Rebel Without A Cause

Jim's new friend Plato says this:

"What's he like?

I don't know.

You have to get to know him.

He doesn't say much.

But when he does, you know he means it.

He's sincere.

Well, that's the main thing. "

and Jim's new girlfriend says this later in the film:

"I'm sorry that I treated you mean today.

Don't believe what I say when I'm with the rest of the kids.

Nobody acts sincere. "

Believe it or not I had never seen "Rebel Without a Cause" before, so I watched it today for the first time. It was a good movie and I can see why it is a classic. In the past two years, I have been watching every old movie I missed.

These two bits of dialogue stand out to me.  You can tell the character Jim despite his faults and fights is seeking after integrity and some sincerity in life. Those around him don't like the sincerity and I found myself thinking about the character and his history of fights and bullying and how that plays out today where people who refuse to "save face" and are sincere and mean what they say, often get in more trouble in society. In other words the "fake" people rule, and get angry at those who want to be real or sincere.  I found the character Plato fascinating too, as he was very troubled from being abandoned by both parents.

The movie definitely seems to portray an emasculated father who is an enabler to a narcissistic mother but at least stands up for his son in the end. The earlier scene where Jim begs his father to stand up for him is especially poignant. I had confrontations like that with my father. "Why won't you ever stand up for me?" I remember even once telling my father in my mid teens, "My mother does not love me at all!" and getting in a huge argument with him over it . He repeated "Oh your mother loves you" over and over as if he had to convince himself.  He didn't want to admit the truth.

Yes I consider my mother worse then my father which some may be shocked by here. He had the rage but she had the cunning. Unlike my mother, my father would show a human side every once in a while. Often times it confused me, I may write about this soon.  I often wonder who he would have been without the influence of my mother or what our relationship would have been.  Definitely this is one scene where a young man is begging his father to stand up for him for once.



"When you can't face yourself you blame me!

That is not true!

You say it's because of me or the neighborhood!

You use every other phony excuse!

Mom, I just... Once, I want to do something right!

And I don't want you to run away from me again!

- This is all going too fast. - You better give me something.

You better give me something fast.

Jimmy, you're very young.

A foolish decision now could wreck your whole life!

- In ten years you won't know it happened. - Dad, answer her.

Tell her.

Ten years.

Dad, let me hear you answer her.

Dad, stand up for me.

Stand up!"

Here is the script to "Rebel Without A Cause"