In de film "Rebel
Without a Cause"
(1955) raakt Jim, zoon van welgestelde ouders, in problemen
met enkele medestudenten op zijn nieuwe school. De rol van Jim wordt
gespeeld door de jonge acteur James Dean (1931-1955). Om te bewijzen dat hij
geen lafaard is doet Jim mee aan een gevaarlijke autorace, de zogenaamde 'chicken
run'. Het loopt verkeerd af en Dean krijgt samen met twee vrienden de
politie achter zich aan.
De film bestaat net als een klassiek drama uit 5
delen:
expositie van het conflict tussen ouders en
kinderen,
interactie tussen de jeugdigen onderling,
de climax: de chicken run.
de gevolgen
het tragisch einde
Wat vooral als shockerend
wordt ervaren is het feit dat deze film voor het eerst toont dat criminele
jongeren niet per definitie uit kansarme gezinnen komen. De titel van de
film, 'rebel zonder reden'" verwijst naar een algemener gevoel van
opstand onder jongeren van welgestelde gezinnen; deze jongeren worden
eigenlijk geacht niets te klagen te hebben. Het is juist de welvaartsstaat
die wordt bekritiseerd door jongeren in de jaren vijftig. Ouders, die geen
of weinig aandacht hebben voor hun kinderen. Laten we bijvoorbeeld Judy (gespeeld door Nathalie Wood) aan het woord over haar
vader: (Ray is haar
vriend aan het begin van de film)
Judy: He must hate me.
Ray: What?
Judy: He hates me.
Ray: What makes you think he hates you, Judy?
Judy: I don't think, I know. He looks at me like I was the ugliest thing
in the world. He doesn't like my friends. He doesn't like one thing about
me. He called me - he called me a dirty tramp, my own father.
Ray: Do you think your father really means that?
Judy: Yes. No. I don't know. I mean, maybe he doesn't mean it, but he acts
like he does. We were all together. We were gonna celebrate Easter and we
were gonna catch a double bill. Big deal! So I put on my new dress and I
came out, and he grabbed my face and he started rubbing off all the
lipstick. I thought he'd rub off my lips. And I ran out of that house.
Of een dialoog tussen Jim en zijn
vader ( op het politiebureau; Jim is dronken)
Jim's father: You see, we just moved here you understand, and uh, the kid
hasn't got any friends, you understand, and we moved into a...
Jim: Tell him why we moved here.
Jim's father: Will you hold it Jim?
Jim: ...Tell the man why we moved here.
Jim's father: Will you hold it?
Jim: You can't protect me.
Jim's father: Do you mind if I try? Do - do you have to slam the door in
my face? I try to get to him. What happens? (To Jim) Don't I buy
everything you want? A bicycle, you get a bicycle, a car.
Jim: You buy me many things.
Jim's father: Well, not just buy. We give you love and affection, don't
we? Well, then, what is it?
You're tearing me apart!...You say one thing, he says another, and
everybody changes back again.
Nog steeds op het bureau. Ray is
een agent van politie.
Jim: They think that they can protect me by moving around all the time.
Ray: You had a good start in the wrong direction back there. Why'd you do
it?
Jim: Whaddya mean? Mess a kid up?
Ray: Yeah.
Jim: Called me 'chicken.'
Ray: And your folks didn't understand.
Jim: (He assents) They never do. They think that I can make friends if we
move. Just move - everything will be roses and sunshine.
Ray: But you don't think that's the right solution.
Jim: (after spying on his parents through the round slot in the door) Aw,
she eats him alive and he takes it.
Ray: Things pretty rough for you at home?
Jim: What a zoo!
Ray: What?
Jim: It's a zoo. He always wants to be my pal, you know? But how can I
give him anything? If he's, well, I mean I love him and all that type of
stuff, and I-I mean, I don't want to hurt him. But then, I don't, I don't,
well I don't know what to do anymore, except maybe die.
Judy 's morgens aan het ontbijt met
haar vader:
Judy: Daddy?...Haven't you forgotten something?
Father: What? (She forces a kiss on him.) (He mocks her need for affection
and humiliates her, embarrassed because she is too old.) What's the matter
with you? You're getting too old for that kind of stuff, kiddo. You can
stop doing that long ago.
Judy: I didn't want to stop.
Judy: I guess I just don't understand anything.
Father: I'm tired. I'd like to change the subject.
Judy: Why?
Father: I'd just like to, that's all. Girls your age don't do things like
that. You need an explanation?...
Judy: Girls don't love their father? Since when? Since I got to be 16?
Father (after slapping her and chastising her with a reprimanding tone):
Stop that! Sit down!
Judy: May I please be excused?
Father: Hey, hey glamour-puss. I'm sorry. We'll break the date. We'll stay
home.
Judy: This isn't my home. (She leaves, slamming the front door.)
Father: I don't know what to do. All of a sudden, she's, she's a problem.
En haar moeder weet ook geen raad
met haar!
She'll outgrow it dear, it's just the age...It's just the age when nothing
fits.
En Plato fantaseert tegenover Judy
over zijn relatie met Jim:
Judy: Is he a friend of yours?
Plato: Yeah, yeah, he's my best friend.
Judy: What's he like?
Plato: Oh, I don't know. You have to get to know him. He doesn't say much
but, but when he does, you know he means it. He's sincere.
Judy: Well that's the main thing...
Plato: Maybe next summer, he's gonna take me hunting with him, and fishing.
I want him to teach me how, because I know he won't get mad if I goof. His
name's Jim. It's, it's really James, but he likes Jim more. And people he
really likes, he lets them call him Jamie.
Judy: Jamie?
En met Plato in het verlaten huis
doen ze even volwassenen na:
Plato: Well, what do you think of my castle?
Jim and Judy: Wow, Shoo, Gee, Wow.
Jim: Well, now, there, then, uh, I think we'll take it for the summer.
Plato: Right this way.
Jim (to Judy): Oh, uh, uh. Would you like to rent it, or are you more in
the mood to buy, dear?
Judy: You decide darling.
Jim: Oh yes, yes. (Both with affected accents.)
Judy: Remember our budget.
Plato: Oh, don't give it a thought. It's, uh, only three million dollars a
month.
Jim: What?
Judy: Oh, we can manage that. I'll scrimp and I'll save and I'll work my
fingers to the bone.
Jim: You see, we're newlyweds.
Judy. Yes. Oh there's just one thing. What about...
Plato (finishing her sentence): ...children? Right this way.
Judy: Yes.
Plato: See, we really don't encourage them. They're so noisy and
troublesome, don't you agree?
En over kinderen bij het
leegstaande zwembad:
Plato: They can carry on and you'll never even notice.
Jim: Oh, a sunken nursery.
Plato: In fact, if you lock them in, you'll never have to see them again.
Much less talk to them.
Judy: Talk to them. Heavens.
Jim: Nobody talks to children.
Judy: No, they just tell them.
En eindelijk alleen..........
Judy: Is this what it's like to love somebody?
Jim: I don't know.
Judy: What kind of a person do you think a girl wants?
Jim: A man.
Judy: Yes. But a man who can be gentle and sweet...
Jim: Yeh...
Judy: ...like you are...and someone who doesn't run away when you want
them. Like being Plato's friend when nobody else liked him. That's being
strong.
Jim: Oh, wow...I'm not going to be lonely any more, ever, ever. Not you or
me.
Judy: I love somebody. All the time I've been looking for someone to love
me, and now I love somebody, and it's so easy. Why is it easy now?
Jim: I don't know. It is for me too.
Judy: I love you Jim. I really mean it.
(They seal their love with a passionate kiss.)
Met Plato loopt het niet goed af.
Van de drie films
waarin James Dean speelt, de andere twee zijn East of Eden en Giant, is dit
de film die het dichtst bij hem zelf staat. Het lijkt wel of Dean hier
zichzelf speelt. Een gevoelige delinquent, een losgeslagen jongen. Ook zijn
slofferige manier van lopen, de bungelende sigaret in zijn mondhoek en zijn
voorliefde voor autoraces zijn verweven met zijn persoonlijkheid.
James Deans faam neemt na
zijn dood - ten gevolge van een auto-ongeluk - onmiddellijk legendarische
proporties aan en nog steeds is hij een van de populaire icoons van de
jeugd uit de jaren vijftig.
Samenstelling
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01/03/2011
update
