East of Eden -- What Makes This Movie Great? (Episode 185)
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- Опубликовано: 27 ноя 2023
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One truly genuine classic with with the first rock idol. And one movie that all these years later still hasn't lost any of its magic or any of its legendary status. One truly timeless classic
Nicolas Cage said he wanted to go into acting because of Dean in this film. ("I started acting because I wanted to be James Dean. I saw him in East of Eden. Nothing affected me - no rock song, no classical music - the way Dean affected me in Eden.)
I hadn't heard this, and it does put Cage into a different light for me! thanks
I am probably in the vast minority in saying this, but East of Eden is my favorite Kazan film, the only one I think is great--not that the others are bad, but this one is above them in my estimation. As you say, everyone in this film seems like a fully formed person, and the film doesn't give us an easy binary of who or what are right or wrong, but shows various conflicts and asks us to reflect on them. Having said that, I do think the film is on the side of Cal, or at least it wants us to empathize with him the most, whether that's agreeing with his actions or feeling sorry for him because of his failures and mistakes. Regarding Christian/biblical themes and analogues, they're all over this film, and especially in the book. One that stuck out to me was Adam's birthday party. Aron's gift to his father is his engagement to Abra, and when Cal gives Adam the money he won from his business, Adam rejects it, saying that it's illegitimate and that he doesn't care about money, and that Aron has given him a gift that he can be proud of, a daughter-in-law and a growing family. This is ultimately the action that sets the tragedy of the film in motion, Cal showing Aron the truth about their mother, which devastates him and leads to him joining the army and Adam's subsequent stroke and failing health. The story is representative of Cain and Abel's offerings to God, where God accepted Abel's gift with favor, but rejected Cain's, possibly because Cain offered it with the wrong attitude or intent or because Cain gave what he thought was a good offering, even though he knew it wasn't what God wanted. As a result of this, Cain murdered Abel out of envy and bitterness, and God cast him away to a far-off land. I think the film is very interested in telling this story within the context of Cain being the main character in the form of Cal. Here, Cal is a man who is very aware of his father's favoritism toward his brother all throughout their life, so he does everything he can to desperately try to win his father's love. Adam, as the father figure/God-character, does love both of his sons, but he loves them imperfectly, as every father does, and his failures as a father to Cal come from his inability to appreciate Cal and to accept him as Cal wants to be accepted. The film then does recontextualize the Cain and Abel story as one in which Cain may have made a mistake in what he did, but he did everything out of love, and God is at fault for his inability to recognize that. I feel as though the film is primarily using these biblical shorthands to prime us for the drama of the film and how to understand the characters, but I also can't help feeling that there's something in all of that that it wants us to relate back to religious ideas and understanding, as though it wants to give us a better understanding of humanity and our relationship with God. It's difficult for me to explain, but I just find it hard to believe that Steinbeck and Kazan would shove all of this biblical imagery and language and archetypes into the story only as a baseline, rather than signaling to us to revisit those stories and think about them in a new way. The film does end with Adam and Cal being reconciled to each other, rather than Adam exiling Cal, as God does to Cain. This is something that seems evocative of the parable of the prodigal son, where even though the less virtuous of the two sons has greatly dishonored and hurt his father, the father still forgives him and welcomes him back into his home. Is the film concerned with these religious ideas and with asking us to have some sort of spiritual reflection on them? I don't know. Maybe watching the film will open up new ideas or a better sense of what I'm trying to figure out.
great comment, thank you!
This is my favorite film of all time. It's so beautifully done.
Of his three major films that he starred in, I think this film has aged better. It tends to drag at times, but it's a fantastic movie.
It's really amazing how well all his films have aged, even some of his television programs are pretty good as well. I think I tend to think Giant is the best of all of them. It's the more consistent piece.
East of Eden is also a sort of retelling of the story of Cain and Abel.
Fantastic movie!😊
Love the assessment of this film. I love East of Eden and I wish this film didnt tend to be so polarizing for audiences today. You’re the best in the film criticism game on RUclips. Always a pleasure.
thank you Phil. Always appreciate your comments and your support.
I would love to see your review of the Ballad of Song Birds and Snakes! I found the themes very compelling and interesting
The book it was based on makes it a great movie. I was disappointed to find out the movie is only 1/3 of the actual book
I rather read the book first, because the book called one of the great novels in American Literature, same case with Grapes Of Wrath, wont watch the film before read the book.
I watched the film first and rewatched it before I read the book. I think both are amazing, though the book is much more of a masterpiece. What's interesting is that the film is only the last part of the book, so when I started reading the book, I was surprised at all of this stuff that was happening before what I thought was the main story. I wonder if I would have enjoyed the film as much had I read the book first, or if I would have been disappointed by its exclusion of so much of the story. By virtue of that exclusion, they do seem like two completely different works because the focus of the story and the characters is shifted between them and makes you view certain characters much differently. I don't think watching the film first will ruin the book for you, as I enjoyed the book immensely and would probably even put it in my top twenty, but regardless of what order you go in, you should definitely check both out.
Watch the film first.
And stop leaving lame ass comments.
The movie is not great. The book IS.