Cinema Club:

Join Wilton's Music Hall this summer for a James Dean season as part of Wilton's popular Cinema Club.
Wilton's Cinema Club presents a James Dean season, showcasing three iconic films that catapulted him to a Hollywood legend.

East of Eden Directed by Elia Kazan (1955)
Based on John Steinbeck's novel and directed by Elia Kazan, East of Eden is the first of three major films that make up James Dean's movie legacy. The 24-year-old idol-to-be plays Cal, a wayward Salinas Valley youth who vies for the affection of his hardened father (Raymond Massey) with his favored brother Aron (Richard Davalos). Playing off the haunting sensitivity of Julie Harris, Dean's performance earned one of the film's four Academy Award nominations.* Among the movie's stellar performances, Jo Van Fleet won the Oscar as Best Supporting Actress.

Rebel Without a Cause Directed by Nicholas Ray (1955)
Nicholas Ray's juvenile-delinquent film (originally a vehicle for Marlon Brando) opened after the death of its star James Dean in a car crash and made Dean into an icon of rebellion. The storyline takes place over a 24-hour period and follows Jim Stark (Dean), a restless teenager always in trouble with the law. His mother smothers him, while his father is weak and ineffectual and the family has only recently moved to Los Angeles to try and save Jim from a life of crime. However, when Jim is picked up for being drunk and disorderly he notices Judy (Natalie Wood) at the police station and determines to ask her on a date at high school the next day. This leads him into conflict with Judy's boyfriend, Buzz (Corey Allen). He is determined to prove himself with his new found 'friends' by taking part in switchblade fights and a 'chickie' game where cars race to the edge of a seaside cliff.

Giant Directed by George Stevens (1956)
Living up to its title, everything in this picture is big, from sprawling ranch location to the high-powered stars. Rock Hudson stars as the confident, stubborn young ranch baron Jordan ‘Bick’ Benedict, who woos and wins the hand of Southern belle Leslie (Elizabeth Taylor), a seemingly demure young beauty who proves to be Bick’s match after she settles into the family homestead. The film sees James Dean’s final performance before his tragic death, as poor former ranch hand Jett Rink, who strikes oil and transforms himself into a flamboyant millionaire playboy, earning a second posthumous Academy Award nomination. The talented supporting cast includes Carroll Baker and Dennis Hopper as the Benedict’s rebellious children.