Back to the Golden Years: East of Eden - Portrait Magazine, March 2010 Issue
Back to the Golden Years: East of Eden
Written By Patricia Ruiz (Age 16, From Puerto Rico)
Discover the greatest films of yesteryear in this brand new Portrait column. Each month Patricia will introduce you to a different film from Hollywood's Golden Years. They may be old but they're still some of the best films ever made.
The Film Poster
Movie of the Month: East of Eden:
Of what a girl did . . . what a boy did ... of ecstasy and revenge!
With that tantalizing tagline, East of Eden, the 1955 film loosely based on John Steibeck’s stellar novel by the same name.
The Trask Brothers and Aron’s girlfriend, Abra
Set in the early 1900’s Salinas Valley in California, James Dean stars as Caleb “Cal” Trask, an unhappy kid jealous of his twin brother, Aron Trask (Richard Davalos, Cool Hand Luke) tries to win over the affection of his father, win over his estranged mother, tries to get ahead in business and in the process he falls for his brother’s girlfriend, Abra (Julie Harris, The Haunting).
James Dean as Cal Trask
As the film progresses, Cal begins to realize that love can’t be bought and that being lonely is not as ideal as he once thought. This magnificent tale ends in a heartbreaking finale that will soar into your soul and makes you realize the important things in life.
Fun Facts:
---Variety magazine reported in February that the film was going to be remade.
Abra and Cal in a Romantic Outing at the Fair where they share their first kiss.
---This was the only film of the three feature films of James Dean to be in theaters while he was alive.
---Most of the scenes were shot in Montecino, California in the USA.
---Some remarkable scenes that resembled the books were shot in the actual Salinas Valley.
---The film was nominated for many Academy Awards, Golden Globes and BAFTA awards.
---John Steinbeck, author of the novel, helped screenwriter Paul Osborn to adapt his masterpiece into a 115-minute movie but was uncredited.
--- This story was inspired by Cain and Abel’s story in the Bible book of Genesis 4:1-12 which gave Steinbeck the inspiration to write a great American Novel.
