Blu-ray: James Dean Ultimate Collector's Edition

Blu-ray Release Date: Nov. 5, 2013
Price: Blu-ray $99.98, Individual Movies on Blu-ray $27.98 each
Studio: Warner Home Video

Rebel Without a Cause

The three feature films starring iconic actor James Dean have been remastered for their high-definition Blu-ray debut. East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant are available individually or together in the James Dean Ultimate Collector’s Edition.

Despite his fame, Dean’s career was short, with a number of TV appearances and starring roles in only these three movies.

In 1955’s East of Eden, based on John Steinbeck‘s novel, Dean plays young Cal Trask, who tries to win the affections of his father. 1955 brought out Rebel Without a Cause, about rebellious Jim Stark (Dean) who comes to a new town and makes friends and enemies. Dean’s last film, Giant, came out in 1956, the year after the actor was killed in a car acciden. In Giant, he plays oil tycoon Jett Rink, who gets into a rivarly with a Texas rancher (Rock Hudson, Pillow Talk) and his wife (Elizabeth Taylor, Cleopatra).

The films underwent 4K restorations from original camera negatives, and the soundtrack for Rebel Without a Cause was reconstructed from the magnetic soundtrack stripes of Cinemascope release prints.

Special features on the Collector’s Edition and individual Blu-ray Books include:

East of Eden:

• Commentary by critic Richard Schickel
• “Forever James Dean” 1987 documentary
• “East of Eden: Art in Search of Life”
• Screen tests
• Wardrobe tests with Richard Davalos, James Dean, Julie Harris, Lois Smith and Jo Van Fleet
• Costumes and Production Design Wardrobe Test
• Deleted Scenes
• March 9, 1955 New York City premier

Rebel Without a Cause:

• Commentary by The Making of Rebel Without a Cause author Douglas L. Rathgeb
• 1974 TV special documentary James Dean Remembered
• Documentary Rebel Without A Cause: Defiant Innocents
• Dennis Hopper interview (New)
• Screen Tests
• Wardrobe Tests
• Deleted Scenes
• “Behind The Cameras: Natalie Wood”
• “Behind The Cameras: Jim Backus”
• “Behind The Cameras: James Dean”
• Theatrical Trailers

Giant:

• Introduction by George Stevens Jr., son of the movie’s Oscar-winning director
• Commentary by George Stevens Jr., co-writer Ivan Moffat and critic Stephen Farber
• “George Stevens: Filmmakers Who Knew Him”

The limited and numbered six-disc James Dean Ultimate Collector’s Edition also offers a 48-page photo book with behind-the-scenes images from each movie and three feature-length documentaries:

• James Dean Forever Young, narrated by Martin Sheen (The Amazing Spider-Man)
• American Masters James Dean Sense Memories
• and George Stevens: A Filmmaker’s Journey.

Buy or Rent James Dean Ultimate Collector’s Edition
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