Product Details

• Actors: James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Jim Backus, Ann Doran
• Directors: Nicholas Ray
• Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 1.0)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed: French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.55:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
• DVD Release Date: May 31, 2005
• Run Time: 111 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (191 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0007US7EO
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,142 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Rebel Without a Cause (Two-Disc Special Edition)" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Turner Classic Movies' Greatest Classic Films Collection: Romantic Dramas collects four movies on two double-sided discs, with top picture quality and the bonus features that appeared on disc 1 when two of those films were released on two-disc sets, or the features that appeared on the single discs of the other two. The first disc pairs two of James Dean's three major films, Rebel Without a Cause and East of Eden (both 1955), with commentary tracks by author Douglas L. Rathlieb and historian-filmmaker Richard Schickel, respectively. The second disc offers two Tennessee Williams adaptations: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), starring Elizabeth Taylor as Maggie the Cat and Paul Newman, and A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), starring Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh. Bonus features include commentary tracks by author Donald Spoto and by Karl Malden and others, the featurette "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: Playing Cat and Mouse," and movie trailers. --David Horiuchi

Product Description

In one of the most influential performances in movie history, James Dean plays the new kid in town whose loneliness, frustration and anger mirrored those of postwar teens - and still reverberate 50 years later. Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo were Academy Award nominees* for their achingly true performances. Director Nicholas Ray was also an Oscar nominee for this landmark chosen as one of the all-time Top 100 American Film by the American Film Institute.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 74 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Almost 50 and Still a Significant Tale February 13, 2003

By L. Shirley TOP 100 REVIEWER

Format:DVD

This review refers to the Warner Bros DVD release of "Rebel Without a Cause"......

After nearly 50 years from it's release in 1955, this is a film that still truley embodies the feelings of teenage angst.The three teens that this story revolves around are played powerfully by James Dean, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo.It's not just about how the kids deal with the problems that life hands them but about the parents as well.

Jim Stark(Dean) is the newcomer to the neighborhood. The family is always moving around seemingly due to Jim's inability to stay out of trouble. The parents(Jim Backus/Ann Doran) may be at the core of Jim's problems.There's a great scene at the police station, where the parents are arguing(as usual) over what's right for the boy and Jim sums up the whole event by crying out, as only James Dean could do.."You're tearing me apart".

Judy(Wood),very cool and part of 'The in-crowd" comes from what seems to be a typical middle-class family, but underneath there are problems galore.At 16, Judy longs for the affection her father(William Hopper) gave her as a little girl, but he seems to be confused by her impending womanhood and pushes her away both emotionally and phyically. Judy does whatever she can to gain her father's attention.

Perhaps the most deeply troubled of all is John "Plato" Crawford(Mineo) who comes from a well off family but they are never around to care for him or about him. He is cared for by his well meaning housekeeper/nurse played brillantly by Marietta Canty.

Trouble once again finds Jim on his very first day of school, which erupts in a knife fight that is so beautifully acted and directed it takes on the look of an exquiste dance,and ends with a tragic car race.The parents seem to be of no help in the dilemna.... Jim, Judy and Plato find each other in their loneliness and form a makeshift family of their own, that also is beset with some devastating results.

Beautifully directed by Nicholas Ray(Johnny Gutiar/The Flying Leathernecks), watching this film again was like finding a buried treasure in a time capsule. It is a story, that will always have meaning as although the times(and types of problems) may change, people really don't.These young brillant actors had an on screen chemistry and charisma that is unsurpassed. I also want to make mention of Edward Platt, who played the empathetic Juvenile Officer, Corey Allen as "Buzz"(Dean's rival), and also look for Dennis Hopper in an early role as one of "The kids".

Warner Brothers has done a superb transfer of this 48 year old film. It has been restored, looks brand new, and is presented in the original widescreen. The sound was also terrific in the remastered Dolby Digital 5.1. There are some excellent special features to peruse. Behind the scene documentaries which were actually filmed around the time of the making of "Rebel" enables us to see interviews with the stars. There is one with James Dean not only talking about the film, but advising young people to "Drive Safely"! You will also see the screen tests and learn where that toy monkey came from in the opening scene.

If it's a film you already know you love, you will love the DVD. If you haven't seen it, whether you are a teen or an adult, you will be moved by this story and it's a must have for your classic DVD collection.

Thanks and enjoy.....Laurie Read more ›

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Films, Bad Transfer April 1, 2009

By L. Blaxton

Format:DVD

This is a great collection of classic films. I originally bought this mainly for Rebel Without A Cause and A Streetcar Named Desire but I found all the films to be enjoyable.

I only have 2 real complaints about the product. The first is that the discs are dual sided, instead of one per film. I know this isn't earth shattering but it's much easier for the disc to get scratched. TCM could have chipped in the extra $2 or whatever it is so each film would have been on a separate disc.

The other problem I have is the video transfer. Overall the transfers are okay but none look that great. Rebel Without A Cause was a big disappointment as many parts of the frame during scenes are blurred, pigmented, and have colors fading/warping. I understand this is usual for older films but a restoration would have been nice.

In conclusion, if you are a film buff I would recommend this. I got mine elsewhere for only $16, making it only $4 a film so it was a steal. Any classic film buff or James Dean fan will love this set.

40 of 44 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Why?...Because... End of Discussion.... February 4, 2004

By Robert Morris HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

Released soon after James Dean's death, in the same year in which East of Eden also appeared, this film immediately attracted and rewarded great interest and has continued to do so. Part of its appeal is explained by the fact that Dean died instantaneously in a violent car crash, Natalie Wood drowned, Sal Mineo was stabbed to death, and Nick Adams overdosed on prescription drugs. Their premature deaths enrich even more the poignancy of their roles as teenage rebels "without a cause." Actually, much of their behavior is explained by their unhappiness in their dysfunctional families. Jim Stark (Dean) feels smothered by his parents who move from one town to another, hoping that he will finally "find himself." Judy Hopper (Wood) desperately needs love from a father (William Hopper) who is unwilling and/or unable to provide it. Plato (Mineo) seems to have no contact whatsoever with his parents. Meanwhile, Judy eagerly agrees to be gang leader Buzz Gunderson's "trophy girlfriend." After his death, she shifts her attention to Jim. They and Plato briefly become a "family of three," in one scene in an abandoned mansion even pretending (albeit satirically) to be father, mother, and son. (FYI, the set in which this scene was shot is alleged to have appeared earlier in Sunset Boulevard as Norma Desmond's mansion.) All of the film's action occurs within a 24-hour time period, beginning in a police station and ending with police also involved because....

Nicholas Ray directed Rebel Without a Cause and also co-authored the script. Working with an exceptionally talented cast, he succeeded so well with evoking great performances from that cast that Dean, Wood, and Mineo have since become icons for teenage malaise.... They brood, they pout, they withdraw, they whine, they whimper, while feeling totally misunderstood by adults. They especially resent their parents' inability to "get it" even without knowing what that "it" is.

I saw this film again recently, again impressed by the quality of the acting but, probably inevitably, much of the film now seems dated to me even as it retains much of its innocence. Some scenes remain quite vivid, such as when Judy stands proudly out in the field, bathed in automobile headlights, before "officially" starting the "Chickie Run" contest; also when Jim urges his Mitty-like father (Jim Backus) to stand up to his (Mr. Stark's) badger-like wife (Ann Doran). It is probably not realistic to expect young people in relatively comfortable circumstances to have a "cause" except to be accepted, respected, and loved on their own terms. This is a "classic" of sorts. When seeing it now, I have the feeling that I have opened a time capsule from 1955 and the film is among the items contained in it. Read more ›

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I fell in love with Natalie Wood.... January 12, 2008

By D. Scott

Format:DVD

I agree this movie was a great talent launch for Dean, Sal Minio,and especially Natalie Wood. Most reviewerers see this as a great movie "Vehicle" for Dean and Sal Minio. Natalie Wood takes a "back seat" view in this movie...She will for ever be my most favortite movie star of all time. Its interesting that all three had a short, violent death...Dean in his famous Car Wreck, Sal Minio Stabed, still in his early years, and Natalie a mysterious drowning which details were never fully disclosed...fell in the water, Drowned...end of story. But after THIS movie, she went on to make wounderful movies: West Side Story, Splendor In The Grass: WOW!..Her emotional talent range was fantastic! Natalie and Elizabeth Taylor, whom had a close reseblance, I heard once, their identity was often confused by vieweres in that era. Of course Taylors Greater talent and..wild public life, placed HER in the main spotlight, for ever. But next time you see this movie try to see the emotion and depth that Natalie put into it. They didnt have "Ensamble Catagorie" for the Academy Awards back then, but they shure had my vote....I didnt get into the details of this movie because if you havent seen it, the reviews are a plenty.... Just wanted to share my view on Nataile Wood, short bright flame to soon extinguished.