Why is he still
immortal?
Let’s face it when we see the name James Byron Dean we instantly think rebel. It’s seemingly ironic that James Dean was the least bit of a
rebel, in a certain sense. He was a guy who was ahead of his time, the ‘first
teenager’ of the 50’s. Still now in 2012 he is a hero figure, a God, an idol, a
friend and immortal. Does dying at a
young age always make a celebrity immortal? Yes In the case of Marilyn Monroe,
yes in the case of Jimmy, yes in the case of Rudolph Valentino. NO. I always think
it goes deeper than this, the fact that they are still immortal. Everyone
differs in their opinion of a good actor/actress, for example I think Gregory
Peck was a dull actor; your opinion could of course differ. In the case of
James Dean his acting ability isn’t questionable. He only played 3 parts in 3
films; Cal Trask in ‘East of Eden’, Jim Stark in ‘Rebel without a Cause’ and
Jett Rink in ‘Giant’. Many people
believe that if he lived and made more films he would of eventually ‘died out’,
of course there is no way of telling that but my feelings towards it is, no, he
wouldn’t of died out. His acting ability would still be in tact but his
personal demons and road to self-destruction would have bought down a load of
critics on his case, maybe denting his acting career but it wouldn’t have ever
happened off his own back. James Dean brought emotion to every role he acted in,
as part of the audience you also wonder if he brought a bit of himself to the character
when you watch him act you can’t help but feel sorry for him, just as many
people felt about Marilyn Monroe, in a sense you want to mother them and
protect them from anymore hurt. So firstly James’ brilliant talent as an actor
helped him to stay immortal.
Unresolved issues.
Is
he or isn’t he gay? This question remains unsolved, a mystery, a secret. It’s
when the rumour mill starts to spin. All the ‘old’, ‘dear’ friends come out of
the wood work and make money off the stories they sell. These sort of unresolved
issues create a mystery and spark about one’s character, thus keeping them
alive while the debates go on and until the answer is found…. If it ever is? If
it ever will.
Jimmy’s
character. Jimmy
has been reported of having a sensitive side, of crying, of not being afraid of
flaring up or breaking down. He was true to himself and stood up for himself,
he took no poop from anyone. Humans naturally admire that sort of behaviour,
especially when it was in the time of the 1950’s. Everyone knows that in the
1950’s there wasn’t much ‘justice’ in the film industry and you had to be tough
to get ahead. So here Jimmy is ahead of his time and here he somewhat acquires
his rebel status. He gains a lot of respect for following his dreams. That’s why James Byron Dean remains immortal.