Rebel Without a Cause

Rebel Without a Cause (1955) is a coming of age melodrama that challenges the conventions of the traditional American family, additionally the understanding of what defines masculinity. This paper will examine the theme and Mise-en-scène to investigate how and why Rebel Without a Cause was a revolutionary film for its time, for its character representation and unique approach to the cliché teen drama.

One of the most prevalent themes in this film is Teen Angst. In the first ten minutes of the film, the three main characters are introduced, Jim, Plato and Judy, and their backstories are unveiled. They collectively are experiencing issues with their parents, specifically their fathers, either by neglect, truancy, or mistreatment. Jim (played by James Dean) regularly deals with his cowardly Father who can’t stand up to his controlling mother, resulting in Jim being unable to connect with his father. Judy (Played by Natalie Wood) is neglected by her father and dresses provocatively, attempting to get attention from him. This ultimately results in verbal abuse. Plato (Played by Sal Mineo) grew up primarily without a father, additionally his mother is rarely around, leaving him in the care of the family housekeeper, with very few people to talk to. Plato is hinted as the most insane of the trio early in the film, since he was arrested for shooting puppies, hence the lack of parental influence could certainly be reasoning for that. This film stood out for showing unconventional family structures on the big screen, where the main characters were struggling with their issues with very little outside guidance. Most adults seem very distant or buffoonish in the eyes of the adolescents, only significantly contributing to the story during the climax when the police arrive at the planetarium. The characters feel isolated, leading them to make their own decisions for themselves.

Many films of the 1950’s are considered classics and continue to stand the test of time. Rebel Without a Cause is no exception. There are countless things about this film that are iconic in one way or another. Nicholas Ray did a tremendous job directing every aspect of this film, from the costumes, to the cinematography, to the actions of all characters on screen. The cinematography is very well executed, there are shots that repeatedly use close ups, low angles, shots in colossal open spaces, bright saturated colors, and triangles. One scene uses angles to its advantage and is loaded with Easter eggs waiting to be analyzed. After Buzz is killed in a car crash, Jim confesses to his parents what happened. After an argument, he tries to go up the stairs, only for his mother to run up the stairs past Jim and block him in his tracks. When this happens, the camera tilts to the left, used to emphasize power between Jim and his mother. This tilt is also significant because it now puts Jim in between his mother, who is on the stairs above him, and his father who is crouching at the bottom of the stairs, bowing his head in a shameful way. It could also mean that Jim’s Mother is higher in authority than him and his father. Jim constantly looks back and forth between the two sides, outraged why his parents are vetoing him confessing to the police. Throughout the film, the characters are arranged in triangles, including most scenes with Jim, Plato and Judy. Usually they are placed to where all of them are visible in the shot, and the color red is frequently used to bridge together the main characters.

Rebel Without a Cause is a prime example of a drama film. These films usually contain “characteristics of a serious play” (‘Drama.’ Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2018). They tend to follow the traditional three act structure and rely on character development during the story. The main character usually goes through a significant change in his life and grows as a person. Rebel follows many of these tropes, but is also considered a combination of teen, coming of age, and tragedy into a hybrid drama film.

Representation is a powerful tool and has the power to change how people view the world around them. At the time of Rebel being released, America was still far behind with adequate representation for anyone that wasn’t a heterosexual Caucasian. Rebel is considered an influential queer film for being one of the first major films to hint a homoerotic relationship between the two main male characters. Plato is heavily implied to be gay throughout the film, and that he has romantic feelings for Jim. From the photo of Alan Ladd in his locker, to how he acts when talking around or about Jim, it is clear he looks heavily up to him. Unfortunately, homosexual men were still viewed as mentally unstable, and Plato’s character type gives in to that stereotype as well. Additionally, Nicholas Ray wrote in the original screenplay for Jim and Plato to kiss, but Geoffrey Shurlock of the production code interfered stating “It is of course vital that there be no inference of a questionable or homosexual relationship between Plato and Jim.” (Kashner, Sam, and Jennifer MacNair, 2002.) Nicholas Ray and the writers worked around this block and used clever innuendos to imply the homoeroticism. Another trope with homosexuals in the production code era of films include them either getting punished or killed by the end of the film. This happens to Plato at the climax of Rebel, when he is shot dead by the police. For the time, Plato’s character was very well developed, even when still reinstating conventions, it was a huge step forward. Dysfunctional families were another topic of discussion in the film, for every main character is dealing with issues at home. It breaks conventions for what is considered the ‘traditional American family’ and brings light to ways of life that were considered taboo. With little parental guidance, this leads the main characters to act out a delusion of being their own happy family, with Jim as the father, Judy as the mother, and Plato as the child. Plato heavily looks up to Jim as a father figure that he never had, but unfortunately never got to experience that outside of his own fantasies.

Rebel Without a Cause is a film about teen angst, conformity, family, and postwar depression. It works because it was like nothing ever seen in theaters before. Taking place over a single day, it takes a fresh approach to the usual ‘Greaser’ film, and makes it more personal for the other guys who didn’t fit in.

Works Cited:

1. (‘Drama.’ Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2018)
2. (Kashner, Sam, and Jennifer MacNair, The Bad and the Beautiful: Hollywood in the Fifties. Time Warner Paperbacks, 2002.)