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By
NICK ZEGARAC
Of all three films featured
in Warner's new James Dean box set, Elia Kazan's
"East Of Eden" (1955) is probably the most
anticipated, and for good reason. For in its
brilliant pacing, its strong characterizations and
its intensity and honesty, it remains one of a
handful of 50s films that consistently holds up
under even the most hardened scrutiny of today's
cynical film critic. Long precluded from general
release, because of a rights issue, this film
based on John Steinbeck's classic literary
masterwork of paradise lost, takes place in
Salinas Valley, in and around World War I. James
Dean is ideally cast as Cal Trask, a brash young
man of conviction who feels he is being forced to
compete for fatherly nepotism against his brother
Aron (Richard Davalos). The boy's father, lettuce
farmer, Adam (Raymond Massey) to be sure, favors
Aron. Hence, around every corner, in every venture
or endeavor that Cal undertakes, he is frustrated
and ultimately defeated.
Eventually the two brothers grow in conflict over
Abra (Julie Harris) a fine young flower of a girl
who at first takes a shine to Aron but slowly
begins to appreciate the finer character in Cal.
This Cain and Abel-ish tale slowly unravels to its
tragic end, but in such a swell of emotion and
longing, that the viewer is quite suddenly
astonished to recognize the long absence in our
own character driven dramas that current cinema
culture seems to have completely forgotten about.
In their cameos as kept women of a brothel Anne
and Kate -- the latter being Cal's mother -- Jo
Van Fleet and Lois Smith absolutely tear one's
heart out with their subtle and poignant
performances. Kazan, who was soon to be labeled a
communist by HUAC -- then exonerated for naming
names, but blacklisted by his own kind in
Hollywood, very clearly has a handle on what makes
Steinbeck's novel tick. He fills the vast expanses
of Cinemascope with subtle nuances that make the
fish-eye process seem intimate and sleek, and he
imbues the overriding narrative with a
particularly touching sense of lost love and
looming tragedy that works so well, one almost
forgets this is a movie.
Of all three films included in the James Dean box
set, this is the one that looks the worst on DVD.
Having said that, the results are not all together
terrible. Though the palette of color is rather
faded in comparison to the other two films
reviewed ("Rebel Without A Cause," and "Giant")
alone it is quite adequate for a film of this
vintage. Flesh tones are slightly pasty. Blacks
are generally more deep brown or gray than black.
Whites are rarely clean. There is a considerable
amount of film grain during scene transitions, as
is in keeping with early Cinemascope productions.
The anamorphically enhanced DVD is otherwise par
for the course. The audio is 5.1 and exhibits a
dated, but accurate characteristic. Extras include
a biography and an intense making of documentary,
as well as audio commentary and theatrical
trailer. Overall, nicely put together from the
good people over at Warner and so right to have
this film back where it belongs amongst the all
time great works of art in American cinema. |
