Got to see this movie tonight on the big screen at the college cinema. Definitely an icon of the times, and still very relevant today.

I find older films harder to watch since I cannot lose myself in them in the same way. They tend to jolt you out of the film world more often due to the dated script and tone. And after seeing James Dean in this film (the first film I have ever seen of his) I am amazed that he had the “tough guy” image that he did. “Tortured soul” might be more apt.

But the themes of this movie are still so relevant today: being bullied, feeling unloved, lacking in positive parental role models. Perhaps most poignant to me was the scene in which James Dean’s character is asking his father what it means to be a man, to have dignity, honor and integrity. And his father cannot answer him, and refuses to stand up for him.

I’m glad I saw it. Don’t know that I’d be likely to see it again, but definitely glad I saw it.