In 1917, before America’s entry into World War I, teenager Caleb “Cal” Trask (James Dean in the first of his three films) loiters around the “rough and tumble” town of Monterey. His family lives fifteen miles away, over the Santa Lucia Mountains in the pastoral farming community of Salinas, but Cal is obsessed with a local madam (Jo Van Fleet) and wants to talk to her.

Back home, Cal’s twin brother Aron (Richard Davalos) is engaged to his high school sweetheart Abra (a top-billed Julie Harris). Abra doesn’t like the way Cal prowls around, watching everyone. Cal’s father (Raymond Massey) is a high-minded rancher who has invested in long haul refrigeration, hoping to create something for the betterment of society. Cal’s mother died after he was born.

While the old man has no complaints about the loyal Aron, he loses his temper after the brooding Cal destroys the blocks of ice he’s purchased. He calls Cal “bad, through and through, bad.” Cal agrees, but reveals that he knows the truth about his mother, who is alive and well, even though she did run out on them. “She ain’t no good and I ain’t no good.”

Cal returns to Monterey to confront the madam. The sheriff (Burl Ives) confirms that she is his mother, a free spirited beauty who left because Salinas didn’t offer her much in the way of worldliness. The sheriff gets Cal to begin treating his father with more tolerance, and the son sets out to reimburse the money his father lost on his refrigeration idea. Cal invests in beans, the price of which has shot up with news America is entering the Great War.

Aron and his father oppose the war, which turns into a much bloodier conflict than most in town envisioned. Abra bumps into Cal at a carnival and confides that she doesn’t think she’s good enough to marry Aron. They kiss, but Abra tells Cal she really loves his brother. This revelation – along with his father not showing Cal any love despite the work he’s put in – forces him to lash out.

Directed by Elia Kazan and adapted by Paul Osborn from the 1952 novel by John Steinbeck, East of Eden was an update of the Cain and Abel tale. The film version omits the first half of Steinbeck’s ambitious bestseller – which also chronicled the history of Cal’s parents – but Kazan was a friend of the author and made many of his choices with Steinbeck’s blessing, including the casting of Cal.

One version of the James Dean legend goes that while the young actor was working in TV and on Broadway, Paul Osborn noticed him in a production of The Immoralist and recommended him to Kazan. Dean was apparently sullen and withdrawn during his interview, but demonstrated the inward suffering and rebelliousness Kazan was looking for. The rest is history.

East of Eden was released at a time when antisocial teenage behavior was a cause of major concern in the media. The film was a hit, resonating with the youth of the day. Watching this two generations later, much of the melodrama comes across as hysterical. Both Dean and Davalos (playing a role Paul Newman screen tested for) throw one too many hissy-fits for comfort. There’s nothing subtle about the film’s emotions, which are frequently over the top.

But underneath the theatrical brooding, the characters are invested with depth, and James Dean’s performance is electric, no question. The rest of the cast is okay, with folk singer Burl Ives standing out as the soft spoken, sheriff sage. Dean, Kazan and Paul Osborn were all nominated for Academy Awards with Jo Van Fleet, who won Best Supporting Actress. Shot in Cinemascope and presented in “Warner Color,” the film looks as vibrant and lush as it must have fifty years ago.