James Dean (1931-1955)

Rebel Without a Cause

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 bronmateriaal ten behoeve van het nieuwe vak ckv-1 uit het algemeen deel  voor havo en atheneum.  Meewerken aan deze site? Opsturen via e-mail is voldoende. 

Is er zonder uw toestemming en zonder bronvermelding gebruik gemaakt van uw teksten? Onze verontschuldigingen hierover. Laat het ons weten en wij geven een juiste bronvermelding of halen het materiaal van internet. Een financiele vergoeding kunnen wij niet geven: het Nederlandse onderwijs is een kale kip en daar valt dus niets te plukken.
02/10/2002 update SG Groenewald