East Of Eden (1955)

In the Salinas Valley, in and around World War I, Cal Trask feels he must compete against
overwhelming odds with his brother Aron for the love of their father Adam Cal is frustrated at
every turn, from his reaction to the war, to how to get ahead in business and in life, to how to
relate to estranged mother
!ulie "arris Abra
!ames #ean Cal Trask
$aymond %assey Adam Trask
&url Ives Sam the Sheriff
$ichard #avalos Aron Trask
!o Van 'leet (ate
Albert #ekker Will "amilton
)ois Smith Anne
"arold *ordon *ustav Albrecht
+ick #ennis $antani
#irector, -lia (a.an
http,//wwwimdbcom/title/tt0012032/
Codecs, #iv4 5 / %65
777 Widescreen #oes not play correctly in W%6 777
'irst I8ll throw in my two cents on an issue I wish I didn8t have to comment on Almost everyone
knows that -ast of -den is based on the novel by !ohn Steinbeck Although I8m more of a fan of
fantastic and surreal literature, Steinbeck and "emingway are probably my two favorite realist
authors -ast of -den is an epic masterpiece, well worth reading It8s also close to 300,000 words
long, so obviously, some details and plot points are going to be left out or changed in a two9hour
movie, and that shouldn8t make a difference The film is a separate artwork in a completely
different medium that should be :udged on its own merits, not compared to the book ;'or more
on this, see my <novel to film mini9rant< in my user profile=
#irector -lia (a.an8s -ast of -den presents itself as a disarmingly simple film %any might feel
that it8s slow or uneventful &ut the superficial appearance is intentionally misleading, a filmic
representation of the elegant austerity of Steinbeck8s literary style> the plot, subte?ts and filmic
artistry are all really @uite comple?, and this is the rare e?ample of a film that grows on you more
and more after you8ve seen it
The plot is a rough <modern< ;circa the ABA0s= retelling of the biblical tale of Cain and Abel, set in
and between Salinas and %onterey, California, as an allegory of good versus evil &ut both
Steinbeck and screenwriter 6aul Csborn weave a dense allegorical tapestry, with those polar
ethical opposites becoming less clear9cut as the film progresses
Cain is Cal Trask ;!ames #ean= here, Abel his brother Aron ;$ichard #avalos= Their father,
Adam ;$aymond %assey=, owns a <ranch< upon which he grows lettuce "e sees the attainment
of e?cessive profit as negative, and instead focuses his intelligence and skills on trying to better
mankind somehow, the practical upshot of which is that Adam is trying to con@uer the problem of
the preservation of ;transported, especially= food via refrigeration or free.ing Adam is sternly
frugal and religious, and favors Aron Thus Cal is something of a hoodlum when the film begins
"e8s irreverent and tends to wander off We see him being belligerent and somewhat ;self=
destructive Aron, in contrast, seems decorous and easy9going, as does his girlfriend Abra ;!ulie
"arris= In other words, Cal and Aron are basically presented as *oofus and *allant at the start of
the film
Cal and Aron were told by Adam that their mother was dead &ut Cal has suspicions about this,
and the first part of -ast of -den is concerned with Cal8s attempt to discover the truth about his
mother "e learns the truth, and the second half covers a number of parallel, somewhat
une?pected transformations in the Trask family and their close friends This is also paralleled with
the burgeoning of World War I, which has a comple? impact on these ;then= small California
towns
The first thing that you8re likely to notice with the recent Warner "ome Video #V# of -ast of
-den, after the novelty of the 59minute <Cverture< ;which doesn8t add much at home, but is
interesting historically and doesn8t negatively affect anything=, is the beautiful cinematography
This was one of the earlier <Cinemascope< ;anamorphic 5Dmm widescreen, with up to a 3EE,A
aspect ratio= films, shot also with a new <Warner Color< process The results, employing gorgeous
California landscapes artfully shot by cinematographer Ted # %cCord under (a.an8s direction,
are breathtaking -verything looks scrumptious99from old downtown streets to the rocky ocean
shores, distant mountains over sprawling fields, romantically shot freight trains99even the sugar
factory standing in for Adam8s <barn< and the %onterey whorehouse are beautifully photographed
Cne of the more famous scenes features Cal and Abra in a dense, colorful, flower9filled field The
Warner Color manages to look both intense and subdued at the same time, which fits the
atmosphere of the film perfectly (a.an employs a lot of subtle camera motions and angles to
emphasi.e the drama, including marvelously skewed angles during confrontations between Cal
and Adam
The score, by )eonard $osenman, is also worth mentioning, as the mood of the film hinges on it
so much It8s lush and sophisticated, with a slight Aaron Copland flavor to my ears This was
$osenman8s first scoring gig "e had been !ames #ean8s piano teacher and had actually studied
with famed A39tone ;<serial<= music proponent Arnold Schoenberg Ironically, he felt himself an
odd choice and initially suggested that (a.an ask Copland to score the film instead That
probably led to some of the Coplandish tonalities, although to many ears, $osenman tends to
sound more like Alban &erg, another, more famous, Schoenberg protFgF
Cf course as a realist drama, the performances in the film are crucial #ean is outstanding, as
one would e?pect, but so is "arris and the rest of the cast 6art of this must be due to (a.an, as
"arris, for e?ample, doesn8t come across nearly as well to me in some of her other films, such as
$obert Wise8s The "aunting ;ABE5=
If -ast of -den has a flaw, it8s that its relatively short ;compared to the material available= running
time makes for some une?plained or shallow turnabouts of character in the comple? of good/evil
interplay Aron seems particularly distant to the viewer, for e?ample, which is appropriate to the
final state of his character, but which could have been e?plained better in transformation
&ut this is a fabulous film, with grand, biblical and universal subte?ts and an unusually developed
but e?tremely charming romance Gnless you8re completely averse to realist drama, you must see
-ast of -den at least once

-lia (a.an deserved his recent honorary Cscar, no matter what political mistakes he may have
made "e deserved it because he is one of the supreme artists of the cinema "is ability to draw
superb performances from his actors, is coupled with an astonishing ability to depict these
emotional states visually, through the use of camera angles, lighting and symbols <-ast of -den<
must be seen in the widescreen format to truly appreciate its visual style It is arresting,
sometimes beautiful and always powerful
Then there are the performances !ames #ean8s heartbreaking reali.ation of Cal, consumed by
:ealousy> !o Van 'leet8s magnificent portrayal of his mother> $ichard #avalos ;why didn8t we see
more of him on the screen after this filmH= innocent, virginal, doomed> $aymond %assey who has
never been better in a multi9layered performance> &url Ives8 commanding police chief 9 and, as
usual in a (a.an film, even the smallest part is played to perfection ;who8ll forget the girl in the
brothel or the nurse at the endH= After seeing the film a few times I really appreciate the
performance of !ulie "arris too I once thought her a little too mature for the role 9 but now I see
how her reactions to the events really enhance the emotional impact of those events (a.an
allows her to be in frame during some of the most crucial encounters between Cal and his father 9
and her face tells a million stories This is a true <supporting< performance 9 her performance
helping #ean reali.e Cal &rava !ulieI
I8m a lot older now than when I first saw this film 9 but I still relate so strongly to the
communication breakdown and the need for love between father and son The improvement of
my own relationship with my father makes me see the film differently but with no less emotion
)ike all masterpieces this film does not date, we :ust see it differently as we age This is
undoubtedly one of my top five films
7 #irector -lia (a.an got !ames #ean drunk before filming the rooftop scene between Cal and
Abra
7 !ames #ean and 6aul +ewman screen tested together for the parts of rival brothers for this
movie
7 !ames #ean would provoke $aymond %assey off9camera so that the elder actor would hate
him and he could get into character easier
7 In the scene where Adam refuses to accept Cal8s money, the script called for Cal to turn away
in anger from his father It was !ames #ean8s instinct to embrace him instead This came as a
surprise to $aymond %assey, who could think of nothing to do but say, <CalI CalI< in response
7 !ames #ean refused to attend the premiere party, which almost cost him the lead in $ebel
Without a Cause ;ABDD=
7 This is the only one of the <big three< !ames #ean films to be released before his death
7 !ames #ean and 6aul +ewman were filmed together in a crude screen test in +ew Jork that
still e?ists, according to #ean biographer #avid #alton in <The %utant (ing< ;ABK1= In the screen
test, +ewman is @uite cool and stares straight ahead while #ean is more animated, and is flipping
something up and down in and out of his hand like *eorge $aft and his nickel in Scarface ;AB53=
When #ean is asked what the ob:ect is, he admits that it is a switchblade, the premier symbol of
the :uvenile delin@uent menace much feared in the ABD0s
7 Average Shot )ength ;AS)= L A0 seconds
7 -lia (a.an first toyed with the idea of casting %arlon &rando as Cal and %ontgomery Clift as
Aaron, but at 50 and 53 years old, respectively, they were simply too old to play !ohn Steinbeck8s
teenage brothers
7 -lia (a.an, in his autobiography <A )ife< ;AB22=, said that $aymond %assey came to despise
!ames #ean (a.an did nothing to dispel the tension between the two, as it was so right for their
characters in the film
7 #uring the production of the film, -lia (a.an used to write letters to his friend !ohn Steinbeck,
with whom he had worked closely on the original screenplay for Viva MapataI ;ABD3=, to keep him
abreast of the film8s progress Steinbeck thought #ean was a perfect Cal, and he tremendously
en:oyed the final film
7 Gpon being introduced to !ames #ean on the set, author !ohn Steinbeck e?claimed, <!esus
Christ, he IS CalI<
7 Timothy Carey, who had a small part as !oe the bouncer, drove director -lia (a.an to such
distraction with his bi.arre behavior that (a.an, a longtime avowed pacifist, physically attacked
him, the only time he had ever done such a thing
7 6at 6riest8s movie debut