“Rebel without a Cause” is an American film, which came out in 1955, starring an icon of youth drama of that time, James Dean. The film’s budget was $ 1.5 million, and it was premiered in the US on October 27, 1955.

The title of the movie is based on the scientific research by Dr. Robert M. Lindner on the problems of young offenders, carried out in 1944 (“Rebel without a Cause: The Hypnoanalysis of a Criminal Psychopath”). Film Company chose this work as the basis for the film mainly because of the name. Later on Lindner wrote a short story about a gang of juvenile delinquents and this story had been expanded and turned into a full script.

At first the film was supposed to be black and white, and a few scenes were already shot when Warner Bros. decided to make a color film, just for the sake of prestige. Ray was especially happy to film in color, as he already had a few bright symbols in mind. Almost every color (from red Jim’s jacket to his blue jeans) had a hidden meaning.

The plot of the film is not original. It raises the all-time problem of parents and kids and the generation gap between them. The main characters are acutely lonely teenagers, who rebel against everything. All three of them have issues; even Judy, though, at first glance, it seems like she is surrounded by friends and cannot be unhappy.

Jimmy is a typical rebel. He lives as he wants, ignoring the rules of life. Parents do not understand him; his henpecked father is trying to be his friend. What Jim needs is a strong father figure, a man he can be proud of. His mom thinks only of herself and pays no attention to the kid.

Judy seems happy at first glance. She is popular, has lots of friends. Everything only seems to be fine, because deep down she also suffers from lack of attention from her father, who ignores her completely.

Plato is a very strong character in the film. He is most likely the “rebel without a cause”. However, he does have a lot of reasons to rebel. His mother would rather pay the nanny, than take care of her son. She thinks that money is all the child might want or need. His father fled in an unknown direction. Plato constantly composes all sorts of stories about him, trying to make him a hero. As a result, the boy grows unstable and grabs the gun during a nervous breakdown.

There is no peace in the hearts and minds of these young rebels. Jim’s defiant nature leads him directly to the contest, which will help to find out, a coward he is or not. Jim is forced to accept the challenge from steep Buzz.