East of Eden (1955)
91%RT Audience Score: 90%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
13 wins & 10 nominations total
East of Eden strains to swell its story to epic dimensions, but James Dean’s riveting performance gives this CinemaScope drama much of its raging heart.
East of Eden is a classic film that tells the story of two brothers and their tumultuous relationship. Critics have praised the film for its great performances, atmospheric photography, and sure sense of period and place. James Dean’s performance as Cal/Cain is particularly noteworthy, with his Method acting techniques and uninhibited performing style making him stand out among the more conventional cast. While some have criticized the film’s flagrant miscalculation and strange plot, it’s still a must-watch for anyone who loves a good biblical allegory set in Monterey, California, circa 1917. Just make sure to turn the sound down if you want to fully appreciate Dean’s legendary status.
Production Company(ies)
Nouvelles Éditions de Films,
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Denslow-Morgan-Preston Mansion – 45200 Little Lake Street, Mendocino, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for thematic elements and some violent content
Year of Release
1955
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.55 : 1
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Runtime:1h 55m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 9, 1955 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 14, 2002
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring James Dean, Julie Harris, Raymond Massey, Jo Van Fleet, Burl Ives, Richard Davalos, directed by Elia Kazan, written by Paul Osborn, John Steinbeck, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Basil Taylor, Pauline Kael, Dave Kehr, Geoff Andrew, Kenneth Turan, Dan Callahan, André Bazin, Andrew Sarris, Mike Massie, Barbara Shulgasser, Monica Reid, Robert Hatch, PG rating, California farmer, estranged mother, brothel, family tensions, business venture, love triangle, period drama, epic dimensions, CinemaScope, raging heart, biblical allegory, mixed-up kid, down-to-earth performances, Method acting, vulnerability, emotional truth, American classic, top horror movies, MCU movies, Netflix series, TV premiere dates
Worldwide gross: $24,079
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $303,346
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,851
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 33,080
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Julie Harris – Abra
Raymond Massey – Adam Trask
Jo Van Fleet – Kate
Burl Ives – Sam the Sheriff
Richard Davalos – Aron Trask
Elia Kazan – Director, Producer
Paul Osborn, John Steinbeck – Writers
Director(s)
Elia Kazan
Writer(s)
Paul Osborn, John Steinbeck
Producer(s)
Elia Kazan
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
13 wins & 10 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (41) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (35) | Rotten (6)
The film ends on a flagrant miscalculation which typifies Kazan at his worst.
March 17, 2020
Basil Taylor
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
It’s far from a dull movie, but it’s certainly a very strange one; it’s an enshrinement of the mixed-up kid.
January 3, 2018
Pauline Kael
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
John Steinbeck’s painful biblical allegory — Genesis replayed in Monterey, California, circa 1917 — is more palatable on the screen, thanks to the down-to-earth performances of James Dean as Cal/Cain and Richard Davalos as Aron/Abel.
November 1, 2007
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
It’s a film of great performances, atmospheric photography, and a sure sense of period and place.
January 26, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Not only one of Kazan’s richest films and Dean’s first significant role, it is also arguably the actor’s best performance.
December 6, 2005 | Rating: 5/5
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
If you turn the sound down on East of Eden (and, by all means, do), you’ll see why Dean is a legend.
May 23, 2005 | Rating: 2.5/4
Dan Callahan
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
I was much more sensitive, on a second viewing, to Kazan’s sincerity and the undeniable lyrical power of his mise-en-scene, which, though probably too willful or conscious, is elevated from within by its powerful grounding in art as well as life.
December 8, 2021
André Bazin
L’Obs (France)
Elia Kazan has mastered Cinemascope. Whatever its faults, East of Eden, at least keeps moving visually with its story.
February 3, 2021
Andrew Sarris
Film Culture
Frequently smart, engaging, emotional, and intermittently historical (presenting various attitudes toward international conflicts, patriotism, profits, and foreigners).
August 18, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Book-based classic has violence, drinking, mature themes.
August 6, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
Barbara Shulgasser
Common Sense Media
James Dean is decidedly the highlight of the film. His Method acting techniques and uninhibited performing style cause him to stand out among the more conventional cast.
August 28, 2018 | Rating: 3.4/5
Monica Reid
Far Out Magazine
East of Eden deals with inner conflict; the entire story could be played out in a living room. Instead it sprawls all over the eye-filling landscape and the real action is padded …
January 30, 2018
Robert Hatch
The Nation…
Plot
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.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
James Dean’s performance in East of Eden is considered one of his best and helped establish him as a Hollywood legend.
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