Rebel Without A Cause Analysis

705 Words2 Pages

Brassy fanfares, sweet flute melodies, and intense strings. These are the types of music that are used in the film “Rebel Without a Cause”. This film was released in 1955. James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo star as the lead characters of Jim Stark, Judy, and John "Plato" Crawford. The orchestra music for “Rebel Without a Cause” serves three functions: it reflects the emotions of the teens, it acts as element of the mise-en-scène, and it causes the audience to feel a particular emotion. The orchestral music for “Rebel Without a Cause” often reflects the intense emotions that the teenage characters are feeling. The orchestra music is everchanging and shows the full spectrum of emotions that the main characters are experiencing. At certain …show more content…

When Jim and Judy are having a romantic moment in the abandoned mansion, calm strings and flutes play under Judy’s dialogue. Judy realizes that a real man is gentle and kind and that she has found someone to love. The soft music that plays during this scene highlights Jim and Judy’s tranquil thoughts. The orchestral music also serves as an element of the mise-en-scène, connecting people and objects in a scene. The first scene of “Rebel Without a Cause” utilizes orchestral music, sound effects, dialogue, and framing to introduce us to the film’s three main characters. Director, Nicholas Ray and music director, Leonard Rosenman work together to create a scene that would set the stage for the rest of the film.
At the beginning of the scene when Jim is brought into the police station, there is jazzy string and clarinet music. This jazzy music changes to a soft flute melody when Officer Ray talks to her. After Judy is done talking with Ray, the audience hears a police siren off camera, with which Jim starts mimicking and the camera moves to focus on him. As the camera moves backward, away from Jim, we see hear and see Plato’s house keeper talking to him. To the left of Plato, behind the glass and wood wall, we can see Judy. The mise-en-scène is perfectly constructed in this scene so that the audience can see these future friends interacting with each other as

Show More
Related

  • Parallelism In Fargo

    1886 Words  | 4 Pages

    As I mentioned earlier, the clutter in the Gunderson’s home does speak volumes about who they are as people. Well very proud and honest people, they are very flawed and blue collar. This clutter is continued on in the kitchen. The shelf behind the kitchen table is filled with pictures and other nick-nacks. This clutter is eerily reminiscent of the middle class household portrayed by the MacGuff’s in the film Juno. These families both are not going to make sure everything in their home is pristine, but their way of life is really not too uncommon. It really does embody a lot of blue collar America. Another good use of mise en scene in this sequence was the very gray and desolate skyline during the murder investigation. Murder obviously is not a light topic, so the dark atmosphere in the sky very much fits into the theme of this scene. The last thing I’d like to mention about mise en scene and staging takes me back to the opening zoom of this sequence. Along with the visual theatrics zoom, the sudden appearance of nondiegetic music also insinuates this is quite an important scene in the film. Once we hear the dramatic strings, we know something dramatic is about to happen, especially because the music is clearly not coming from something on the screen. This nondiegetic sound can be a useful tool to setting a scene and properly utilizing mise en scene and at the end of day, setting the scene is key in a naturalistic

    Read More

  • Collaborative Processes Between Directors and Composers

    2054 Words  | 5 Pages

    To fully understand the relationship between a filmmaker and a composer, it is helpful to take a closer look at the filmmaker’s position towards music in film in general; these can of course differ substantially from one director to another. It seems, one must think, that the complete narrative and emotive potential of film music is not yet fully recognized and appreciated in many film produc...

    Read More

  • Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, USA 1981)

    1303 Words  | 3 Pages

    Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, USA 1981) Harrison Ford stars in the film Raiders of the Lost Ark as a character called Indiana Jones. The opening sequence has left Indiana’s character mysterious to the audience but throughout this sequence we understand his character as bold, cool, calm and a collected leader, but as the sequence develops and the scene changes we see another side to Indiana, an intellectual man who dresses smartly and doesn’t seem cool anymore. From the opening sequence we know that this film is an action/adventure because it is packed with excitement, violence and close encounters with death. The mise en scene or what the audience see and hear plays an important role in an action/adventure because it influences what the audience’s reaction to what is happening.

    Read More

  • Taking on an Adolescent Mindset in Rebel Without a Cause

    1908 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...using to dispense meaningful advice during life threatening crises. Most importantly, Jim stands out from the crowd as an unlikely protagonist, a delinquent who fearlessly registers compassion and sensitivity for the human condition. In a judgmental world of “no,” the character of Jim represents the relative liberty of the mindset of “yes.” Jim’s character demonstrates how youth can become empowered and stand up to hypocrisy with sincerity and moral strength. It is no surprise that this film became a touchstone for a generation that would help usher in the civil rights movement, women’s liberation, peace protests and other demonstrations of significant conviction in the 1960’s. Rebel Without a Cause surely played a role in the 1950’s to denounce traditional prejudice and expand societal tolerance and compassion for overlooked aspects of the human condition.

    Read More

  • Muzing New Hoods Summary

    526 Words  | 2 Pages

    The second type is music or songs that already exist before the film was made, this is also known as nondiegetic music (Ramset 312, 314). These two types of music are used very specifically and carefully within films in order to create emotions or experiences in the audience. The use of music to inflict emotion and experience is made possible “…because of their unconscious familiarity to filmgoers. They have become naturalized through constant repetition.” This technique has been used since the 1930s (Ramsey 313). This affects my understanding of cinema because I now know the different types of music used in these films and why they are used. The different types of music are used in order to create different reactions in the audiences. I now understand that the reason using music to influence the audience works because it has been done for almost 100 years (Ramsey

    Read More

  • Character Analysis: Rebel Without A Cause

    1832 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Rebel Without a Cause, the main characters, Jim, Judy, and Plato face the troubles of complicated, dysfunctional family lives and the intense social peers of their mid-1950’s, suburban high school. As they deal with existing social pressures and must cope with their family situations, all three of them have different yet similarly formed actions. According to Harry Kuperstein, the mid-1950’s, when Rebel Without a Cause was released, was the height of the juvenile delinquency era up until that time. As post-war, family, and social issues created a perfect storm of non acceptance for adolescent students, characters like Jim, Judy, and Plato resembled the lives of many teenagers during this time. Ultimately, as these differing yet linked issues

    Read More

  • Music Composers: Hans Zimmer

    1994 Words  | 4 Pages

    For this essay I will be looking at the work of Hans Zimmer to discuss how music in film engages the viewer and evokes emotion and pulls the viewer toward the film. Hans Zimmer is a German born music composer. Hans Zimmer’s love of music stems from his childhood when he learned how to play various instruments. Before Zimmer began composing music for films he was in a well-known band. The band was called The Buggles whom were famous for their song Video Killed the Radio Star. After the Buggles Zimmer played in other bands but never had another hit. As Zimmer has progressed as a film composer so has his list of nominations and awards. Zimmer has won 4 Grammy Awards and 2 Golden Globes and many more for his outstanding film scores. The reason I chose to write this essay on Zimmer was that his genres and music score are extremely versatile ranging from animations to comedy to dark thrillers. This is important to highlight as it shows Zimmer can create almost any atmosphere with his music whether it be sad or creating tension that all cause us to engage with the film. Zimmer's use of themes and introduction of different instruments allowed him to create these wonderful engaging film score. In this essay I will look at three films by Hans Zimmer these are The Holiday Rush and Rain Man.

    Read More

  • Masculinity In The Film Rebel Without A Cause

    558 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rebel Without a Cause calls attention to society’s obsession over hyper masculinity, fears of overly dominant women, homosexuality, and juvenile “delinquency” during the 1950s. Popularity of suburban life arose – along with the necessity to fit in. Accompanying the pressures of gender roles were also the rise of alcoholism, depression, anxiety, and rage. Moreover, the film explores the conflicts that lied within teenagers because of the social standards that were forced upon them.

    Read More

  • Rebel Without A Cause Theme

    1053 Words  | 3 Pages

    Teenage films are often thought of films focused on issues such as teen angst, conflict with parents, coming of age, and most notably rebellion. Nicholas Ray’s Rebel Without a Cause(1955) is one of the first films that could be classified as such. In today’s times, many films that fall into this genre follow the same structure as Rebel without a Cause in that perceptions and activities of youth defy what is considered to be a seemingly more stable adult life. Prior to Rebel Without a Cause, there wasn’t a film that challenged the ideas of masculinity in society and the struggles that teenagers endured in that era, so it is no surprise that the film is considered to be the poster child of youth rebellion in the 1950’s. Ray brings to light a

    Read More

  • Theme Of Rebel Without A Cause

    1628 Words  | 4 Pages

    Rebel without a Cause is a powerful performance that demonstrates the struggles of an all-American, middle-class family. James Dean, Natalie Wood, and San Mineo are remarkable actors that play significant roles of adolescent characters in the film. This tale is based on teenagers that have troubled lives due to the ignorance of their parents. The main message the film portrays is that children’s behaviour is influences by their parents and their parenting skills. There are several themes in this film, however the predominant theme is that conflict within the family can encourage disaffected youth.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Good Parenting In The Film 'Rebel Without A Cause'

    1250 Words  | 3 Pages

    Good parenting is one of the most important factors to well behaved teenagers. Well, in Nicholas Ray 's 1955 film Rebel without a Cause, the lack of good parenting is the underlying cause of all the major events. This movie is set in the suburbs of Los Angeles, where Jim Stark and his family just recently moved in. In order to give him a fresh start, his parents think that it’s the town is what gives him problems. It is due to this lack of good parenting that teenagers such as Jim, Judy, and Plato are so rebellious and misguided with their behavior. The opening scene of the movie has Jim, Plato, and Judy at the police station being held in custody due to their unlawful actions. When Jim’s parents show up at the police station they are not very worried about what he has done, but rather prefer argue over opposing views on how to handle the situation. In the meanwhile Judy is picked up by her mother, which only worsens her father issues. As for Plato the absence of his mother shows how there is not much care for him. Parents are usually the ones children look up to for guidance and inspiration and without them teenagers will usually spiral out of control and into many different problems.

    Read More

  • The Twilight Saga

    1134 Words  | 3 Pages

    The importance in music does not just end when the scene does in a film. It continues on throughout the ending credits. The first song that plays after the closing scene is the main theme song for the soundtrack which is “Eclipse-All Yours” by Metric it is a very happy, confident upbeat song. It also gives the audience assurance that they just seen a good and enjoyable film. This also gives the audience the chance to see the feeling the characters are to portray across the screen back to the audience. This also gives us emotions for the film and character when they use dialogue or which is being said on screen. Music and Original Score piece in a film will forever be a main part of completing a film and making it a masterpiece or a work of art.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis of Mrs. Mallard in The Story of an Hour

    1047 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mrs. Mallard’s repressed married life is a secret that she keeps to herself. She is not open and honest with her sister Josephine who has shown nothing but concern. This is clearly evident in the great care that her sister and husband’s friend Richard show to break the news of her husband’s tragic death as gently as they can. They think that she is so much in love with him that hearing the news of his death would aggravate her poor heart condition and lead to death. Little do they know that she did not love him dearly at all and in fact took the news in a very positive way, opening her arms to welcome a new life without her husband. This can be seen in the fact that when she storms into her room and her focus shifts drastically from that of her husband’s death to nature that is symbolic of new life and possibilities awaiting her. Her senses came to life; they come alive to the beauty in the nature. Her eyes could reach the vastness of the sky; she could smell the delicious breath of rain in the air; and ears became attentive to a song f...

    Read More

  • Music In The Film, Phantom Of The Opera

    1453 Words  | 3 Pages

    Different from other types of films, the music in Phantom of the Opera was used by all the characters, as a way to tell their part of the story. The music created a convincing surrounding for the film, guided the audiences. The music was constantly a signifier of emotion, as the characters expressed their feelings through the songs. The music score was an emotional and scary score that tied into their diegetic/non-diegetic singing, giving the main characters an identity, specifying situations and places to help connect certain points. When we hear the dark music play throughout the movie, it plays a certain theme, that theme gives the viewers a clear hint of who or what the music is talking about. Another example of signifier of emotion was in The Devil Wears Prada, where the film used either fast upbeat songs for when Andy walks all around the city, running errands for Miranda, or romantic alternative music when Andy is with her boyfriend and true friends (The Phantom of the Opera/The Devil Wears

    Read More

  • The Magic of Music in Film

    1111 Words  | 3 Pages

    The importance of music in movies is highly regarded for manipulating the viewer’s emotions and helping them immerse into the story. Music is one of the prime elements in cinema. Without it a movie would feel dull and unexciting. There are three elements in a movie: one is acting, the second is picture, and the third one is music. It is a holy trinity; if incomplete, there would be a lack of sensation and excitement. Both acting and picture can stand independently from one another, but music is the one that makes the movie memorable.

    Read More

More about Rebel Without A Cause Analysis

Open Document