Ανατολικά της Εδέμ

shay5.0

can't wait to die so i can meet james dean in the afterlife and tell him that i love him

Thorkell August Ottarsson5.0

Sympathy for Cain (and not Abel).East of Eden is a contemporary version of the story of Cain and Abel. James Dean plays Cain (called Cal in this story), Richard Davalos plays Abel (called Aron in this story), Raymond Massey plays their father Adam and Jo Van Fleet plays Eve (called Kate in this story). So to make it simple I'm just going to call them by their names in the story of Cain and Abel :)The story takes place after Adam and Eve have been kicked out of Eden. Eve has left Adam and gone all evil, a fact Adam has kept hidden from his sons and to protect them he has told them that their mother is dead. A shadowy figure (snake?) tells Cain that his mother is alive and lives close to them. He finds out that she deals in shady business and has a bad reputation. It looks like the story takes the classical interpretation. Eve is the fallen woman, evil and the one who brought evil into the world. Cain is like her. There is something dark in his soul. Adam and Abel are, on the other hand, kind and good and helpful. So it looks like this is going to be your Sunday school version of the story, good vs. evil. Cain is burning with jealousy and does evil because of it. Well not so. There is a lot in the film that speaks for Cain (and Eve) and against Adam and Abel. First we realise that Cain and Eve are the creative people of the family, they are cunning like the snake, while Adam and Abel never have an original idea in their head. And what is more important; Adam and Abel have never been able to understand people. Their kindness is shallow. They show forgiveness but without love, real love! It is they that drove Cain and Eve to do these bad things, their lack of understanding, respect for individuality and originality. They are just borrowers of other peoples inventions and ideas, never digging deep into their own soul. This film is film school 101. The use of color, composition of the frame and movement of camera is straight out of the text book and it is just flawless. Take a look at all the arguments, how Kazan will tilt the camera ever so slightly, not expressionistic like many would do with 45 degrees horizon lines but just enough to make the audience feel like something is wrong without realising what it is. And look how he will often isolate Cain in the frame, in one corner of it, far away from his father. And then there is all the Biblical imagery, like when Cain tells Abel about his mother. He does it under a tree, and he looks like a snake hanging from that tree, whispering deadly knowledge. There are many wonderful scenes like this in the film.Here is another Kazan film I remembered was good but had forgotten just how good it was. And what a talent James Dean was. It is easy to forget just how great that young boy was. If only he had lived to make more films. What wonders film history would have gotten!

ciara4.0

yeah hottest man to ever live i think