John Steinbeck’s novel blatantly evokes Cain and Abel, from the biblical title to naming the father Adam and his two sons Cal and Aron. In Elia Kazan’s film version, however, the rivalry isn’t just between Cal (James Dean, pictured, explosive in his first starring role in a movie), the brother who can’t seem to do anything right, and Aron (the subtler Richard Davalos, also making his film debut), the brother who can do no wrong. (Julie Harris’ Abra, who starts out as Aron’s girlfriend, seems torn between the two brothers, and they come to blows over her.) Even more so, the conflict is between Cal and Adam (Raymond Massey), the father whose approval he can never win. No wonder the love-starved Cal goes looking for his estranged mother (Jo Van Fleet), who turns out to be a notorious madam.
The tension between father and son was reportedly real; old-school Massey didn’t think much of Dean’s Method histrionics, and Kazan would exploit their off-camera irritation to enhance their performances. As for Dean and Davalos, Kazan housed them together in an apartment until the actors got on each other’s nerves. Imagine if Kazan had gone with his initial choice for Aron, fellow Method acolyte Paul Newman; the two brothers might have gotten along far too well.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuzxwdTacjE]