introduced the idea of the teenager - a stage between kid and adult - and James dean was showcasing method acting which, until him and Brando, wasn’t a thing. There’s such a difference between the adult actors in the film and Dean and Wood. Interestingly, it’s heavily suggested Plato is gay - the studio toned it down for fear of arrest
Plato’s homosexuality, I thought, was only downplayed by the whole ‘he just wants a family’ storyline, which I didn’t love, but makes sense in context. That’s all really interesting! When you’re so used to modern cinema, it’s kind of tough to appreciate the very different format of the 50s, especially when the pacing and lines are really weird (the failed communication where Jim doesn’t know if he should go to the bluff but then decides to go whilst his father isn’t paying attention?) I’m also curious as to whether the father wearing the apron was supposed to signal parents trying hard to be there for their kid, just not knowing how?
Bedankt! ♥
