James Dean

Dean, originally uploaded by andebos.

50 years ago today, actor James Dean died in a car accident. Dean is best known for his roles in such movies as East of Eden, Giant and Rebel Without a Cause...James Dean had one of the most spectacularly brief careers of any screen star. In just more than a year, and in only three films, Dean became a widely admired screen personality, a personification of the restless American youth of the mid-50's, and an embodiment of the title of one of his film "Rebel Without A Cause." En route to compete in a race in Salinas, James Dean was killed in a highway accident on September 30, 1955. James Dean was nominated for two Academy Awards, for his performances in "East of Eden" and "Giant." Although he only made three films, they were made in just over one year's time. Joe Hyams, in the James Dean biography "Little Boy Lost," sums up his career:
"..There is no simple explanation for why he has come to mean so much to so many people today. Perhaps it is because, in his acting, he had the intuitive talent for expressing the hopes and fears that are a part of all young people... In some movie magic way, he managed to dramatize brilliantly the questions every young person in every generation must resolve."

I have thoroughly enjoyed the few movies and clips I have seen of James Dean and find his story fascinating. To me he captures the essence of joy and pain and tragedy that is our youth - most of all though he captures this balance of sadness and hope...the fear of the past and the problems that lie before us, with the reality of the possibilities for change and a better life ahead. I think in our youth it is the best time for us to fully embrace the horrors of those before us along with the beauty of their successes in an effort to create a better place in the distance.

"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today."

"The gratification comes in the doing, not in the results."