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BY RICHARD TARR Rebel Without A Cause (1955) is perhaps best known as the vehicle which helped establish its lead actor, James Dean, as a Hollywood icon and subsequently one of cinemas most recognisable figures. However the aspect of the film I wish to discuss is that of Jim Stark (Dean) and his relationship with his family, in particular his father, which I propose gives the rebel of the title, a cause. Robert Linder penned the story of Rebel and as a renowned expert on adolescence (as well as a pioneer of hypnotherapy and a criminal psychologist), in his words, his interest was with "the conflict between protest and conformity that faced young people today" and "the problem of the individual's desire to preserve himself in the face of overwhelming demands for social conformity" (Sight and Sound, 1956). These themes were taken to heart by the movies' director, Nicholas Ray, whose original vision saw the film titled The Blind Run, due to his vision of a fast moving world which offers little opportunity of guidance for youth. Ray and the three script writers whom worked on the movie (Uris, Schulman and Stern), worked to produce a piece which looks at delinquency in a manner which, possibly, wasn't typical of the mainstream stories of youth at this period in history. The mid nineteen fifties saw the blandness and the hangover of two decades of economic uncertainty and war cast off in America, and as a consequence there was a youth market which seemingly gained momentum rapidly and became a viable market for utilisation and comment by the media. The "unusual" nature of the film is that it showcases a delinquency not of the usual teenage angst for freedom and nonconformity, but rather the lack of guidance offered to youth and the young people of Americas' desperate need (wish) for society to help them to conform (to be the Americans they want to be). The role of the family, in particular the interaction between Jim and Mr Stark, is the main theme of Rebel. Rays directing style uses many set pieces during the film but this initial scene sets the tone for the remainder of the film.. Jim Stark is a young man who drinks and gets into constant scrapes with other people and his family. As the film begins Jim is shown, drunk, in a police station. He is drunk in this scene and despite this supposedly "adult" situation, Jim is shown to be a child in a adult location. The displacement utilised by the director is exposed to the audience by our initial glimpse of the Stark family as they enter the station and confront Jim. Jim's mother, despite being composed, is visibly upset with her boy, yet her father seems to be taking the events in good heart. When Jim asks his father to sit in the stations large throne- like chair (in the station waiting room) and be "the king" (childlike) his father duly obliges thinking it will please his son, Jim however becomes angry with his father.
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