Kimberly Catello

Mr. Reed

History in Film 262

East of Eden

(1955)

Stars

James Dean as Cal Trask

Julie Harris as Abra

Raymond Massy as Adam Trask

Burl Ives as Sam the sheriff

Jo Van Fleet as the mother Kate

This movie takes place in and around WW1, in Salinas Valley, CA. Cal Trask, played by the young James Dean, is fighting for the attention of his distant father Adam, played by Raymond Massey. Cal’s brother Aron, who gets most of the father’s love, has a character change towards the end of the movie when he finds out the truth about his once-thought dead mother. The pressure of the World War finally breaks the favored son and he sends himself to war, leaving his lost brother to pick up the pieces of his broken father.

            This movie shows the change in one family because of the war. Adam takes a job at the draft board and realizes how hard it is to send these men, most of whom he knows on a personal level, off to war. The golden boy Aron is scared of the war and does not want to join. He knows that, being the oldest, he will be the first to be drafted.

            When Adam loses most of his money in the lettuce business (he tries to chill the lettuce and send it across country), Cal takes this as his chance to win his father’s love. Cal decides to plant beans knowing the country will join the war soon. After earning all of the money back his father lost, Cal wants to give it to his father as a birthday present. To Cal’s surprise his father will not accept the money because of how it was earned. This pushes Cal over the edge, and he sets out to hurt his father and brother with the truth of their estranged mother Kate.

            The film fallows the biblical story of Cain and Abel. Here too the father is named Adam. The famous quote used in the film “I’m not my brother’s keeper” is also from the book of Genesis.

This film received overwhelmingly great reviews. On the website Rotten Tomatos.com, this film received 91%. Out of the 23 reviews it received, only 2 were bad.

This is James Dean’s break through roll, his first major motion picture. Out of the three movies he made in his short career, this is the only premier he was alive to attend. After his death (September 30, 1955), he received several award nominations for this movie, including an Oscar nomination for best actor.

Awards received and nominations

Academy awards

Won: Oscar Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Jo Van Fleet

Nominated: Best actor in leading role: James Dean

Best director: Elia Kazan

Best writing, screen play: Paul Osborn

BAFTA Film award

Nominated: best film from any Source USA

Best Foreign Actor: James Dean

Most Promising Newcomer: Jo Van Fleet

Blue Ribbon Award

Won: Best Foreign Language Film

Cannes Film Festival

Won: Best Dramatic Film

Nominated: Golden Palm

Directors Guild of America

Nominated: Outstanding Director Achievement in a Motion Picture

Golden Globes:

Won: Best Motion Picture- Drama 1956