Synopses & Reviews
When it was released in 1955, the film Rebel Without a Cause had a revolutionary impact on moviemaking and youth culture, virtually giving birth to our concept of the American teenager. For the first time, Live Fast, Die Young tells the complete story of the explosive making of Rebel, a film that has rocked every generation since its release. Set against a backdrop of the Atomic Age and an old Hollywood studio system on the verge of collapse, it vividly evokes the cataclysmic, immensely influential meeting of four of Hollywood's most passionate artists.
When James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, and director Nicholas Ray converged, each was at a crucial point in his or her career. The young actors were grappling with fame, their burgeoning sexuality, and increasingly reckless behavior. As Ray engaged his cast in physical melees and psychosexual seductions of startling intensity, the on- and off-set relationships between his ambitious young actors ignited, sending a shock wave through the film.
Through interviews with the surviving members of the cast and crew and firsthand access to both personal and studio archives, Lawrence Frascella and Al Weisel reveal Rebel's true drama -- the director's affair with sixteen-year-old Wood, his tempestuous spiritual marriage with Dean, and his role in awakening the latent homosexuality of Mineo, who would become the first gay teenager to appear on film.
Complete with thirty photographs, including ten never-before-seen photos by famed Dean photographer Dennis Stock, Live Fast, Die Young tells the absorbing inside story of an unforgettable and absolutely essential American film -- a story that is, in many ways, as provocative as thefilm itself.
Review
andlt;divandgt; "Compulsively readable." -- Chris Fujiwara,
The Boston Globe
Review
"Easily the best 'making of' since [Lillian Ross's] andlt;iandgt;Picture, Live Fast, Die Youngandlt;/iandgt; recounts the tumultuous production of andlt;iandgt;Rebel Without a Causeandlt;/iandgt; with scrupulous scholarship." -- David Ehrenstein, andlt;iandgt;The Advocateandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"Frascella and Weisel pay determined homage . . . engaging and learned. . . . A passionate depiction of how art can create, inspire, and destroy -- all at the same time." -- andlt;iandgt;Kirkus Reviewsandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"Compulsively readable." -- Chris Fujiwara, andlt;iandgt;The Boston Globeandlt;/iandgt;
Synopsis
The revolutionary film Rebel Without a Cause has had a profound impact on both moviemaking and youth culture -- not only upon its 1955 release but on generations since. In Live Fast, Die Young, the complete story behind this groundbreaking film is revealed, vividly evoking the cataclysmic meeting of actors James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo and director Nicholas Ray -- all at crucial points in their careers as they grappled with fame, burgeoning sexuality, and increasingly reckless behavior.
Through interviews with surviving members of the cast and crew and firsthand access to both personal and studio archives, Lawrence Frascella and Al Weisel depict the explosive making of Rebel Without a Cause, complete with never-before-seen photos by famed Dean photographer Dennis Stock. A fascinating look behind the scenes of an unforgettable American film, Live Fast, Die Young tells a story that is as provocative as the film itself.
Synopsis
The revolutionary film andlt;iandgt;Rebel Without a Causeandlt;/iandgt; has had a profound impact on both moviemaking and youth culture -- not only upon its 1955 release but on generations since. In andlt;iandgt;Live Fast, Die Youngandlt;/iandgt;, the complete story behind this groundbreaking film is revealed, vividly evoking the cataclysmic meeting of actors James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo and director Nicholas Ray -- all at crucial points in their careers as they grappled with fame, burgeoning sexuality, and increasingly reckless behavior. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; Through interviews with surviving members of the cast and crew and firsthand access to both personal and studio archives, Lawrence Frascella and Al Weisel depict the explosive making of andlt;iandgt;Rebel Without a Causeandlt;/iandgt;, complete with never-before-seen photos by famed Dean photographer Dennis Stock. A fascinating look behind the scenes of an unforgettable American film, andlt;iandgt;Live Fast, Die Youngandlt;/iandgt; tells a story that is as provocative as the film itself.
About the Author
andlt;Bandgt;Lawrence Frascellaandlt;/Bandgt; has served as chief movie critic of andlt;Iandgt;Usandlt;/Iandgt; Magazine and theater critic for andlt;Iandgt;Entertainment Weekly,andlt;/Iandgt; as well as an editor at andlt;Iandgt;Aperture.andlt;/Iandgt; His work has appeared in numerous publications, including andlt;Iandgt;Harper's Bazaarandlt;/Iandgt; and andlt;Iandgt;Rolling Stone.andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Al Weiselandlt;/Bandgt; is a regular contributor to andlt;Iandgt;Premiereandlt;/Iandgt; magazine, a former contributing editor at andlt;Iandgt;Usandlt;/Iandgt; Magazine, and has written for andlt;Iandgt;Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, Spin,andlt;/Iandgt; and andlt;Iandgt;New York Newsday.andlt;/Iandgt; He lives in New York City.
Table of Contents
Contents Introduction
Chapter One Birth of a Rebel
Chapter Two Seducing Dean
Chapter Three Child Star
Chapter Four The Script
Chapter Five Gang Wars
Chapter Six The First Gay Teenager
Chapter Seven Chateau Interlude
Chapter Eight The Red Jacket
Chapter Nine Starting Over
Chapter Ten Meet the Parents
Chapter Eleven A World of Their Own
Chapter Twelve Jim Kisses Plato?
Chapter Thirteen Chickie Run
Chapter Fourteen Last Good-bye
Chapter Fifteen Crash
Chapter Sixteen The Leading Lady
Chapter Seventeen The Erotic Politician
Chapter Eighteen Elegy for a Director
Afterword The Rebel Effect
Notes
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Index