James Dean's Second Movie example essay topic

"Dream as if you " ll live forever, live as if you " ll die today". Those are the words of a young James Dean. Dean was a small town boy from Fairmount, Indiana, who loved fast cars and fine arts. Mildred Dean, James' mother, died when he was merely nine. Dean made many breakthroughs in the acting business. He took small town dreams and turned them into big city lights.

He made all of this possible with his goals and dreams, Dean said, 'All the world is my stage and that is how I plan to live my life. ' Though Dean made only three movies, he was showered with affection and loved by America. James Dean was perhaps the most influential star of his time, changing the entertainment industry with his carefree style and rebellious ways. James Dean attended the University of California, Los Angeles where he met actor James Whitmore, and landed a small part in the television show, Hill Number One. After dropping out of school, Dean worked as a parking lot attendant in Los Angeles.

Eventually, after landing small roles here and there, he left Hollywood. for New York. Once James was in New York, he soon landed a spot in the Actors Studio, run by Lee Strassburg. He gained a small part in the Broadway play, See the Jaguar, and after that his career took off. He was offered a contract to Warner Brothers, and began filming East of Eden He won the Daniel Blum award for, best newcomer, for the play, The Immoralist.

Dean loved anything that was fast, especially his cars. He was notorious for having the fastest, most dangerous cars around. In his spare time, he loved to race, and he drove to a race almost every weekend. He was always looking for an adrenaline rush, and the greatest, was the one he found in his racing.

East of Eden was James Dean's most successful movie, by far. "Eden" brought more awards and nominations than Giant or Rebel without a Cause would combined. East of Eden is the modern age story of the Biblical brothers, Cain and Abel. Dean plays Cal, symbolizing Cain, a son competing with his brother Aron, symbolizing Abel, for the affection of his father, Adam.

"Eden" was released in 1955; it was the only film to be released before Dean's death. This film was Jimmy's first major motion picture, and is remembered as the root of his success. This film was highly controversial and is said to have influenced many more films to be made soon after its release. James Dean's second movie, Rebel without a Cause, was released very shortly after Dean's death and was regarded as a perfect depiction of James Dean's personality. Though East of Eden gave Jimmy his start, "Rebel" made him a star. In Rebel without a Cause, Dean plays a rebellious teenager who finds company in his friends, two social outcasts.

Dean's character is on a seemingly endless search to find his place in an un accepting society. This movie was an exceptional depiction of many teenagers today, and at the time of the film's release. "Rebel" changed the way the acting industry looked at their youth, by showing America what they didn't want to see. After it's release Julie Harris described Dean: 'He's not our hero because he was perfect, but because he perfectly represented the damaged, but beautiful, soul of his time.

' Dean's third and final movie, Giant, was, like his first two, a huge success. It was based on the book, by Edna Ferber. In Giant, Dean plays a ranch-hand who is in love with the ranch owner's wife. Dean says he chose this role because he has always been intrigued by the life of a cowboy.

Eventually, as Lesley, the ranch owner's wife, gets to know Dean, she falls in love with him as well. Dean said that symbolized all of the temptations he could never gain. The fact that Giant was not as successful as his first two films doesn't mean Dean wasn't just as flawless and charismatic as he always was when he acted. The fact that two of Dean's three films were released after his death helped to ensure that his legacy would live on in many generations to come. The day after the filming of Giant closed, Dean left Los Angeles in his Porsche Spyder 550 to head to one of the biggest racing events of the year. At the intersection of Routes forty-six and forty-one, near Choline, California, Dean collided with another vehicle.

When the authorities arrived, it was determined Dean died instantly. Jimmy was brought back to Fairmount and was buried in Park Cemetery. Now, forty years later, people still watch and adore James Dean. He was the new face of acting and will never be forgotten. There are countless fan clubs and groups devoted to Dean's life and there always will be. He was America's heartthrob, and, though he lived a short life, he lived it for all it had.

Dean lived for the moment and never looked back, and those were the qualities that will keep his legacy alive forever. It was once said, regarding Dean's life, that: "Writers were so consumed by his reckless lifestyle on the surface, that they missed, for whatever reason, his genius.".