James Dean - 1976

James Dean.  Hollywood legend.  Cultural icon.  We've probably all at least heard of him if we are familiar with older films, classic "golden age of Hollywood" type stuff.  But what do we, as individuals, know of the guy?  I am one of the many perhaps-heathen moviegoers who has never seen a James Dean movie.  And I went into this made-for-TV entry from the Swinging 70's set with no expectations.

This set has really surprised me.  It's all coming up in the 70's set write up that I'll put out once I finish this monstrosity.  I believe I have 5-6 movies left.  And man, I wasn't feeling it at all for a while there.  Luckily I was in a good mood last night and I felt like seeing something biography, and this movie caught my eye.  And it did not disappoint.

Stephen McHattie plays Dean, and he's really great in the role.  Michael Brandon plays Dean's real life best friend and fellow struggling artist William Bast.  The two of them forge a friendship despite many differences at first.  As struggling actors, they work in LA and eventually New York, and we see the gradual life they make for themselves, ultimately resulting in Dean becoming a major Hollywood actor, and later of course a dead-before-his-time legend.

What impressed me about this movie was mainly just how much humanity and depth they give to not only Dean but his friend Bast.  I didn't know it at the time of watching, but this movie was actually written by the real life William Bast, whose relationship with Dean was pretty much exactly as it is in the film.  They are best friends, they struggle with differences, they dated the same woman for a period of time, and even had suggestions of an attraction between them and possibly a sexual relationship if you believe Bast's memoirs.

The humanity they lay on these characters is really nice and it made me have a take away which of course seems obvious.  We all, actors or not, legends or not, successful or not, whatever the case may be, people are all loved by someone.  We are all making an impact every day with what we do and what we say, and who we effect in our lives.  It might sound obvious and insignificant, but the end of this movie is not saying, 'oh how sad that we lost a great actor' the end of this movie is simply a man saying 'I miss my friend and a person I loved'.  It's really simple, beautiful, and the movie makes the point really well.

This boxset so far is truly winning in the area of "made for TV movies that are actually really great, and super affecting emotionally".  I was so energized by this, I almost immediately started another 70's movie, but I voted for Kurosawa instead.  I give James Dean...uh, 4 stars I guess.