East of Eden
Composite Score: 81.6
Starring: James Dean, Raymond Massey, Julie Harris, Burl Ives, Richard Davalos, and Jo Van Fleet
Director: Elia Kazan
Writers: John Steinbeck and Paul Osborn
Genres: Drama, History
MPAA Rating: PG for thematic elements and some violent content
Box Office: $24,079 worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Based on the novel of the same name by John Steinbeck, East of Eden tells the story of the Trask family in the 1910s right around the entry of the United States into World War I. Its exploration of family connections and the need for love continue to resonate years later, and the performances contained in it are phenomenal. James Dean and Jo Van Fleet both received Oscar nominations for their performances, and Van Fleet actually won for Best Supporting Actress. Driven by the family drama at its heart, East of Eden compels as it recounts the story of Cain and Abel in a new setting with different lessons at its heart.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
The film does, at times, expect its audience to accept certain actions on the part of Cal, its protagonist, without much explanation. James Dean plays Cal with a highly devil-may-care attitude, which works better as his character and history develop throughout the film, making him into a more sympathetic case. However, at the film’s outset, not much is known about Cal, and he is immediately throwing rocks at houses and chucking ice down chutes – random acts of destruction – for no apparent reason, which can be frustrating to an audience, making it difficult to connect early on. As the film continues, his development helps explain some of these actions, but the opening of the film might fail to grip some viewers.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
James Dean and Jo Van Fleet were straight up acting in this film. Dean’s charisma helps his character dominate every scene he appears in. Something about his quiet, simple delivery demands the audience pay attention. Even in the moments where the audience and those around him become frustrated with his actions, you can’t help but watch because you want to know what this guy is going to do next. Van Fleet plays Kate, Cal’s estranged mother who works as a madam in the neighboring town of Monterey. For the most part, her performance accomplishes the mysterious air of a woman trying to distance herself from her past. The scene that really shows off her acting chops and probably won her the Oscar is when Cal comes to borrow $5000 from her to go into the bean business. In that moment, Jo Van Fleet is immediately in her element – and Kate along with her – talking passionately about her desire to be untethered, which is then combined with her clear care for Cal and his brother and father. Her performance dominates even James Dean in that moment, drawing the audience in and getting them to empathize, if only for a moment, with what can only be described as a deadbeat mother – an incredibly impressive feat of acting.
The film’s allegorical nature, setting the story of Cain and Abel against the backdrop of America’s joining World War I, fascinates, drawing you in with a promise of tragedy and then twisting that expectation with a new take and new message for the biblical narrative. Rather than killing Aron and being banished from town at the end (though both are very clear possibilities), Cal shows Aron the truth about their mother, causing Aron to flee to the War (possibly still a death sentence) and their father to have a stroke. When the sheriff, Sam played by Burl Ives, tells Cal to leave town by quoting the actual Bible story of Cain and Abel, Cal chooses instead to stay and make amends with his father Adam, played by Raymond Massey. By framing the story of Cain and Abel (Cal and Aron) as a family drama about gaining a father’s love rather than a cosmic tale of pleasing God, the film gives the story a broader application. It emphasizes the need for fathers to love their children and the fact that such love cannot be bought or even earned, but freely offered. It explores the importance of loyalty in familial relationships and the potential issues that come when one parent or another does not give love to their children. The challenge of the film is compelling and relatively universal, whether you have a good relationship with your parents/children or no relationship at all.
The universal nature of East of Eden’s story, its fresh take on the biblical Cain and Abel narrative, and the phenomenal performances of James Dean and Jo Van Fleet establish the film as a truly Great Film, worth watching and probably rewatching as well. Once you buy in to the film’s characters and story, you will be rewarded with a heartfelt and moving story about the importance of family relationships and the complicated ways they play out in our lives. Definitely find a way to see this film when you get the chance, because it is absolutely a must-watch.
