Saturday, March 27, 2010
TOP 300 MOVIES OF ALL TIME
THE LIST GOES ON:
299.) EAST OF EDEN (1955)
Directed by the brilliant Elia Kazan,the film adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel reeks with tension.Kazan used James Dean and Raymond Massey's dislike of each other to create genuine disaffection as they played father and son.
Dean,tries desperately to impress his father but fails to find commonality.Complicating his efforts are his brother and his pursuit to find and know his mother,played by Jo Van Fleet in an Oscar winning supporting performance.
This is high melodrama that barely avoids going over the top due to Kazan's deft direction.This is just one of many films that demonstrate complex relationships in a common,almost casual way that marks Kazan as one of the great film makers of all time.
