East Of Eden Details

John Steinbeck's sprawling, wordy novel here becomes a sprawling, wordy movie about two brothers vying for their father's love. It's Cain and Abel territory and the biblical parallels are rammed home by Elia Kazan's heavy-handed direction and Paul Osborn's at times too turgid script. The film drags rather and has dated badly, but it's still well worth seeing, for one main reason, of course: James Dean's first starring role, in which he came to embody the frustrations of American teenagers. It was writer Osborn who recommended Dean, though Kazan was set on casting Marlon Brando, but when Kazan met Dean — “a heap of twisted legs and denim rags, looking resentful for no particular reason” — he recognised the potential.

Kazan brilliantly uses CinemaScope to portray the vast, lush landscapes and moody interiors, and coaxes rousing performances from his cast, including James Dean in his first film role as a rebellious teenager.