Rebel Without A Cause Analysis

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

times the music is loud with blazing horns. For instance, the dramatic music before the chicken race on the buff. Another instance of this when Jim Start is talking to up Officer Ray Fremick at the beginning of the movie. There is no background music when Jim beats Ray’s desk, but after he is done, dramatic and angry music accents Jim’s anger and frustration (13:58). The audio contrast between only hearing the sound of Jim’s pounding to hearing a full orchestra shows the audience the full extent and danger of Jim’s anger.
The orchestral music can also reflect the inner peace of a character.

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

strangers.
The orchestral music in “Rebel Without a Cause” also serves to make the audience feel the powerful emotions of the characters on screen. During the scene when the gang of teens tries to kill Plato, there is dramatic, edgy and dissonant orchestral music. This discordant music is used to cause the audience to be afraid and to be on the edge of their seats, waiting to see if Plato will escape the gang. The type of music that Leonard Rosenman used at the end of the movie is also used to make the audience feel emotion. As the camera moves backward in a crane-shot, the audience hears a fanfare in a minor key. The disheartening ending combined with the gloomy music leaves the audience in a state of shock and sorrow over the movie and the current condition of teenagers.
Music has the capability to enhance story-telling and impact an audience without them realizing it. “Rebel Without a Cause” harnesses the power of music to increase the drama of the music and make the audience care about fictional, but true to life characters. This film uses music to reflect the emotions of the teenage character, add to the mise-en scène, and evoke certain emotions within the viewer. “Rebel Without a Cause” is an powerful film about the intense dissatisfaction of the American teenager during the 1950s and the orchestral music gives it an extra kick.