James Dean

[bob]

Over the years, the title of "cool" has become besmirched with such uses as "Yahoo Serious is cool", "Punk'd is cool", and the unforgettable "Battlefield Earth was pretty cool" (alright, no one said that last one, but it's suitably dramatic). But if there's one man, nay, legend who will always be cool, it's got to be JAMES DEAN.

The man died young, making only three films, and leaving behind three great performances. His performance in Rebel Without a Cause has become it's own entity, that's how intense it is. In Giant he manages to upstage Liz Taylor and Rock Hudson by doing nothing more than acting. In the 50s, an era in which seemingly everyone over or underacted, Dean was perhaps the first guy to truly have his skills so honed he could just act. And although those skills only lasted him three films, we know what he did do with them, and what he would have done with them.

A big YAY for the coolest guy of all time.


P.S. to Nate6: It was cool to reopen the thread with a different title, right?

[Hannibal21]

YAY! YAY! YAY! YAY! YAY! YAY! One of the biggest YAY's I can give to an actor. Has such charm, charisma, and an extremely talented man. All his performances were just fantastic especially in Rebel Without a Cause, where he took my breath away. The sexiest actor that has ever lived and no actor had or ever will come close. Gotta love this guy!

[The Other]

http://ia.imdb.com/media/imdb/01/I/10/05/12m.jpg

Funny this topic should be made, now. I've recently been getting into James Dean and I've seen 2 of his 3 big films. I still need to see GIANT (1956). Like a lot of people, I think he's gotta be the best looking person I've ever seen. Not to mention, he was an extremely talented actor. His best performance was in EAST OF EDEN (1955), though his best film is probably REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955), but both are great and again I still need to see GIANT, so it could change.

I've been reading up a lot about him recently, and I don't know which facts are true or false, but whatever the case, he's just too good-looking and talented to have the problems he did.

And, who knows what we could have seen from him had he not been in that accident. Would he even be as famous? He wasn't very famous while he was alive. The patrolman who pulled him over for speeding a little over 2 hours before his death (guardian angel, anyone?) didn't even know who he was. *BTW, Dean wasn't speeding when he was in the crash and it wasn't his fault. Though it was deemed an accident, it was definitely the other guys fault (Donald Turnupseed). I mean, who makes a left-hand turn right in front of oncoming traffic? Fuckin' idiot!

But, I digress. Back on topic, a big YAY for James Dean. He was very talented and I'd have loved to see him make more movies.

[Nate6]

Originally posted by bob
P.S. to Nate6: It was cool to reopen the thread with a different title, right?

Absolutely.

Anyway, huge YAY. Though he reportedly led a pretty strange life, he left an unremovable mark on the big movie couch. Possibly the most potential-filled actor ever to not be able to live up to that potential. Extremely good-looking fellow too.

[Nate6]

Oh, and his sausages are to die for! ;)

[The Other]

Originally posted by Nate6
Possibly the most potential-filled actor ever to not be able to live up to that potential.
Oh my God, Nate, that's got to be one of the best sentences ever! I think it sums Dean up perfectly! And I would have loved to see him do it too.

[Moviefan1234]

Originally posted by Nate6
Possibly the most potential-filled actor ever to not be able to live up to that potential. Extremely good-looking fellow too.

What he said. Gigantic yay!

[notchreturns]

Just ask BCV and Flowrchild what I think of this legend, it's quite disturbing actually. Great actor, who sadly, could never live up to his potential and by far the most attractive man to ever walk the earth! He oozes cool, style and something.... I don't know, it's something, but I fucking want it!

[The Other]

Originally posted by notchreturns
Just ask BCV and Flowrchild what I think of this legend, it's quite disturbing actually. Great actor, who sadly, could never live up to his potential and by far the most attractive man to ever walk the earth! He oozes cool, style and something.... I don't know, it's something, but I fucking want it!
Why don't you just tell us? Personally, I agree. I've actually become obsessed with him lately. Hell, I'm even thinking of blindly buying GIANT on DVD and I NEVER do that unless I know I love it. I mean I'm going to eventually own his other two films, might as well complete the Dean trilogy with Giant. I went to the library to check out books on him too. I've also been to many fansites (some of which are very well done and informative) and some of the stuff I've read, I don't think I can believe, but just may as well be true. One fan site already went through the trouble of compiling excerpts from biographies and autobiographies of people who knew him (i.e. Liz Taylor, Rock Hudson's wife at the time, Joan Collins, etc.) and what they had to say about him. Which was quite interesting. And having read a lot on him, it seems like ultimately it "fit" him. Like, he was supposed to die young. Not that I wanted it to. Anyway...

[Nate6]

Originally posted by The Other
Oh my God, Nate, that's got to be one of the best sentences ever! I think it sums Dean up perfectly!

Why thank you! Remember everyone, sentences and James Dean are our friends.

[bob]

I'm glad you guys agree with me. Dean is kind of like Marilyn Monroe: You didn't need to see one of her films to know she was hot, and likewise, you don't need to see one of Dean's films to know he was cool (although it helps quite a bit). You kind of have to wonder if Dean would have kept making spectacular films his whole life, or if he would have slowly faded out. In some ways, it can be perceived as good that he left behind such a limited library of work, because we only have the good. He never got a chance to tarnish his image with a bad film.

[flowrchild]

I fucking LOVE James Dean. He is the one of the most beautiful men that ever lived, and he left a lasting impression throughout his brief period in hollywood. He is the epitome of an Icon.

http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Mptv/1130/0024_0492.jpg

[The Other]

BUMP!

Okay people, it's pretty sad when a nobody like Keira Knightley gets a 2-page, 55+ replies, thread when James Dean can only get 11 replies, and no where near 2-pages yet. Where's the love?

http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Mptv/1056/24-339.jpg

[bob]

Originally posted by The Other
BUMP!

Okay people, it's pretty sad when a nobody like Keira Knightley gets a 2-page, 55+ replies, thread when James Dean can only get 11 replies, and no where near 2-pages yet. Where's the love?


Other's right. We all know who the sexiest beanpole really is....

[The Other]

Whoa, I was just over at the "Yahoo! Movies" page on Dean and the person who did the biography did it fairly well, it was a good length, detailed and too the point, until it got to his death where the facts were ALL wrong. For example, they said "Traveling 115 miles an hour, Dean was killed in a head-on crash just outside Paso Robles, CA." Um, no, he was not speeding and it wasn't head-on (at least on Dean's part).

Here's a good summary of what really happened:

"Donald Turnupseed, the man whose name became eminent in one of the most famous car crashes in the 20th century, was a 23 year-old college student driving a 1950 Ford Tudor, when he collided with 24 year-old James Dean's Porsche Spyder near Cholame, California on September 30, 1955. Dean, who was on his way to a car race in Salinas, California, was traveling on Route 466 (now just Route 46) when Turnupseed (coming towards Dean in the opposite direction) made a left-hand turn onto Route 41, crossing the divider right in front of Dean's car. Dean saw the car too late, crying out as it rammed into them. Upon impact, Dean's mechanic Rolf Weutherich, who was a passenger with Dean, was thrown 19 feet from the Spyder (one of the very last photos of Dean alive, were with Weutherich as they were leaving the parking lot of the place Weutherich was working on Dean's car). Weutherich received various fractures to the hip, and a broken jaw, but he survived and fully recovered a few months later. Turnupseed received only minor injuries and maintained his story that he never saw Dean. That seems contrary to the evidence of photos taken at the scene, which show heavy skid marks made by Turnupseed's Ford at the point of impact. He must have seen something, which prevented him from making his left-hand turn, and almost immediately putting his foot on the brake. Later it would be explained that, with the failing light (it was right before sunset), coupled with the merging of Dean's monotone-colored Porsche with it's background and Dean not having his glasses on, combined with fatigue (he had been driving all day) and his anxiousness to arrive at his destination, it was an accident caused by both parties. Since the right front of Turnupseed's Ford hit the drivers side of Dean's Porsche dead-on, Dean took the worst of the collision, he was trapped inside the mangled Spyder, his neck broken on impact and his chest crushed where the steering wheel smashed into him — he died instantly. It was 5:45 P.M. Donald Turnupseed died 40 years later in 1995 from cancer."

Below is a link to the exact page from a good fansite with photos of the accident. The photos of Dean's car (pictures 2, 4, and 6) are fuckin horrifying (Be warned!) - but don't worry, none are of Dean himself, of course! Photo 1 is of Turnupseed's car, the 3rd is of the intersection it happened on where Turnupseed was trying to turn on, and the 5th is of an ambulance/hearse lookin vehicle.

http://members.shaw.ca/giant/Accident.html

Pretty good fansite overall. There's a link at the bottom to return to the main page. I only found it cause BadCoverVersion used photos of Dean from there once.

Of course, I only mention this to set the record straight, for those who may have heard wrong -- that "it was Dean's fault for going 100+ MPH". Because it wasn't his fault, nor was he speeding. It was Turnupseed's fault for making a left-hand turn right in front of oncoming traffic! He was supposed to wait for Dean to pass (who had the right of way)! God that pisses me off!

[Nate6]

MODERATOR BUMP

That's pretty interesting stuff, Other! Disturbing images too...

[bob]

For anyone who's seen Giant, is it worth buying for Dean's performance. I know he's third lead, but does he overcome **sigh** Rock Hudson's performance, and make it a good film? I only ask because it's a pain in the ass to order movies split over two discs from Netflix, so I might end up just buying it.

The latest 2-Disc version has the movie split over two discs, right?

[jolanar]

From pictures I don't understand what the big deal is about. But as is the case with most men, it's the way you act that makes the biggest impact.

[ColinM]

Yay of course. I'm not as big a fan of his as most people is, but you cannot deny the guy's talent.

"He's got the looks to boot, too," he said, heterosexually. :)

[Dignan]

Possibly the coolest guy who ever lived so...YAY

I need to see Rebel Without A Cause agian soon....

[bob]

I just watched the DVD extras for Rebel Without a Cause, which provide a true testament to how cool James Dean was: He even seemed cool when he was dressed like a cowboy telling me to drive cautiously on the highway. Now that takes serious coolness!!

I've decided to buy Giant sight unseen. The trailer on the RWaC disc made me psyched for James's role, and even in the scenes he's not in I can just ogle young Liz Taylor.

[bankholdup]

A big ass YAY. I've seen 2 of the 3 Dean flicks (Giant and Rebel Without A Cause), and unfortunately, my local video stores don't have East of Eden.

I've seen James Dean t-shirts, but never bought one...I could come off as gay. One had a great picture on the front and on the back it said "Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today.", one of the best quotes ever.

[Buc_Nonsense]

Rebel without a cause, a classic film. He's a good actor. I enjoy his movies.

[Invincible]

NAY

[Nate6]

Originally posted by Invincible
NAY

:eek: :confused: Why?

[bankholdup]

Originally posted by Nate6
:eek: :confused: Why?


He's got to the be kidding, no way around it. Perhaps trying to get a rise out of us?

[Tagia_Romero]

YAY. What a waste it was that he died at a veritably young age.

[Invincible]

Originally posted by bankholdup
He's got to the be kidding, no way around it. Perhaps trying to get a rise out of us?

No, perhaps I just dont like him? :rolleyes:

[RicochetShaw]

Originally posted by bob
For anyone who's seen Giant, is it worth buying for Dean's performance. I know he's third lead, but does he overcome **sigh** Rock Hudson's performance, and make it a good film? I only ask because it's a pain in the ass to order movies split over two discs from Netflix, so I might end up just buying it.

The latest 2-Disc version has the movie split over two discs, right?


I don't know about the DVD, because I've only seen the VHS. But man, I LOVED Giant. I definitely preferred it to Rebel Without a Cause, and I haven't seen East of Eden. Dean's performance is a supporting one, but your first post in this thread made me realize how great he really was in the film. The film itself is also a great epic, "A movie the size of Texas." Love the ending also. It's on my top 50 of all time. 10/10


And Vincey, no offense... but I doubt you've seen any film of his. Have you?

[RicochetShaw]

Invincible, you only said "NAY." When JoBlo clearly said..


Originally posted by JoBlo
try to tell us WHY you like or dislike the celebrity in question, instead of pulling a "jay & silent bob" and just replying with a "this person sucks cock" type of response. WHY DON'T you like the person? WHY DO YOU like the person? Discuss.


So, please elaborate on your "Nay"....

[Hannibal21]

Originally posted by Invincible
No, perhaps I just dont like him? :rolleyes:

Any particular reason WHY? Have you seen Giant, East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, etc.? So you don't think he's a talented actor? Or is it perhaps you don't like his personality or looks? Your answer is not clear enough.

[Invincible]

Originally posted by Hannibal21
his personality

there you have it.

[MikeyB]

Originally posted by Invincible
there you have it.

You do a great job elaborating. :rolleyes:

[Invincible]

Originally posted by MikeyB
You do a great job elaborating. :rolleyes:

OMG, whats the big friggin problem?! :mad: I said I don't like him, it's his personality that doesnt do it for me...you dont need to be jumping down my throat with this. Just leave it be!

NAY, NAY, NAY and NAY I just don't think he's the greatest with this whole 'teen rebel' schtick. So, STOP IT! and move on with is. It's my opinion.

[bob]

:D :D :D

I'm pro-Dean, but I'd just like to point out that something like this would NEVER have happened if someone posted back with just "Yay".

[Hannibal21]

Originally posted by Invincible
OMG, whats the big friggin problem?! :mad: I said I don't like him, it's his personality that doesnt do it for me...you dont need to be jumping down my throat with this. Just leave it be!

NAY, NAY, NAY and NAY I just don't think he's the greatest with this whole 'teen rebel' schtick. So, STOP IT! and move on with is. It's my opinion.

relax

[Lindsey]

Originally posted by Invincible
So, STOP IT! and move on with is. It's my opinion.

Jezus Christ guys, get off his case! I know a one bit answer is against the rules, but what happened to the rule of everyone has their own opinion? He made his statement and it's done...over with...! :)

James Dean was a great actor of our time. Rebel Without a Cause is my favorite film of his. YAY for me!

[BadCoverVersion]

Yay-diddly-hey!

Jesus, the man was SEX on a stick...and a legend to boot.

He had PERSONA, CHARM, ELEGANCE, TALENT and PANACHE.

Not to mention, he looked completely horny when wearing SPECS!!!

James Dean was a CLASS man.

[Nate6]

Originally posted by bob
I'm pro-Dean, but I'd just like to point out that something like this would NEVER have happened if someone posted back with just "Yay".

Oh, yes it would. It would have come from me. I hate being a hardass, I'm not normally a hardass, I try not to moderate like a hardass, but we want discussion around here. We didn't open this sub-forum to discuss individual celebrities so people could simply respond with the word Nay or the word Yay (which, by the way, is consistently being spelled wrong: it's Yea, but who cares :D). We want points, we want arguments, we want discussion. That's what makes this place great, after all! I don't think Invincible needed to get so uptight, since we had to ask him to explain himself, but maybe we all could have just calmed down a little in our ganging-up. Remember: it's arguing and discussion that are the hallmarks of film debate, but in our arguments, we need to show respect.

Dean kicks ass.

[The Other]

Originally posted by bob
I've decided to buy Giant sight unseen. The trailer on the RWaC disc made me psyched for James's role, and even in the scenes he's not in I can just ogle young Liz Taylor.
If you still haven't bought GIANT yet, then don't! See if first before you buy it. I saw GIANT a few weeks ago and was sooo disappointed with both the film and Dean's performance. It's still a pretty good movie and all, and Dean is okay (though sometimes his performance becomes "hammy" and over-the-top). It's definitely Dean's worst performance and film. How I'd rank them:

Performance-wise:
1. East of Eden
2. Rebel Without a Cause
3. Giant

Film-wise:
1. Rebel Without a Cause
2. East of Eden
3. Giant

[bob]

Originally posted by The Other
If you still haven't bought GIANT yet, then don't! See if first before you buy it. I saw GIANT a few weeks ago and was sooo disappointed with both the film and Dean's performance. It's still a pretty good movie and all, and Dean is okay (though sometimes his performance becomes "hammy" and over-the-top). It's definitely Dean's worst performance and film. How I'd rank them:

Performance-wise:
1. East of Eden
2. Rebel Without a Cause
3. Giant

Film-wise:
1. Rebel Without a Cause
2. East of Eden
3. Giant

Alright, I'll check it out first. You seem to know your Dean.:cool:

[Invincible]

Originally posted by Hannibal21
relax

You're right, I'm wasting my time...