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Rebel without a Cause PG rating

Nicholas Ray’s iconic film offers a sympathetic perspective to teenage anguish in a paranoid adult world.

Drama 1955 111 mins

Director: Nicholas Ray

CC

Overview

Crossing paths at a local police station, teenagers Jim (Dean), Judy (Wood) and Plato (Mineo) express their frustrations with the adults in their lives. Ray’s CinemaScope classic exposes the façade of idyllic family life in the suburbs, juxtaposing it with the tangible feeling of fear and distrust towards authority figures that was prevalent in 1950s America. Originally filmed on black and white stock, Dean’s rising stardom convinced Warner Bros. to switch to colour and reshoot many scenes. Ray’s vivid use of colour not only accentuated his filmmaking style, but also gave us the iconic image of Dean dressed in red, white and blue.

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