Essentially the story of two sons competing for their father’s love. Their father Adam (Raymond Massey), is a deeply religious man. Aron (Richard Davalos) is the “good” son, who has his father’s respect. Cal (Dean) is the “bad” son, feels rejected, convinced he can’t live up to his father’s idealism. Their mother Kate (Jo Van Fleet) is long gone and believed to be dead. That is until Cal finds out she’s running a whore house in a nearby town. Aron has a girlfriend Abra (Julie Harris) who Cal develops feelings for as the story progresses.
When Cal finally does meet Kate, the two seem to connect over similar feelings regarding their upbringing and not being able to connect to Adam. Abra also sees the pain Cal feels over not being able to please his father. Abra tells Cal how her father gave her gifts worth a lot of money but was never there for her. After Adam loses all his money on a business venture, Cal is certain he will gain favor with his father if he can raise the money he lost and present it to him as a birthday gift. Needing funs to get things started, he asks his mother for a loan. Reluctantly. She agrees. Jo Van Fleet won a deserved Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her icy portrayal of a mother who never once went in search of her sons.
As World War I starts, Adam oversees the draft board. The war also means that Cal’s business venture will make money. A pacifist, Aron doesn’t believe in the war. He is openly upset when a German neighbor (Harold Gordon), is harassed. He also notices that Cal and Abra are growing closer.
The film climaxes with an emotional scene where Cal tries to give his father his earnings. He is eclipsed by Aron’s announcement that he’s engaged to Abra. This is Deans big crying scene. His tears are almost guttural, seeming as if they’re coming from the depths of his soul. While nearly all ther performances in this film are excellent, it’s James Dean’s performance that makes East of Eden an undeniable classic.
Released in the spring of 1955, East of Eden was the only film James Dean would see premiere. He died that fall, just before then release of Rebel Without a Cause. While all three of his films resonate, this one affects me the most. His first film, Dean is raw and empathetic. Nearly seventy years after his death, James Dean’s impact on film remains as poignant as ever.
The 2160p/HEVC H.265 transfer with HDR seems to have been struck from the same master as the 2013 Blu-ray but is still a significant upgrade. HDR has result in far more vibrant colors than ever before. Yellows look incredible. Backgrounds are slightly noisy at times, but never mar the image. Blacks are dark, inky and well defined. Whites are strong throughout. Nighttime scenes are assisted by strong shadow delineation. Clothing textures are far more distinct and facial features look realistic. The image looks spotless. Fans of East of Eden should be thrilled with this transfer.
Warner has provided a Dolby Atmos mix. Surround activity is minimal at best for this dialogue heavy film. nonetheless, the increase in depth provides extra vigor to Leonard Rosenman’s score. This will be particularly noticeable during the overture. Atmospherics like chirping birds and footsteps are well intergraded into the track. Separation across the front channels expands the soundscape nicely. Dialogue is clean, clear and concise throughout. There are no age-related artifacts—hisses, pops or crackles—to be found.
English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles are available.
The following extras are included:
- Audio Commentary by film critic Richard Schickel
