THE JAMES DEAN STORY

USA

1997

This movie is without a trace of what might be expected from an effort of this kind - no tear-jerking, no maudlin, keening wake of the dead is this.

Through existing motion picture film and a very innovative use of still photographs, Dean himself is the star, and he is shown exactly as he was - confused, lost, unhappy, rebellious - and forever retreating from his own emotions.

The picture goes back to Fairmount, Indiana - where Dean grew up -and shows the town, the people who knew him, then to Hollywood, New York, and back to Hollywood. The forthright and obviously unrehearsed manner in which these people and scenes are handled gives the film powerful impact.

Aside from its biographical-memorial aspects, which reflect great credit on the producers, George W. George and Robert Altman, the picture also seems to be prevalent in the young people who identified themselves so closely with Dean.