"This guy is it!" James Dean as Cal in East of Eden (1955)

#135 Thoughts on the book, movie, and movie star

Head down and eyes up is a move Dean mastered.

Happy Holidays, readers!

It’s been a highly rewarding reading year and I hope to publish a “Best Of” list in the next few weeks. A major contributor to the success of my reading year was participating in The Big Read! We read Lonesome Dove, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, The Count of Monte Cristo, “The Lottery,” and most recently East of Eden to finish the year. As the kids say: “Bangers!”

Not only did I read those books and get a lot out of the online discussion, but true to form, I watched the movies or TV series adaptations. Today I want to share a few thoughts on the reading experience of John Steinbeck’s East of Eden and the 1955 film starring James Dean.

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The Book

I loved reading this book. It has a depth that is sometimes hard to find in today’s novels. There is so much truth and wisdom. The characters of Lee and Samuel Hamilton are on my list of favorite protagonists. They are rich characters full of life and light.

In many ways this book reminds me of scripture — the themes are somewhat obvious and right there for the taking, but that doesn’t make them less meaningful or impactful. Steinbeck said:

What is the purpose of being a writer? To reconnect humans to their own humanity. Their memory of compassion, their memory of pain, their memory of things. They forget.¹

In many ways this book is a reminder of all that and more.

The Movie

The movie is fascinating. Made in 1955 by acclaimed director and friend of Steinbeck, Elia Kazan, it was nominated for four Academy Awards.² During the casting process, Kazan and Steinbeck met with James Dean and neither liked him, but both knew he was perfect for the part of Cal. Kazan said:

As I got to talking to [Dean] more and more, I said “This guy is it!” And I called Steinbeck up and said “I found a guy who may not be a great actor, but he is it! Is that important?” And he said, “If he is it, send him up.” So I sent him up to John and John said “I don’t like the guy, but he’s it. He’s the guy.”³

Dean certainly brings an “it” factor to the role of Cal. He sulks, broods, slouches and drapes himself on parts of the set and fellow cast members. His body language is a major part of the performance.

Dean had a strained relationship to his own father, which likely informed his performance, but he also butted heads with costar Raymond Massey, who plays Cal’s father Adam Trask. It was a tension that director Elia Kazan encouraged. Kazan said:

[Dean] was always cutting in on [Massey’s] lines, saying the wrong lines. Massey had learned the script exactly and he would say to me “He’s not saying the lines” and I’d say alright, I’ll get him to say the lines and I was tricky – I let Jimmy do it the way he wanted because it irritated [Massey]. You think I would do anything to stop that antagonism? No, I increased it. Because it was the central thing that I photographed. What I photographed was their relationship to each other, the absolute hatred for each other.

Manipulative, but I can’t argue with its effectiveness. In the central scene of the film, that antagonism shines through.

I hope you get a chance to check out the film. It doesn’t come close to the scope and depth of the book, but it’s a piece of cinema history and an adaptation that I’ve enjoyed watching and learning more about.⁴

Thanks for reading! I wish you and yours peace and joy as the year comes to a close.

Kyle

1. Related by Tom Steinbeck in an interview on iTunes Extra “EAST OF EDEN: Art in Search of Life.”

2. Paul Osborn for Best Screenplay, James Dean for Best Lead Actor, Elia Kazan for Best Director, Jo Van Fleet for Best Supporting Actress (winner).

3. Interview with Elia Kazan in iTunes Extra “EAST OF EDEN: Art in Search of Life.”

4. End Notes: I purchased the film on iTunes and it came with Extras such as the “Art in Search of Life” interviews referenced above as well as screen tests, deleted scenes, footage from the New York City premiere, and commentary from film historian Richard Schickel.

This film is not the only adaptation, there’s also a mini-series with Jane Seymour as Cathy. I won’t be watching it because I’m afraid to sully the image of Dr. Quinn.