The strong screen adaptation of John Steinbeck's 1952 novel features the debut of James Dean. Like Cain with Abel, a black sheep competes with his brother for his father's love--with tragic results.
Shot in WarnerColor and CinemaScope.
Rated BBFC PG by the British Board of Film Classification.
DVD Features:
Region (unknown)
Keep Case
Additional Release Material:
Vintage Documentary
Additional Scenes
Text/Photo Gallery:
Design Gallery
Product; East of Eden: Special Edition (Dbl DVD)
Packaging-Type; Double Amaray Case
special-feature; name; Documentaries - ? New 50th-Anniversary Documentary East of Eden: Art in Search of Life
? Vintage Documentary Forever James Dean
? Additional Scenes
? Screen Tests
? Wardrobe Tests, Costume and Production Design Gallery
? 3/19/1955 New York Premiere Footage
Distributor Notes: Based on John Steinbeck's novel and directed by Elia Kazan, East of Eden is the first of three major films that make up James Dean's movie legacy. The 24-year-old idol-to-be plays Cal, a wayward Salinas Valley youth who vies for the affection of his hardened father (Raymond Massey) with his favored brother Aron (Richard Davalos). Playing off the haunting sensitivity of Julie Harris, Dean's performance earned one of the film's four Academy Award nominations. Among the movie's stellar performances, Jo Van Fleet won the Oscar as Best Supporting Actress.
Source: Warner Home Video
Art Director
Malcolm Bert: Art Director
Cinematographer
Ted McCord:
Featured
Richard Davalos: Supporting Actor
Production Designer
James Basevi: Production Designer/Efx
Costume Designer
Anna Hill Johnstone:
Review 1:
"[I]t's easy to see why Dean set off a youthquake that still rumbles almost 50 years after his death....He captures brooding, adolescent confusion with a seductive, rock-star charisma."
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.68 06/03/2005
Review 2:
"Elia Kazan's classic movie of John Steinbeck's novel..."
Source: USA Today
p.7E 06/03/2005
Review 3:
"EAST is not only one of Kazan's richest films and Dean's first significant role, it is also arguably the actor's best performance."
Source: Los Angeles Times
p.E12 06/10/2005
Review 4:
"[I]t's not hard to be seduced by the performances or by the photography, which makes arresting use of widescreen space and skewed angles..."
Source: Sight and Sound
p.84 07/01/2005