nicholas ray's REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)

i was alarmed and heartbroken to find that, after years of putting it off until i could see it on the big screen (mostly because it's a usual suspect for revival) that the tragic second act of Rebel Without A Cause had been ruthlessly spoiled for me years and years ago by Paula Abdul's "Rush, Rush" video. that aside, though, the film is still remarkably fresh for its age, and deep; the name (borrowed from a psychology book because...well, because it's a great name for an iconic movie) is colossally inaccurate, as every mote of rebellion (or, rather, angst) is poignantly delineated as a horrible, ineffable gift from parent to child, as Jim, Judy and Plato struggle to find the path to adulthood when the adults around them withhold influence, love, even presence. ("How can a guy grow up in a circus like that?" "Beats me, Jim. But they do.") James Dean is a revelation; i must admit this is the only one of his few films i've seen, but it's immediately clear why he still haunts American iconography. he was a beauty with a beautiful gift.