East of Eden
Réalisation:
Elia KazanScénario:
Paul OsbornPhotographie:
Ted D. McCordMusique:
Leonard RosenmanActeurs·trices:
Julie Harris, James Dean, Raymond Massey, Burl Ives, Richard Davalos, Jo Van Fleet, Albert Dekker, Lois Smith, Harold Gordon, Nick Dennis (plus)Résumés(1)
En 1917, dans une petite ville de Californie vivent un père et ses deux fils. Adam est un patriarche qui ne jure que par la Bible et qui tire toute sa fierté de son aîné, Aaron, un jeune homme bien éduqué et obéissant. Dans l’ombre de ce frère parfait se trouve Cal, adolescent torturé et insoumis, qui subit le désamour de son père. Alors qu’on lui a toujours dit que sa mère était morte, Cal découvre qu’elle est en réalité la tenancière d’une maison close. Lorsqu’il la rencontre, le jeune homme se retrouve malgré lui dans cette femme à la personnalité trouble. Il lui demande de l’aide pour monter une affaire grâce à laquelle il pourra peut-être enfin trouver grâce aux yeux de son père. (LaCinetek)
(plus)Vidéo (1)
Critiques (2)
A truly difficult review. My favorite users give it five stars as if it were a hail of bullets, but I look at Elia Kazan's film with a skeptical shrug. The stars are not so much for the film itself, but rather for the outstanding literary source by John Steinbeck and the cult of James Dean. Granted, the theme is exceptionally strong, and at the time, this film certainly represented a highly exceptional achievement. However, with the passage of time, it is evident how burdened it is by the melodramatics, pathos, overacting, and the wailing of the strings of a grand orchestra - in short, East of Eden is a typical studio drama from the 1950s that has long been surpassed in the art of film. This is precisely the kind of film that the French New Wave, the Czechoslovak Wave, the American independent film of the 1970s, and so on, defined themselves against. James Dean overacts, not because he is a bad actor, but simply because he tries to meet the contemporary expectations of dramatic acting and the tormented soul of a young hero. I am torn between 3 and 4 stars, but this film has plenty of enthusiastic uncritical admirers, so I don't have to hesitate in giving it only an overall impression of 65% and 3 stars.
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This is a movie where, for the first time, I truly thought that James Dean was a great actor and that he is missed. Actually, it's a film about how one dysfunctional family can look, and it's not just because one of the sons is a rebel. The finale is very emotional and impactful, but surprisingly, the film doesn't manage to surprise with its plot developments by today's standards.
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Annonces