James Dean and Julie Harris in East Of Eden. Photo on the left is Dean ad libbing his iconic scene in the film with veteran actor Raymond Massey. From the bio: Much of Deans performance in the film is unscripted, including his dance in the bean field and his fetal-like posturing while riding on top of a train boxcar (after searching out his mother in nearby Monterey). The most famous improvisation of the film occurs when Cals father rejects his gift of $5,000 (money Cal earned by speculating in beans prior to World War I). Instead of running away from his father as the script called for, Dean instinctively turned to Massey and in a gesture of extreme emotion, lunged forward and grabbed him in a full embrace, crying. Kazan kept this cut and Masseys shocked reaction in the film, which was totally genuine. Deans performance in the film foreshadowed his role as Jim Stark in Rebel Without A Cause. Both characters are angst-ridden protagonists and misunderstood outcasts, desperately craving approval from a father figure.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 19:47:20 +0000
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