Each of Major James Dean’s films has been rated

Since James Dean’s life was tragically ended in a car accident when he was just 24 years old, he only ended up starring in three films. However, all three films left an indelible mark on popular culture. With his eyes narrowed and a cigarette dangling from his pursed lips, combined with skinny jeans and a white T-shirt flowing from his wiry frame, Dean quickly created a grand mystery that always seemed destined for Hollywood infamy.

It was Dean himself A bad boy style actor modeled after Marlon Brandoalthough less brutal, more sad and sensitive. Beneath his tough exterior, Dean also carried an inner heaviness that made his performance extremely weak. He was a handsome tragic hero with a world-weary maturity who captivated not only 1950s audiences but generations of moviegoers after him as well. Let’s rank the three films that made him a star.

As the title indicates, George Stevens’ “Giant” is a sprawling, three-hour-plus epic about a wealthy Texas farmer and his new wife, an East Coast aristocrat, who finds it difficult to assimilate into their new rural surroundings. The film buckles under the weight of its length and soap opera-style melodrama as we follow tensions between ranchers and oil barons over the decades.

While we may be surprised by the star power of Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor as Leslie and Jordan Benedict, the story of a billionaire vying for turf and hungry for more is a snooze-fest – especially given today’s class divide. Meanwhile, Dean barely sticks out in “Giant” as a poor farm worker who finds a fortune in oil, but he creates a memorable character with a youthful optimism who can’t overcome his emotional demons.

What does Giant do well, and why / Film writer Danielle Ryan considers it one of the best films set in Texasis a depiction of racial tension between the Mexican and American characters, especially when Benedict has a biracial grandson.

Directed by Elia Kazan, “East of Eden” is based on John Steinbeck’s novel and the Biblical story of Cain and Abel. In 1910s California, Cal and Aaron are a pair of rival brothers who discover a secret about their mother that shatters their family.

Dean has an intensity that jumps off the screen here, and feels more powerful than he does in Rebel Without a Cause. In the scenes with his father, Adam, Cale’s entire being vibrates with desperation for even a shred of the patriarch’s love and respect. We can also see the wounded little boy living inside Cal who is constantly seeking approval. This tension completely dissolves from Dean’s physicality during the scenes with Abra, who represents the prospect of pure love for Cal.

Visually, “East of Eden” has a nostalgic tenderness and beauty, especially in the sunny exteriors of the flower-filled field and the vibrant nighttime carnival scenes. This lyrical drama details family dynamics and emotions as old as human history itself.

Rebel Without a Cause became iconic because it was one of the first films to take teenage struggles seriously. The film follows Jim, Judy, and Plato, all teenagers suffering from their parents’ emotional abandonment and feelings of loss. The film’s three young actors – Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo – give great performances. They have a mixture of innocent fragility and cold-heartedness that is wonderful to watch.

Dean, in particular, expresses the frustration that comes with becoming an adult and trying to understand the generation before you. He’s at his most engaging during the scene when Jim pleads with his mother and father, “You say one thing, he says another, and everyone changes again!” Dean’s performance, and the film itself, express this intense disorientation of being young when your emotions feel overwhelmed, the weight of the world seems too heavy, and your future seems bleak.

Director Nicholas Ray’s use of Technicolor makes the cinematography stand out as much as the emotion—from the bright red of Dean’s jacket and the shine of the hot rods to the Los Angeles cityscapes viewed from the top of the Griffith Observatory. Rebel Without a Cause may perfectly capture the zeitgeist of the 1950s, but its depiction of teenage resistance and disillusionment still resonates today. It’s an undeniably bold film that has a lot to say and demands distinction. Which Dean will forever remain a symbol of rebellious youth thanks to Rebel Without a Cause. It remains a beautiful and cruel paradox.