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East Of Eden Reviews

1955 Certificate PG
  • Rated:
  • 70
  • from 1426 members

An American youth is driven to desperation trying to win his father's love. Based on the classic Steinbeck novel ... a modern story of Cain and Abel set against the approach of World War One. Read more

Starring James Dean, Raymond Massey, Julie Harris, Jo Van Fleet
Director Elia Kazan
Genres Drama

Buy From: £6.93

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  • Critics' reviews (3) of East Of Eden

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  • 4 stars out of 5

    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.

    • Radio Times
  • 3 stars out of 4

    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.

    • Halliwell's Film Guide
  • Notable mainly for the electrically emotional scenes between Massey as the stiff, stern patriarch, and Dean as the... read more on Time Out

    • Time Out
  • Most helpful members' reviews (3) of East Of Eden

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  • 10 out of 12 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 2 stars

    East of Eden

    Oh god, first film I ever saw with James Dean and it was awful. Hardly stuck to the plot of the book, and jumped in to the middle of the story missing everything out that made the characters act in the way that they did.

    Avoid at all costs, go and read the book.

      • A customer from North West UK
  • 5 out of 6 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 2 stars [Highly rated reviewer]

    Rebel,rebel your film is a mess.

    I have no doubt that when he first appeared on screen, people (particularly teenagers) must have worshipped this bloke.

    However, nowadays, for me anyway,he's just another fellow with a bit of chip on his shoulder.

    Admittedly, the scenes with his father (Massey) do work , but that's about it as far as i'm concerned.

      • Robert Dawson from Cardiff,Wales.
  • 4 out of 4 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 3 stars

    The film is NOT the book!

    This film covers only a small portion of the BRILLIANT BOOK so don't expect it to have the same satisfying depth. However, taken in its own right, an enjoyable film with some fine performances, but DO READ THE BOOK!!

      • A customer from Isle of Man
  • Most recent members' reviews (2) of East Of Eden

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  • 10 out of 12 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 2 stars

    East of Eden

    Oh god, first film I ever saw with James Dean and it was awful. Hardly stuck to the plot of the book, and jumped in to the middle of the story missing everything out that made the characters act in the way that they did.

    Avoid at all costs, go and read the book.

      • A customer from North West UK
  • 4 out of 4 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 3 stars

    The film is NOT the book!

    This film covers only a small portion of the BRILLIANT BOOK so don't expect it to have the same satisfying depth. However, taken in its own right, an enjoyable film with some fine performances, but DO READ THE BOOK!!

      • A customer from Isle of Man
  • 10 out of 12 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 2 stars

    East of Eden

    Oh god, first film I ever saw with James Dean and it was awful. Hardly stuck to the plot of the book, and jumped in to the middle of the story missing everything out that made the characters act in the way that they did.

    Avoid at all costs, go and read the book.

      • A customer from North West UK
  • 5 out of 6 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 2 stars [Highly rated reviewer]

    Rebel,rebel your film is a mess.

    I have no doubt that when he first appeared on screen, people (particularly teenagers) must have worshipped this bloke.

    However, nowadays, for me anyway,he's just another fellow with a bit of chip on his shoulder.

    Admittedly, the scenes with his father (Massey) do work , but that's about it as far as i'm concerned.

      • Robert Dawson from Cardiff,Wales.
  • 4 out of 4 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 3 stars

    The film is NOT the book!

    This film covers only a small portion of the BRILLIANT BOOK so don't expect it to have the same satisfying depth. However, taken in its own right, an enjoyable film with some fine performances, but DO READ THE BOOK!!

      • A customer from Isle of Man
  • 3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 3 stars

    East of Eden

    Excellent acting especially by James Dean

    Real life drama in a small town in America. There was an interesting exchange between the German and the American showing how people can be easily changed.

      • A customer from st.albans, England
  • 3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars

    Dean shows class

    James Dean's performance is incredible. Worth a look to see some fine acting.

      • A customer from N.I
  • 1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

    Rated - 0 stars

    Terrible

    This film should have been excellent: it's based on a wonderful novel with a great plot and beautiful, spare imagery. The film, on the other hand, is utter rubbish, and fails to engage with any of the themes of the novel - betrayal, filial love, the yearning to do the right thing while being pulled towards sin - on any meaningful level. The actors either ham it up, or are completely asleep throughout the film.

      • A customer from England
  • 1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

    Rated - 1 star

    read the book

    this film is basically an excuse for James Dean to strut around your TV screen for an hour or so. This is one of my favourite books, however in this film the characters are completely misinterpreted, 90% of the story is missing, which makes the story confusing and pretty boring.

      • A customer from oxford
  • 1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

    Rated - 2 stars

    The Dangerous Brothers

    As any fule no, this film is a mild reworking of the biblical 'Cain and Abel' yarn, but also, far more crucially, one of Jimmy Dean's 3 movies. The Dean Legend makes it hard to judge what is essentially quite a weak and sappy morality movie, with some quite clunky characterisation and poor script. You watch it for Dean, all smouldering malevolence and pent-up sexuality, with a real physicality to his acting which strongly betrays his stage roots - nobody moved like him, or moves like him still. Some of the screen-test extras are quite interesting, especially the one where Dean wrestles in his underwear with his on-screen brother...

      • A customer from Brighton, UK
  • 1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars [Highly rated reviewer]

    You have to forget the book- its great!

    This is only a small part of the Steinbeck saga, but it makes an excellent film that way. Despite the excellent performances by Julie Harris, et al, James Dean walks off with the film- he makes his hateful, self-pitying nasty little brat character human, forgivable and captivating- which is all that the film hangs on- you must empathise with him despite everything he does or you won't enjoy this.

    Its hard to imagine anyone watching this film and not being moved by it.

      • jennifer claire from Ireland
  • 1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    A Legend!

    I saw this film originally so long ago now but seeing it again recently really makes you realise just how big a movie star James Dean had become in such a short space in time. The film shows how intense a person he was and how perfectly he played his role in the film. Such an enjoyable film! Thankyou for downloading it for me.

    Regards Margaret Chilton

      • A customer from England
  • Critics' reviews (3)

  • 4 stars out of 5

    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.

    • Radio Times
  • 3 stars out of 4

    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.

    • Halliwell's Film Guide
  • Notable mainly for the electrically emotional scenes between Massey as the stiff, stern patriarch, and Dean as the... read more on Time Out

    • Time Out

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    • An American youth is driven to desperation trying to win his father's love. Based on the classic Steinbeck novel ... a modern story of Cain and Abel set against the approach of World War One....

Rating breakdown

1,426 Member ratings
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166
  • 90
143
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321
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322
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235
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106
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55
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33
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29
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16

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