An interesting and groundbreaking film, with Dean and Natalie Wood's debut as a grown-up actress.

The film certainly chronicles an interesting time in history, that of "fat" post-World War II America and the struggle of...
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An interesting and groundbreaking film, with Dean and Natalie Wood's debut as a grown-up actress.

The film certainly chronicles an interesting time in history, that of "fat" post-World War II America and the struggle of teens to make a way in this setting. Frankly, I think movies like "On the Waterfront" were more accurate, not as obvious, and more compelling. The set-up here is a little novel, starting at the police station and profiling the "permissive" parents and the tragedy of divorce that leads to juvenile felony, but despite the acting - it's a little cartoonish, approaching the broad characterization of something like "Reefer Madness".

These movies represent the weirdest view of school, full of characters with naive but nasty views of life and at the same time, actors well-beyond the age that is believable for students. But all that is necessary to set the stage for alliances and conflicts that are to come. For me, everything is too broadly drawn, there's not enough to really feel the motivations, but I will admit that an actor I'm not that fond of (James Dean) makes it all worth the watching.