Rebel without a Cause was a film produced in 1955 by Nicholas Ray. The storyline follows the main character Jim Stark played by cultural icon James Dean in his most acclaimed role. The film successfully portrayed the juvenile delinquency of American youth and the glaring conflicts and differences between generations. After shifting to a new town, troubled teen Jim Stark is supposed to have new beginnings but being the new kid comes with its problems ( Rebel without a Cause ). In his quest to find stability, Jim Stark forms a bond with a local girl Judy and an equally disturbed classmate Plato ( Rebel without a Cause ). Judy is the girlfriend of the neighborhood gang leader Buzz. The real troubles begin when Jim and Buzz are involved in a violent confrontation.
One of the major themes that stood out in the film is gender construction; and particularly how the characters in the film define masculinity. In the 1950s, the meaning of being a man was well defined. One of the main reasons Jim was rebellious was because he saw his father emasculated by his mother (Slocum, 2011). When Jim is arrested he complains to officer Ray that he would like his father to stand up for himself against his mother; additionally, Jim says that he does not want to turn out like his weak and submissive father. Another scene Jim’s father is portrayed as weak is when he dropped the food tray; at first, he laughs because he knows his mother would be upset but Jimmy gets angry and disgusted at him when he asks him to clean up before his mother sees. It is important to note that Jim’s father adorns a flowery apron; this would normally be considered feminine (Slocum, 2011). The film takes advantage of the viewers’ perceptions on femininity and emasculation. The film portrays this idea about gender roles and identity and interacts with the viewer’s directly and intimately since everyone is subject to gender definitions. Jim needs his dad to be more masculine for him to realize how submissive he is to his wife and secondly he needs a mentor or role model. Jim fails as a figure of paternal masculinity when he abandons Plato which leads to the latter’s` death.
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The movie was released at a time when juvenile delinquency was at its highest. The Senate was involved in cases of delinquency that lasted over decades. It became evident that films with plots about delinquency became popular. A poll released in 1956 gave a peak of the perception problems at the time (Slocum, 2011). Juvenile delinquency ranked at about two percent above education problems, communism and unemployment. Against the prevailing conformity of the post-war American society, juvenile delinquency posed a huge threat to the calm that had been established. The current generation felt insecure that juveniles made up the next generation; failing to maintain the order they had built communism would win. The idea of conformity is observed in Rebel Without a Cause , the group of rebels are introduced in their convertible wearing leather jackets, jeans, and gelled hair. In the scene where Jim steps on the school seal, the camera focuses on the rebels’ feet wearing same boots and jeans. The characters in the movie display rebellion as a reaction to situations at home; Jim rebels due to lack of a role model at home while Judy resorts to delinquency since her father stops showing her affection. During the time the movies was produced acts such as staying up past curfew were considered delinquent, today delinquency may be to a much higher degree. Police considered trivial acts such as staying out past curfew offences; that shows the perceptions of delinquency in the 1950s.
The film Rebel Without a Cause is a representative of the mid-fifties and is set in middle-class suburban America. The suburban areas were the largest growing areas of the population in the 1950s. They started building single homes inhabited by white families; these suburbs were divided by religion, social status, and race. The three teenage characters live in a comfortable environment in the suburbs (Nicolaides &Wiese 2017). Migration to suburban areas was a distinct feature of American life in post-war American society. The suburbs shaped the occupants car dependency, patterns of spending and experiences with issues such as privacy, taxes, and race (Nicolaides & Wiese 2017). The Stark family is depicted as a middle-class, well housed and Jim uses an expensive car, his school peers are also comfortable. The teenagers are a group of privileged and lazy kids with a well-developed sense of victimhood they use to justify their behavior. The problems faced by the middle class characters in the film are primarily psychological and familial and not economic or societal. In the film, Jim sees his family as dysfunctional due to the lack of normality. In the 1950s, normal families comprised of a strong, hardworking and disciplinary father figure and a homemaker, who is submissive, cooks and cleans. Additionally, Jim’s father is seen wearing an apron in one scene; the scene portrays the dad taking a non-dominant role in contrast to Jim’s mother. The teenagers in the movies take the role of parents as opposed parents assuming their roles; this might be considered unusual considering the ideals of the time. The film, therefore, goes against the grains or normalcy and explores the ideals considered unusual.
In summation, the film addresses themes of gender construction, juvenile delinquency, ideologies of normalcy and growth of suburban middle-class America in post-war modern America. The film portrays Jim’ father as an emasculated man; this angers Jim since he feels like his father is weak and submissive rather than the strong role model he desires. The film was released at a time when juvenile delinquency was at its highest; however, perceptions of delinquency were different compared to recent times. Acts such as staying out past curfew were considered delinquent and warranted arrests. The movie revolves around three teenagers from suburban middle-class America. The Stark family is depicted as a middle-class, well housed and Jim uses an expensive car, his school peers are also comfortable. The problems faced by the middle class characters in the film are primarily psychological and familial and not economic or societal. The plot of the film goes against the ideologies of normalcy perceived in the 1950s. The dysfunctional families and reversed gender roles could be considered unusual; Jim’s father is depicted as submissive rather than his mother.
References
Rebel without a Cause . Directed by Nicholas Ray. Warner Bros., 1955.
Nicolaides, B & Wiese, A. (2017). Suburbanization in the United States after 1945. Retrieved June 1, 2018, from, http://americanhistory.oxfordre.com/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.001.0001/acrefore-9780199329175-e-64
Slocum, J. D. (2011). Rebel Without a Cause. Retrieved June 1, 2018, from, http://sensesofcinema.com/2011/cteq/rebel-without-a-cause/
