Film screening: Eden's Forefront

USA 1955 | 118 minutes | English | Hebrew subtitles

California, on the eve of World War I. In a seemingly peaceful small town, Cal, a rebellious and tormented young man, longs for one thing above all: to win the love of his father, a wealthy and religious farmer who favors his older brother, Aron. But the more he struggles to find his place in the family, the more secrets from the past, tensions, and passions emerge, threatening to destabilize the family’s world. In Elia Kazan’s masterful adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel, which recently received a new television adaptation produced by the director’s granddaughter, the story of Cain and Abel becomes a tumultuous family drama about love and jealousy, guilt and the yearning to belong. At the heart of the film is James Dean’s electrifying performance. In his first leading film role, he gives Cal a mesmerizing combination of vulnerability, rage, and a desperate longing for love. It is not hard to understand why this performance turned him overnight into a star and one of the great icons of American cinema. With bold direction, spectacular cinematography, and undiminished emotional power, East of Eden remains one of the peaks of 1950s cinema.