East of Eden (BD) [Blu-ray]

I found this movie cringe-worthy to watch. I just finished reading the book (excellent) . How anyone decided to make a movie and call it East of Eden and just skip the first half of the book is beyond me. A viewer would have NO idea why any of the characters would behave as they do. And when you consider the fact that the movie seriously deviates greatly from the book, they might as well have called the movie East of Eden Light, Sort of. I am a James Dean fan but I found his acting to be way over the top. You will know nothing about a wonderful book if you watch this dreck.

Would have given the film 5 stars were it not for my following opinions:1) Where is the family’s history? As some other viewers have pointed out, the first half of the book is not portrayed. Character backgrounds are missing which would shed light on why characters are the way they are.2) A tiny portion was actually filmed in the Salinas Valley where the story takes place. To completely cut off Chinatown and reset it in Monterey (or fake Monterey?) is an insult to the Valley’s history.3) Where is Lee’s character?! The glue of this family did not even exist in the film. Lee was the surrogate mother who deserved screen time.4) Abra was very clingy and childish in the film. I pictured her as a quiet and somewhat sophisticated young woman based on the book.Overall, READ THE BOOK then WATCH THE FILM. This is one of my favorite works by Steinbeck. I’ve read that he was pleased by the film adaptation and James Dean was such a handsome man.

I saw this movie about 65 years ago and loved it--for me it had everything. And I just saw it again and I loved it even more. I seemed to experience a new deeper level of appreciation of the film. The acting of the major and minor players was absolutely stunning, and the directing of every scene was great. The musical theme and the artistic way it was used perfectly aided and abetted the varying moods of this heart-wrenching story. Dean's greatest acting performance! Julie Harris equally amazing. A movie I will always treasure--timeless.

My wife and I just read "east of Eden" and were excited to see this movie so we could discuss it in relation to the book. Unfortunately there was very little resemblance. The 3 stars were for James Dean's performance, and the acting in general. Top notch. Several of the strongest characters from the book didn't even make the movie. As one who loved the book, I have to report intense disappointment with this film.

Fans of James Dean will love this film and though it departs from the book in many, many ways, it has a charm that is uniquely all its own. The performances of the actors are all top notch and the movie is well directed by Elia Kazan and features an Oscar winning performance by Joan Van Fleet as the Mother. James Dean was nominated for his performance and this was the only one of his (3) films that was in theaters while he was still alive. This and the other films, ("Rebel Without A Cause" and "Giant") prove that he was an actor with tremendous potential.If you want to see a faithful rendition of the book, keep looking elsewhere. This departs lots from the book and purists will hate it. If you just want to see something in the spirit of the book with great acting and other bits of movie magic to boot. this should be for you.

Shockingly bad blu-ray. Despite some shots that remind one of a blu-ray, overall the film looks like your average DVD. Towards the end, many shots are totally out of foucs (or really bad). What's worse, the image looks compressed most of the time. Spoils the fun of watching the movie.It escapes me why reviewers give this piece of crap 4, 4.5 or 4.8 stars

I am sure I am not alone when I say I get disappointed when a movie doesn't hold true to a book. This movie starts off about 2/3rds into Steinbeck's novel but it does a wonderful job, given the movie making constraints of the time, of catching you up to the important facts and entertaining you. Still I would have liked to see some of the character shaping that went on in the book to help us understand Adam, who wasn't such the holy roller portrayed here. He was just a great guy with his faults wounded by his own father and brother and the Civil War. The book did away with the character of Adams very faithful friend and Chinese servant Lee, who was crucial to the up bringing of his sons Caleb and Aaron when Adam went into his depression. The wonderful story of Cannery Row housed the Chinese Shop Keeper character of Chong Li and the more recent 1982 production of that book snubbed him for the sequel's (Sweet Thursday) shop keeper Joseph and Mary Rivas (yeah that's his name). Anyway I can think of no better actor of that time to play Caleb (Cal) than James Dean. The whole cast did a fine job. I would love to see an updated version more true to the complete telling of the story. Also, the last word uttered by Adam in the book "Timshi" and it's meaning are lost as this movie ends. I think it is crucial. This is a worthwhile movie. But read the book and get blown away by the mind and talent that is Steinbeck!

James Dean made a brief splash back in the day. I know he was a big deal but I don’t feel the performances live up to the legend. Maybe if he had had a few more years.The movie is a reasonable adaptation of a Steinbeck novel. Problem I’ve never been able to get as fired up about Steinbeck as my American Lit teachers thought I should be. That leaves my impression of the film at the “well, that was kind of interesting” level.The scenes that were supposed to be in Monterey were actual filmed a few hundred miles to the north in Mendocino. If you have never visited either location, no problem. But Im quite familiar with both towns. The visual and psychological vibes of the two locations are very, very different. Hence it bugged the devil out if me.

Elia Kazan on fine form, with James Dean delivering a natural and haunting performance. Easily a contender for best American colour film ever made.The blu-ray is stellar. The picture quality is grade A, as is the audio. And here are the exras:Commentary with Richard Schickel.Forever James Dean: Documentary.East of Eden: Art in Search of Life: Documentary.Screen Tests.Wardrobe Tests.Deleted Scenes.3/9/55 NYC Premiere.Theatrical Trailer.

I was pleased with my purchase of East Of Eden (1955), the sound and colour where superb. Most importantly the film was shown in its original widescreen Cinemascope presentation, which in my humble opinion gives (on my large widescreen television) a greater cinematic experience. Even the Warnercolor (Eastmancolor) looked far better than usual. In my rather humble opinion James Dean's performance is without doubt his best, with regard to the trio of movies which also includes Rebel Without a Cause, and Giant, made and produced by Warner Bros in the mid 1950s.RMM.

East of Eden is one of these films that has been unfairly lost in the space of time, with the myth of one of the stars being bigger than the film. This therefore means that many people have missed out on actually sitting down and witnessing some of the best acting from the 50s 'golden era'. James Dean gives one of the most striking performances I have ever seen-truly inspiring. The story centres around Cal, played by Dean, who is forever in his brother's shadow, and who desperately wants the approval of his father. When he finds out he has been lied to all his life, and that his mother isn't dead but in fact runs a brothel in a nearby town, he causes havoc for the whole family. His intriguing relationship with his brother's girlfriend (played by Julie Harris) is sensitive and innocent, and both actors portray this excellently. All the supporting characters give great performances, all bouncing off each other, and it is in scenes between cal and his brother, and cal and his mother that this is clear. The most striking piece of acting is when (not to give too much of the plot away) Cal finds out that something he had been working on for a long time as a gift for his father was not wanted and his father once again shuns him. Dean crumbles visibly in front of the audiences eyes and clings to his father in a desperate plea to be loved. It is marvellous, and literally had me crying hysterically. The film can be a bit slow moving at times (as to be expected when a lot of the film centres around the farming profession) but Kazan directs his cast brilliantly, making for some stunning scenes, visually.I urge you to see this film, but try to put to the back of your mind Dean's fate and the myth that surrounds him-it is enjoyable as a piece of A-star quality acting that could teach actors around today a lot.

Classic

Classic film,great condition and price.