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vendredi 29 mars 2024

Rebel without a Cause was directed by Nicholas Ray in 1955

 

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Eisenhower was the president of the USA. A long and terrible war against North Vietnam began, and also a cold war against communism (with Mc Carthy and his famous “witch hunt”). However, in this after war time, America knew a real economic increase and baby boom. But, paradoxically, at that time , worrying, disturbing articles about teenagehood could be read …

Teenagers were well dressed, lived in very comfortable houses, but they suffered from a feeling of general discomfort, and ill-being. Most of them got involved in gangs, they regularly fought, they took part in very dangerous car races. Intimidation and show of force were usually used . Why ? The news-papers and the American society grown-ups thought that teenagers of that time had become “rebels without a cause”…

 

Stewart Stern, the script -writer of the film, used this expression by way of a title for his film , and decided to investigate on this teenage revolt cause because he was convinced that it really existed.

It’s dark. The scene takes place at night. Jimmy, the main character, is lying in the road. The camera is also placed on the road/ ground in front of him. Jimmy looks drunk. The background is blurred (not sharp) in the same way as Jimmy’s mind . The operator may have used a zoom in, focusing onto Jimmy. But a sign can be noticed in the background on the left with “danger / keep out “ on it . It may be a sort of warning about what is going to happen. Jimmy may be in danger.  

Jimmy wears a black suit and the area around him looks posh.

In the foreground a small plaything, a small mechanical doll, can be seen. Jimmy is watching it as if he was taking pity on it, as if he was taking pity on himself because this small toy seems to be a reflection of himself. Jimmy’s position makes us take pity on him.

The mechanical doll may symbolize that Jimmy is manipulated, that someone prevents him from acting, behaving and thinking by himself.

But who is manipulating Jimmy? Why does he feel so ill-at-ease ? The film may answer these questions.

More information about the film:

Film site movie review: background and story

Analysis and Story-telling

La Fureur de vivre - Duel au Couteau

Rebel without a cause by David Slocum, Associate Dean in the Graduate School of Arts and Science at New York University, where he teaches Cinema Studies. He is the editor of Rebel Without a Cause: Approaches to a Maverick Masterwork (SUNY Press, 2005).


Two interesting analyses in pdf format (Click on the links to download the files)

Fureur_de_vivre_CAHIER.pdf  
mis en ligne par le Ministère de l'Education et Ministère de la Culture et des Communications (Août 1997) du Québec

Films à la fiche.pdf  mis en ligne par  www.lamediatheque.be :
La naissance d'un mythe
Pistes de réflexion quant aux thématiques, à la narration
Contextes
Analyse d'une séquence

Finding the Father: A Psychoanalytic Study of Rebel Without a Cause, présenté par http://sensesofcinema.com

Portrait de James Dean

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