I have never been a James Dean fan - "Giant" is an overblown soap, and "Rebel Without a Cause" is too cartoonish to me. Here though, I like him more, he's more innocent and blends better with the other cast.

While...
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I have never been a James Dean fan - "Giant" is an overblown soap, and "Rebel Without a Cause" is too cartoonish to me. Here though, I like him more, he's more innocent and blends better with the other cast.

While Kazan gives us a simpler story by far than it could have been, this is one of those transforming pictures, filled with gorgeous shots of the Salinas Valley and the implications of agricultural bounty. I like Julie Harris a lot here, very young-looking and delivering lines in a believable and natural manner.

Unfortunately, unlike "On the Waterfront", this movie fails to become more tense as it progresses into its tale, complications arise but the script, characters, and scoring almost seem to tell a smaller story as the film moves to its climax.Which is odd as there is a real Cain and Abel parable to be taken advantage of.