Is REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE a Gay Movie?

[@rusted_ursa]

From the boomers to the zoomers, kids are always scariest to the adults who refuse to understand them.

[@chrisholzhauer3698]

Well said!

[@beckstheimpatient4135]

And it's the same things, the same fears that boomers complain about today. There are literal ANCIENT ROMAN records of old people complaining about 'the youth of today'. And we've learned almost nothing from these repeating cycles.

[@scaper8]

That and whatever the new media is. Since time immemorial, the "youth" and the "new media" terrified anyone who didn't understand them and didn't want to.

[@milascave2]

@@scaper8 Plato, the original one, talked about an Egyptian ruler complaining about the new media of the time, writing. He said that the invention of writing destroyed the ability of young people to memorize things.

[@davidtabaka2663]

And vice versa. Reality is always scariest to the people most determined to avoid it.

[@Resilient_Sage88]

Also a guy giving his jacket was 'A thing' back then. It basically meant they were a couple.

[@OneRandomLeo]

I wasn't aware but the way they filmed it and the way Plato caressed the jacket before putting it on sure looked meaningful in a romantic way (imagine if Plato had been a girl, that would have been a clear sign they're flirting, if not more)

[@damenwhelan3236]

It's still a thing. Depends on context. It can also mean to make an excuse to see each other again which can be a social declaration.

[@carbine090909]

I think in Jim's case, it was just a humanitarian gesture - young, old, male, female - you're cold, here's my jacket. Remember, his outstanding characteristic was his sincerity. I don't think he played social chess games. That said, it was established that Plato and Natalie's character did, Plato dancing around his homosexuality, and Natalie's character trying to fit with the in-crowd. Both were very aware of social signals, because they had to use them themselves. So, absolutely, good point, giving a jacket was "a thing." But not necessarily for Jim. He lived off the chess board, and didn't dance around the fact that he loved them both as friends, people, fellow humans first, before anything else.

[@ykd818]

Oh shut up!!! Please kill it with the LGBT propaganda

[@Independentfellow]

I kind of think judy and plato are a split character so there can be romantic scenes.

[@juliannehannes11]

To all you Gen Z, Natalie Wood was newly 17 when the film was made, she was not in her 20s, she was her character's exact age. You are looking at an actual 1950s school aged teen when you see her.

[@marieroberts5664]

And Sal too, if I recall correctly, he couldn't get a driver's license yet, he was so young.

[@philipfrancis2728]

@ville__Huh? I don’t understand your response?

[@adlegacy56]

@@philipfrancis2728 Ignore @ville_, he's a troll who thinks being a "jack of all trades" is impressive, but doesn't realize that makes him "a master of none" .

[@kotobookie]

They somehow look so old omg

[@juliannehannes11]

@@kotobookie Because teens then smoked and drank from age 11 and tanned with baby oil during the summer. That is why they look older. Also it's the heavy movie technocolor makeup they did on her, they put layers and layers of thick foundation on her.

[@chiptaylor7925]

i think something else that's impotent about Plato's feelings for Jim is that it can imply the early understanding of ones sexuality where you aren't sure if you want to be like the person you admire or want to be romantically involved with that person.

[@blakeveracruz122]

Oh my god that was a huge thing for me when I was a middle schooler. And even today, my best friend relationships are somewhat a mixture between I wanna be them and I wanna be with them forever

[@Parallax982]

Great insight. It's considered completely normal for young teens to have romantic feelings for a close friend of the same sex. Someone who reminds one of himself/herself. It's seen as a bridge from the childhood self-love that's normal and healthy to beginning to connect with others in a romantic way. Most of those children are heterosexual. The same sex attraction is transient and a step toward pair-bonding with someone of the other sex.

[@GorgeouslyStupidThing]

​@@Parallax982This sounds like a whole bunch of very confused kids. I knew 2 or 2 kids like that but not the majority.

[@toyiahm]

Jim’s dad wearing an apron for 75% of the movie definitely is an examination of gender roles if nothing else

[@milascave2]

Yea, but it pissed the Dean character, Jim, off. He was mad that his dad was too weak and effeminate and didn't stand up to his mom.

[@toyiahm]

@@milascave2 Which is exactly why it's an examination of those roles. Matt does a great job breaking that down

[@Mk101T]

@@milascave2 So in your view that caveat was speaking towards cross dressing , and nothing to do with women who don't shave their upper lip ?

[@abraxasjinx5207]

@@Mk101T ¡¿What?!

[@Mk101T]

@@abraxasjinx5207 You know what I meant :\

[@beauhauser]

Sal Mineo is the 1st actor to play (beautifully) a gay teenager on screen. Watch for the scene when he opens his school locker.

[@kostajovanovic3711]

The girls in "madchen in uniform" don't count?

[@KealohaHarrison]

One of my favorite stories from behind the scenes was when Sal Mineo asked James Dean for advice on how to play the scene where the three of them are in the mansion together and he said, “Look at me the way I look at Natalie.”

[@markmh835]

That was his stage direction? Wow! 😱

[@abraxasjinx5207]

I thought it was really interesting that he was in love with Dean in real life. I wonder what other old movies were made by queer people that subtly subverted the norms and expectations of mainstream cinema goers.

[@kittyprydekissme]

All three of the main stars died relatively young. James Dean was 24, Sal Mineo was 37, and Natalie Wood was 43.

[@dziobak101]

Yep, Sal was stabbed to death by a complete stranger, and Natalie was most likely beaten and pushed off a boat by her husband, and Christopher Walken probably saw it, but neither have ever admitted it.

[@docjoe86]

I just noticed that and was going to mention it, but you beat me to it.

[@rmsrmsrmsrms]

@bftdr coincidence, or correlation?

[@milascave2]

@bftdr Q:What kind of Wood doesn't float. A: Natalie Wood.

[@suechan6414]

If you understand the sexual abuse any of the young stars endured to make it to stardom, you will understand why some did not survive long or ended up self-destructing.

[@aestroai8012]

I noticed something was "different" about this movie after watching it a few years ago. I'm a straight film student, and I noticed how Jim is super sensitive for a guy in the 50's. Especially a tough guy. He's also very affectionate with Plato. Then it clicked! Although he gets the girl, he relates to Plato. I hate how everything has to get dumbed down to who he wants to go to bed with today, but it's romantic. I appreciate the subtlety of this film. I see the three playing house in the big abandoned mansion echoed in the film The Dreamers decades later. It makes me sad that we live in a world where people actively try to destroy the happiness of others. Consenting adults should be able to do what they want, as long as they don't hurt anybody. I'm 43, and I still have idiots occasionally call me gay as an insult. I can't wait to see you dive back into this one Matt. It's a favourite of mine.

[@csi924]

i like the fact that you're 43 and a student. Not afraid to learn new things anytime. Well done. (from another 43 years old 🙂)

[@LCCWPresents]

I was called a fag by a homeless women for walking around in close fit hoodie and jeans 2 days ago.

[@aestroai8012]

@@csi924 I had a rocky road, so I had to go part time for a long time. But I'm ultimately a life long student even though I'm working freelance these days.

[@JDMimeTHEFIRST]

Don’t know if you’ve been on the internet (or a woman anywhere), but there are probably just as many insensitive dudes now as days as in the 50s. Still a lot of toxic masculinity. Men haven’t evolved that much unfortunately, so I’m sure there were just as many sensitive cool guys back then as now.

[@wherefancytakesme]

Also Plato being killed just ironically provides more subtext; classic 20th century move of the bury-your-gays trope then getting the girl to allow gayness at all.

[@chrisholzhauer3698]

In my small bible belt town, I took a film history class in high school. Our teacher had total control of the movies we were shown and "Rebel Without A Cause" was one of them. He didn't shy away from topics no other teacher would have gone near. He respected us and challenged us and I'm forever grateful. Thank you, Mr. Williams!

[@batsnackattack]

and yet people insist 'small bible belt towns' are ignorant and censor art and don't let anyone think etc. You've proven that stereotype wrong. thank you storywriter!

[@OneAdam12Adam]

I lived in the North and had film study classes in high school. Brave teachers didn't give a shit what others thought. We should appreciate them.

[@simplyfrancois]

​@@batsnackattackdid you miss the bit about the fact that nobody else in that bible belt town would touch on these topics? this was not an endorsement of bible belt towns, just that one exceptional teacher.

[@chrisholzhauer3698]

Small bible belt towns, in my lifelong experience, do measure up to their stereotypes in many ways. Those few wonderful teachers stood out because they stood alone. I volunteer with a literacy advocacy group in some of those same schools as a tutor and nothing's changed. I'm homeschooling my own children rather than putting them through those same education systems. Don't get it twisted, y'all. We've got a long way to go here in the south. A lot I love about it and a lot I don't.

[@harperwelch5147]

Your experience is good to remember. Teachers can make a huge difference in broadening students’ lives and minds. It’s tragic how teachers are being targeted now for being well educated and wanting to share that.

[@benyarder8097]

When I was 17 years old I was already in a 2 year relationship with my high school girlfriend. I ended up watching Rebel on the TCM channel one night at home. I’m not sure what exactly triggered it but after watching that film, I slowly started to come out. I am now a happy 30 year old bi guy. Thanks to my favorite actor James Dean.

[@Nick-ty9us]

You can think a 1950s Warner Bros. movie for doing that

[@kaitlyn__L]

That’s beautiful. I had a similar experience with Girl, Interrupted on TV late one night. Some deeper truth in these films speaks to people, even when they try to cover them up.

[@keithabney4665]

same thing happened to me but it was East of Eden that made me face my sexuality honestly. i identified with the character of Cal not being able to connect with his father, i still can't watch certain scenes in Eden without getting a tad emotional. an amazing performance from a great American actor.

[@birchwwolf]

"He was always cold" is one of the most devastating lines in cinema history and it doesn't get brought up often enough. Thank you for covering this film.

[@alexa_renae]

When I was in high school, we did a one-act play version of Rebel in competition, basically from the planetarium scenes through the game of chicken. I, a cis girl, played Plato because we didn't have enough boys. It was basically impossible to NOT play Plato like he (she, in this case) was in love with Jim, because like...come on. It's funny how audiences immediately picked up on that vibe when it was a heterosexual pairing.

[@kathleencunningham6236]

What makes this movie sad for me is what happened to Sal Mineo in real life

[@jamesa.romano8500]

Especially sad considering there wasn't a huge outpouring of public mourning like there was with Dean and Natalie - it just kind of "happened."

[@lemorab1]

Thank you for this excellent analysis of "Rebel Without a Cause." I saw it in 1955, when it first came out, when I was 7 years old. My friend's father wanted to see it and we kids pretty much had to go along. I didn't understand anything about it. I knew I was loved and my parents were happily married. Fast forward to 1969 and the UCLA Pacific Film Archive. I was 20, and I understood the fractured parent/child relationships and feelings of non-belonging all too well. I think I saw it again in my mid-twenties (about 1975) at a cinema rep house. Remember those? This movie has such a strong feeling of sadness about it. This is the first I've heard about the Film Censorship Board (or whatever it was called) being satisfied that at the end, all was tidily wrapped up in a happy package. That is insane.

[@literaterose6731]

Love your comment, but had to reply to say, oh boy *yes* do I remember repertory movie theaters! For most of a couple of decades while my kids were growing up we went regularly to the UC Theater in Berkeley CA. The monthly schedule lived on our fridge, and we saw individual films, double features, marathons and film festivals (and Rocky Horror, of course!). Hell, it was the place my youngest went to her first movie (though she didn’t watch it lol) at a week old! It was an amazing cultural resource and affordable entertainment option, and I cried years later when I learned it was closing while I was living in another state. I don’t know how many (if any) of those are left in the country, but I hope there are still some places where folks get to experience them.

[@lemorab1]

@@literaterose6731 The UC Theater in Berkeley is the one I am talking about! I went there for over 20 years, before they closed it. It has been rehabbed and reopened as a large event venue for live performances. I have no idea what it looks like inside, now.

[@CQ-369]

I miss the old rep movie theaters. In Cambridge it was the Orson Welles, where I also saw David Bowie and the Spiders From Mars (live) and Harder They Come played every Saturday midnight for years.

[@johnindigo5477]

Wow that's amazing that you lived through. I'm 21 now. I can't imagine being a young man back then

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@CQ-369Cambridge Mass? Lovely place.

[@jeiaz]

The scene where Jim gently takes Judy's hand to bring her away from the precipice is top of my list of beautiful scenes. The gesture so careful, soft and confident. I get tears seeing it even out of context.

[@gregorehorror]

Oh my goodness that movie always makes me cry, the pain and lack of understanding from the authority figures is so tragic and relatable

[@gretacwink8659]

the line about Bowser destroyyyyyyyyyyyyyyed me. well done, as usual

[@sadpacman3290]

When I finally got around to watching this, knowing about James Dean and Sal Mineo, I definitely picked up on some subtext, but I was more struck by how the whole thing seemed to be about how father figures are essential to development as all three characters have, according to 50's values, weak or absent fathers.

[@jamesa.romano8500]

Sal Mineo idolized James Dean in real life and was inconsolable when Dean died (Yul Brynner reportedly had to come over and talk him out of his depression). I dunno how close Sal and James were or how far their friendship went but it definitely comes through in the performances

[@OhNoBohNo]

I want to really add here the tragedy of not just a member of a teenage gay/bisexual polyamorous couple geting killed by police violence, but the teen of darker skin than his partners getting killed, as well. the subjugation of violence upon them and the trauma dealt. may you rest, Brianna Ghey. may you rest, Nex Benedict. may you rest, Walter Lay.

[@purplehood8418]

Queer coded out the wazoo honey! So much gay pining

[@lemorab1]

During production of the film, Nicholas Ray was having an affair with Natalie Wood and also with James Dean, if what I have read is true. Dennis Hopper claimed that he and Natalie were also having a fling during this time. Hopper stated that her affair with Ray was clandestine, but he and Natalie were openly together. This adds undercurrents to the performances, in addition to the ones in the script.

[@bdwatson814]

I think it's all in the queer's mind..this film is NOT gay

[@juliannehannes11]

Their family play at the abandoned house reminds me of Peter Pan, Wendy, and the Lost Boys. James Dean reminds me so much of Peter Pan.

[@sassylittleprophet]

Honestly, the fact that James Dean died so young only adds to his "Peter Pan"-ness in my opinion

[@AXander1978]

How had I never noticed it takes place only withing 24hrs? From the evening at the police station to dawn at the climax

[@acousticmonkey2209]

Something struck out a me on this that I didn’t get when I first watched it: Judy tells Jim all the reasons why a woman would want a sensitive, kind man. He looked at his father as weak for those traits, and yet weirdly not himself for sharing them. It would have been interesting to note if his opinion changed of his dad after hearing that women find that attractive? That his ideas about his dad's masculinity actually go against an outsiders thoughts? His dad was what the type she wanted. Would he see the world differently through her eyes? Would he go home and say/think, "I understand now why mom loves you. Because you are kind. She respects and loves that." It’s an intriguing notion that in cinema today would be followed, but I kind of like is left hanging for you to decide or imagine for yourself.

[@lynneperrigo7551]

I like this train of thought and I think you're right!

[@someonesomeone25]

I think the paradox and contradiction is more accurate to real life. It seems to me that many women want a man who is both strong, almost brutal, and yet also caring and gentle; and many men want to be both of those things too. Part of the sadness of life is realising that hardly anyone can be both things together.

[@NelsonStJames]

There is a distinct difference between being sensitive and being weak. That's why the apron is such bad symbolism. In fiction and especially when you look at American entertainment, masculine heroes have always exhibited qualities that the culture didn't necessarily adhere to except in lip-service.

[@The1ChosenMC]

Although I agree that the inclusion of the apron isn’t a good look nowadays, I think if we give it the benefit of the doubt then it isn’t necessarily the fact that he’s wearing the apron that baffles Jim, it’s the fact that his father so easily gives into his mother and fails to materialize actual opinions beyond that. We see a constant push and pull between his mothers overbearing aggression and his father’s clear pacifism, and I believe that even tho it may have been playing into gender stereotypes of the time, it also still shows pretty extreme and accurate portrayals of why the traits of his mother and father were so toxic towards him. His father isn’t necessarily just the opposite of the strong, stoic stereotypes of the time, he is shown to be a pushover who doesn’t seem to have opinions of his own.

[@robertamsel4769]

Matt Baume did a really exceptional job both dissecting and explaining the many aspects of "Rebel Without a Cause," the Number One film of my sister's generation. She was six years older than I was. As for MY generation we had two other iconic Natalie Wood films, "Splendor in the Grass" and "West Side Story." I highly recommend all three. (My only problem with "Rebel" is that all the parents are so wildly over the top, a wee bit of subtlety might have lessened their horror.) I knew a good friend of Natalie's who told me that during the making of the film, all three stars were as close in real life as on screen. They hung out, smoked weed, drank a bit, and had a grand old time after hours. I also knew Jill Haworth who was a close friend of Sal Mineo's. Jill told me that like Plato, Sal absolutely worshipped James Dean and never believed he could ever find a lover in real life that could come even close. It's sad that the three of them, four if you include Nick Adams who had a smaller part, all died far too young.

[@stvnsvids]

Nic Adams??? from the Godzilla movies???

[@subplot]

Splendor is a wonderful film, but worth a warning to anyone who seeks it out -- it is also utterly bleak and depressing. I was NOT prepared the first time I saw it; Rebel is an upbeat jaunt in comparison.

[@sfinthecity]

@@stvnsvids Yes.

[@finderkeeperrrs]

Sal Mineo was just absolutely gorgeous.

[@johnpauljones9244]

They found love in a hopeless place....

[@otterzrkuhl]

This video touches on it a little, but i remember hearing on a podcast about how teenagers becoming more of an identity was partly because it used to be that once you werent a little kid, you started working. A lot of teens had jobs young or worked on their family farms etc. Suddenly, with the economic boots after ww2 mentioned in this video, it wasnt necessary for teens to help support their families. So they had all these kids running around with nothing to do,no where to go, surrounded by adults who assumed the worst. Its no wonder teenage culture became so strained.

[@patrickirby9825]

Your analysis expands far more than just gay to straight. Your videos are far more important than just that.

[@caseyflorida]

I watched this movie about 20 years ago and didn't know anything about it. It is a fantastic movie, but at the end when the cops killed Plato, I was just shocked, and then started crying.

[@amandabaker4678]

I really enjoyed this. I did want to add a quick note - the teens in this movie would have been Silent Generation (born 1928 - 45) not Baby Boomers (born 1946 - 1964)

[@queensandknaves]

realising that Rebel might have been for queer kids in the 50s what literally the xmen was for my gay milliannial ass actually makes it make so much sense to me now

[@Matthy63]

i brought up X-Men 3 with my mostly straight D&D table a while back and I was like "yeah it's amazing it's basically an extended gay metaphor and for that matter every other X men movie is an extended metaphor for a different American minority" and the general reaction to that was "wait, what?"

[@Matthy63]

I mean First Class/Days of Future Past is hardly a metaphor when Magneto is explicitly a Nazi-hunting Holocaust survivor, but like. Yeah. X2 is thematically about the civil rights movement and X3 is thematically about gay conversion therapy. It literally has a scene where the gay-coded mutant comes out to his parents surrounded by his found family and his mom's response is "have you tried not being a mutant" fjdjdbdh

[@lokenecummings47]

Two things: One of the first salacious "facts" we learned about historical figures was Plato's orientation. Having Plato as a nickname was a not so hidden way of calling him a sissy. Secondly, Judy's story: "Now he looks at me like I'm the ugliest thing". The father's rage at Judy kissing him. Judy becoming a woman definitely scares him and i always felt that it hinted at something a little more than "my baby's growing up". And the detective's asking Judy "You weren't looking for company, were you?" suggests she thinks one type of affection is the same as the other. I always felt there was something sinister in her home.

[@Elora445]

Nice to know I wasn't the only one reacting to that. Her relationship with her father seemed suspicious indeed. Maybe it read otherwise then, but nowadays...

[@kaitlyn__L]

FWIW I’m an incest survivor and I definitely got that vibe too.

[@cathygould]

I've studied and written about this film for decades . Yours is the BEST total presentaion of All the issues , cruely, coldness and compassion . Thank you👍🏽👏🏾❣️😘

[@vickialschuler816]

Another callback I noticed was during the abandoned house tour when James Dean answers Natalie Wood’s question about what to do with the children he says (in his Mr. Magoo voice) “Drown them like puppies” tying in with The opening scene where Sal Mineo has shot the puppies. Love your work!

[@Matthy63]

Right! Because also, the fact that the adults -understandably- freak out at Plato shooting puppies is also put into perspective by the fact that at the time, drowning puppies you didn't want was considered an unfortunate but ultimately pretty normal thing to do. It's what dads did, like getting rid of spiders or something. So like. It's fine if you drown them, but shooting them is beyond the pale? Like even when I was a kid in the 90s it's not like it was something that everyone was ok doing themselves, but it was A Thing.

[@alaenamcdonald1877]

What fantastic insight you’ve provided. In the study of American sociology post Industrial Revolution, the topic of “teen-age-hood” has been largely understudied, and it is clearly cyclical in nature. Apply it to queerness and queer culture, you see the untapped examination we need as we move forward.

[@LydiaKrow]

I never saw this film, but this was my sister's favorite (she was a teenager at the time). I love your recap here and the historical significance. My sister talked about this movie often as "how people should be" (meaning the teenagers leaving orthodoxy behind and creating a better, more compassionate world). She said it was how she and her friends felt when they were expected to be "mini adults." She just wanted to live in a world where people stopped trying to act like something and would actually try to read the room and respond to genuine feelings. I think this preceded the hippy/beatnik thing that happened in the sixties. For her part, at the time she never recognized the gay subtext, though she did later in life. I think in her case she just wasn't looking for it - to her, they were just good friends who cared for each other deeply. As someone who was born 15 years after my sister, by the time I was a teenager in the 80s, the film had passed from the lexicon of teenagers somewhat - it definitely captured its time in a bottle, so to speak. This really gave me a new appreciation for it - can't wait to chat with my sister about it. :)

[@ethansloan]

"The cops even try to shoot him in the back while he's running away." So the teen angst wasn't the only accurate thing in the movie.

[@abraxasjinx5207]

ACAB since forever.

[@BrianYochem]

cops don't actually do that.. at least in mass like you think they do

[@abraxasjinx5207]

@@BrianYochem yes, they do.

[@BrianYochem]

@@abraxasjinx5207 it rarely happens in the way you think it does. Police killings don't even happen that often for a country of our size. Look up the stats.

[@rackcity5981]

Lol. Hollyweird having an agenda

[@alonealien1474]

Excellent video as usual! On a related note, my PhD dissertation focuses on the evolution of adulthood transition in the US and your analysis of the post-World War II era is spot on!

[@RadioPsychicAstrologyByPepper]

I’m actually writing a book about the generations that I’ve lived with and I would love to interview you or possibly read your dissertation! If you would consider that I would be very grateful.

[@LooseAsADEUCE]

It's so fascinating how well that "teenagers are scary and hard to understand" idea has held up. Even when I was a teen in the 2000s that felt like the underlying viewpoint of us.

[@amandabaker4678]

Older people not understanding "the youth" does seem to be a tale as old as time. Conversely, every generation of teenagers thinks they are the first generation to have it so hard and to be so misunderstood!

[@JDMimeTHEFIRST]

I thought Sal Mineo’s character was definitely gay, but maybe I was just reading Sal. I mean, James Dean may have been bisexual in real life. But straight men can have platonic affectionate relationships with gay men. Which honestly, is also a good message to send out. Also, Jim basically says what neurodivergent people say about neurotypicals. They don’t say what they mean and don’t mean what they say. It’s very confusing. As a “black sheep” of the family who is straight, you can still be an outsider.

[@Elora445]

Yeah, being a neurodivergent (undiagnosed) teen was certainly interesting. I still wish people would just be more straight forward with people - say what they mean instead of just hoping that everyone will understand them. "I'm...guessing they mean this? But it can also mean that...". Feeling like an outsider most of one's life and not finding out the reason why until age 37 sucked.

[@damenwhelan3236]

The difference between those deliveries of "youre tearing me apart" are absolutely evident. God Dean was such a passionate actor

[@vincent_2232]

I just finished ‘Hi Honey, I’m Homo’ and I would highly recommend it was awesome!!

[@MattBaume]

Aw yay thanks!!! :D

[@vincent_2232]

@@MattBaumethank you for all the hard work and great content! Love your videos!!!!!

[@marieroberts5664]

I haven't gotten very far in the comments section, but something Matt said about there not really having been a youth culture prior to the Fifties (and he did a tremendous job laying out the reasons why that decade was a watershed moment in this country) I believe that there's room for a discussion on why the parents and grands didn't have a youth culture. Going back millennia, every culture had a mechanism for determining when childhood ended and adulthood began. It became know as puberty. For girls, it was easy. Girls would be marriageable, once their menses began. Boys might be harder, but hair and height growth, smell and hormones all seemed to increase around age 13, so many cultures and religions used that age as a litmus test and proceeded with manhood rituals, ready or not. Once you passed whatever test, rite or age group, you would take up the beginner's place in the adult hierarchy. It was a very bright line, a before and after, and all knew when, where and how. Just as importantly, children often worked besides their parents, doing whatever tasks that they could physically handle, as soon as they were out of diapers, and could walk steadily and understand instructions. Survival of the family was paramount, and there was no time for "finding yourself"; those eggs had to be gathered, the back 40 plowed and planted, fruit picked, cows milked. There may be time for introspection while you are carding wool, but 'woolgathering' was generally frowned upon, especially when keeping your mind on the task is vital to not ruining the batch or not getting yourself killed. Daily life was constant motion, just to have enough to eat. Formal education for the masses was not a thing. You did as your parents taught you, as they were taught previously by their parents. Boys new come to manhood would be apprenticed in any number of vital skills, most of which were hands on learning. Literacy was not required. Anyone that could read and write was sure of employment in literate societies, but not all societies were literate. Thus it was. Sure, there were those that bucked the status quo, pushed the envelope and moved whole societies forward However, the rituals in the west by the end of world war two had atrophied; religious folk still had the age limit and the rites of passage for the religious community, but that didn't translate into adulthood in the wider world. And even ignoring the rites of passage, people in the West were slowly becoming aware that making small children pick cotton, shuck oysters, stoke the fires, and work the coal mines instead of becoming educated was not good for the children or the country. It took decades and the creation of social safety nets, but eventually it was illegal for children not to be in school, be they rich or poor, and illegal for them to work in most places and trades. It was gradual. In the beginning of the education push, you had to go to school to the end of eighth grade, around thirteen years old. So-called secondary education, was optional; for youngsters who wanted a profession - teacher, preacher, doctor. My grandmother was born in Canada in 1894, and when she graduated from high school to become a teacher (and high school education was all she needed to teach all the grades) she was not only one of the most educated women around, she was more educated than most of the men! By the time we get to WW2, the GI Bill enables the high school boys that came back war weary men to get the added education they would need in the new era. Now, high school was a necessity, the minimum to run complex machines, complex organizations, complex social interactions...anything from bookkeeping to zoo keeper, you needed more and more studies and credentials. But you would only be able to get a good job, even as a blue collar person, if you finished high school as a bare minimum. So now, it is only the post WW2 generation, the Beats/Beatniks and going on, that as Matt so clearly stated, now had both the time and the means to be aimless, to have fun, to have time to wonder about themselves and the universe. So the Rebel without a cause exists only when a society or just a family becomes nuevo riche and the teens have no clear direction, because they have too many choices and parents (bad and good, with good intentions or bad ones) want to push their kids to do or be this! As they were set up and before, or as they had to grasp for themselves without help. Read "The Good Earth" for an example of the poor farmer's sons, after he became wealthy, and his boys, who no longer need to beg or be chained to a plow, all doing the emo 'nothing means anything'...the Farmer asks his wife, O-Lan what the heck? He never moped around the live long day...she replied that he was too busy not starving to worry about his fate in the world, and that she only saw this malaise in the sons of the rich. The solution they found for the oldest son was getting him married off. Early marriage also ages people; no slacking or goofing off when you have to support a family. And the pre-war (WW1 & 2) got married young - a girl didn't want to hit her twenties and be unmarried, why she'd be a spinster! For another bird's eye view, read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn". And now you know why the oldsters didn't have teen angst and why they were never really teens.

[@daniellenoble4705]

This is such a great niche channel. There's so much to explore about the queer parts of old Hollywood yet it feels like an unexplored area. I learn so much watching these videos. Keep it up and thanks for your hard work, deep research, and great writing!!!!

[@GarthPopOH]

I had heard of the gay subtext in Rebel for awhile, but you laid it out SO beautifully and made me tear up several times throughout this video. Leaning into compassion and vulnerability as a strength is still such an important message to convey! Even with Rebel's flaws, you show how ahead of its time it was for featuring that. (And man, oh, man that chemistry between James Dean, Sal Mineo and Natalie Wood...) Love and appreciate your videos so much!

[@EmmaAndEmmaAndEmma]

Goddamn, I was NOT expecting to cry watching this video! As a millennial I never understood the appeal of James Dean aside from the story of his tragically short career. But hearing about how he made teens at the time feel seen and like they mattered … damn if that isn’t a profound message for the ages. Definitely gave me a newfound love and respect for him. Thank you, Matt, for another truly amazing video.

[@Dina_Darling]

64 yr old here. I’ve never seen this movie. I’m so glad I saw this first. I have 3 teenage grandchildren that are growing up in precarious times. Kids need all the understanding they can get.

[@kaitlyn__L]

I hope you can watch this with them and talk about it 😊

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

22:29 A big octopus with its tendrils everywhere... my god conspiracy theories have not advanced in 70 years

[@kaitlyn__L]

And even that is a knowing and deliberate riff on similar political cartoons, about military empires and conquest, that had been around since the late 19th century…

[@TheDorkEvilOne]

I'm SO thrilled that this film finally made it onto this channel

[@nicolehall694]

Thank you for this wonderful video. I could write a book about the influence this film has had on my life. The costumes, music, and slang are dated but everything else still rings true today and can be relatable by even a modern teen. Sal Mineo's performance is absolutely astounding, especially for a 16 year old boy. Sal is an actor everyone should know. He was a BIG star but took a different route to live an openly gay life. He could have remained an A list star but chose to live authenticity instead. He was a great guy

[@notoriouswhitemoth]

Calling that a happy ending is not only completely missing the point, it's also a catastrophic failure to empathize - or even to recognize the characters as _human._

[@Spark_Chaser]

I would love to see a remake of this where the trio are a queer poly triad. Seems like where this was heading.

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

I hope everyone finds their family.

[@RadioPsychicAstrologyByPepper]

Oh my God this just broke me because my own has dissolved into ghosts or chaos in the past decade.

[@greetingcardboy]

Thanks for the reminder about this beautiful, beautiful film. I really do think it's one of the most visually stunning movies of its era, and if you can see it in an actual theater, you should! I've always thought that it must have hit the teens of its time the same way that The Breakfast Club did for kids in the 80s: the first teen fiilm about found family. The first interview I ever saw with the screenwriter (Stern) was in the documentary "The Celluloid Closet," where he says that all the films of the 1950s were about masculinity, but he was trying very specifically to model a masculinity that was kind and understanding. I can't think of another film from the 1950s that does it better.

[@verdatum]

I have no idea why I've never gotten around to watching this film. I bought it and just finished watching it before watching this video (which I'll do after writing this) IT WAS SO GOOOOOOD. The use of technicolor, the AMAZING music score, that shot where he's on the stairs and the twist from a straight shot to a dutch angle, the wierdo scene where they show that Judy has a daddy-complex, Natalie Wood looking SUPER sexy (as she always did), the badass cars, the whole fruedian messed up design of EVERY character, which doesn't exactly make sense in reality, but it FEELS so right in drama? MOVIES LIKE THIS CAN'T BE MADE ANYMORE. LOVED IT. Alright, I'll hit play now and learn more about the homosexual undertones. MATT: PLEASE DO A VIDEO ABOUT TENNESSEE WILLIAMS IN FILM.

[@howiegetman1]

i started crying at the end of your video..because it is really about acceptance and belonging...as we as gay people always struggle to find...well done! your channel is so important..thankyou

[@PokhrajRoy.]

James Dean, the artist that you are ❤

[@mxmissy]

I remember watching this as a teenager when I was in my "1950s hyperfixation" (though to be fair... I'm always in that headspace lmfao) and man this movie meant so much to me. I was so happy I could see it again while I was studying at uni, and got to show my partner. I still love this film with all my heart. It's so earnest, and soft. Especially considering how different of a heartthrob Dean was compared to other ones likes Cary Grant of the '40s and Marlon Brando of the '50s.

[@nealwhaley63]

I kept thinking “Is this the one with the ruined lettuce on the train?” No, that was East of Eden, and of all things to remember from it….

[@Fosifar]

Thank you for making this video, this was really nice and heartwarming.

[@Toastrodamus]

Oh my god Matt, if you haven't heard any of Jim Bacchus's comedy performances you have got to hear them. His shtick was 'the charming & friendly drunk' and his standup was absolutely absurd joy. Hard to get a hold of but hilarious.

[@MattBaume]

I am a big fan of his "Delicious" record!

[@nikoking825]

There was a story that Jim B. Was in Italy and at a hôtel in Roma a hooker hit him up saying "$50 American for all this," Jim kept saying no thanks, I'm married and finally "look I only have $5 on me anyways" and the hooked yells "$5 for all this?" And stomps off. Later he and his wife are having lunch in the hôtel Cafe and the hooker spots them walks up, points at his wife and states "this is what $5 gets you!" Leaving Jim laughing and his wife very puzzled.

[@Toastrodamus]

@@MattBaume That's the one. Had me in very stoned tears when I first heard it. Pleased you know it

[@prsanfrancisco1688]

Another brilliant and beautifully presented analysis by Matt Baume.

[@TisiphoneSeraph]

Wait. Is the "barrel of lube" bit in Bojack Horseman referencing Teenage Ninja Turtles??? Lovely video as always. I had always heard about this film but kind of written it off as overhyped. This gave me a new angle to try watching it with.

[@MollyKillers]

The first time I watched this movie I was a kid (roughly 10) and I HATED it! It was kinda boring and the ending was sad which of course as a kid meant it was a bad movie lol. I watched it again when I was a fresh adult (roughly 18) and it finally hit me how important this movie was. The feeling of belonging and the heartbreakingly beautiful ending were so perfect. I haven’t really watched since but like with all your video essays I’m going to watch it tonight so I can pick up even more meaning from it!

[@djvoid1]

You are tearing me apart Lisa!

[@andrewklang809]

The 40(?)-something teen idol of our age, young heartthrob Tommy Wiseau.

[@thelostone6981]

Sadly, this was what popped in my head but didn’t have the courage to profane a very well made, intelligent, intriguing and classic film by quoting The Room….I won’t do it! I will not! Oh hi Mark. 😉😆😆

[@nattiedraws]

its bullshit, i did not hit her, i did not

[@visaman]

Oh, Hi Mark!

[@GantzIsSloppy]

Get out

[@edreid7872]

Subtle?.. That's an understatement.. The moment Mineo opens his locker, while staring at Dean, it's pretty clear it was a sexual attraction.. Always thought the photo was Troy Donohue.. And every scene afterward was Mineo falling hard for Dean.. his sexual awakening..No mention that Sal and Natalie received Academy nominations?..wonder why Dean was snubbed.. would have been the first posthumous win..

[@dimitrimerritt7641]

Dean was nominated that year for his performance in "East of Eden" instead, so he wasn't technically snubbed. Actors are only allowed one nomination in a single category.

[@jamesa.romano8500]

The photo's of Alan Ladd I'm not entirely sure why although I vaguely remember reading somewhere they had wanted to use a photo of Rock Hudson or someone similar and had to settle for Ladd. I'll have to look back into it and see tho

[@dimitrimerritt7641]

​@@jamesa.romano8500It wasn't Rock Hudson but Burt Lancaster whose photo was initially supposed to be used. His studio refused to allow it to be used so Alan Ladd's photo was used as a last minute replacement simply because he was one of Warner Brother's contract players.

[@stuartwray6175]

'No mention that Sal and Natalie received Academy nominations?' - is that a question?; you're not sure? 'Wonder why Dean was snubbed' - why no question mark?

[@edreid7872]

@@stuartwray6175 Do you not understand what a rhetorical question?.. You have a dictionary in the palm of your hand.. Look it up..🙄

[@LCCWPresents]

I was suggesting in the live chat for Matt to look into laweeence of Arabia and in general a few scenes show Lawerences friendship with his various co workers. The famious desert scene where Lawerence watches his first desert guide get shot next to the watering hole and react to it has Guienuian remorse. Real life Lawrence was queer but the film shows him in the role as an ally.

[@DCMarvelMultiverse]

I can't help but notice the three way relationship loosely resembles the relationship among Lito, Hernando, and Daniela on Sense8.

[@cedaremberr]

I've been rewatching Sens8 with friends recently and this was my thought exactly. I was thinking how Daniela's "this is my dream scenario" most have been cultivated via media like Rebel

[@DoctorSciencetime]

Doc and Marty being friends makes sense if you imagine them working together as line cooks or retail employees.

[@mikea77]

Great presentation, Matt. Thank you!!

[@Autotrope]

I had preivously always thought the three teens like this have the kind of relationship as the trio from Ferris Bueller's Day Off. But it is different i guess. Love your videosas always.

[@timothymarkin4481]

The expression of despair the three main characters exude reminded me of the teens in The Breakfast Club , made three decades later.

[@lunavioleta001]

I did not like how the ending, it didnt stop at the lost of Plato, but instead of of hope because James Dean got the girl and they might live happy ever after together. It should have ended with James mourning Plato.

[@lulacrazygirl7]

Something about this video essay was so very touching to me. Perhaps a mix of feelings and the ever-growing lack of kindness in discourse, but the emphasis on the tenderness the characters had for each other legit got me a little misty eyed. Slightly unrelated - I happened upon this channel a few years ago and enjoyed the video I watched, but I didn't subscribe at the time and couldn't figure out what to search to find it again. Luckily, the algorithm put your videos back into my feed a year or so ago, and I'm so glad to have this informative, at times heart-wrenching, but overall delightful respite to come back to.

[@davidbarnes1113]

It’s incredibly sad how tragically the three of them died. I was a kid when Sal Mineo was murdered near his home, and 17 when Natalie Wood was drowned .

[@sammysoppy3361]

ok but what is the real story between judy and her dad bc what father SLAPS her kid for giving them a peck on the cheek????? the fuck

[@visaman]

There was a similar theme in My So Called Life. The father couldn't bear that his little girl had breasts.

[@amiyarose9140]

I also think her father was uncomfortable with her young womanhood -- like he thought affection from her felt almost incestuous.

[@RadioPsychicAstrologyByPepper]

@@visamanholy shit this is the first thing that came to my mind when I was watching this video!

[@frankpeter6851]

Like Donald with Ivanka

[@raeraebadfingers]

​@@visamanit's amazing how often this show pops up in conversation in my life. It was just SO good.

[@robyoung9968]

This was such a good video, it was dissected so well. Great channel.

[@andytaylor5476]

Matt, thank you for your excellant analysis, historical facts concerning around how the film got through the censors, revelations by the actors on the production and script, the psychological landscape of the characters and interelationships and your presentation/narrative. The best and most comprehensible I have come upon. Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo were nominated in the supporting actor catagory. James Dean was nominated best actor the same year (55), for East of Eden. Best film went to Marty.

[@erickoontz6835]

Man, your videos are so well-made, and well delivered!

[@ilikenothingtoo]

Didn't realize the Young Ones were referencing Rebel Without a Cause when they asked why Vyvyan shot those puppies, "I had to, I was drunk!"

[@SebastianJArt]

Thanks Matt great work as always.

[@pamelaself1298]

WOW you did an amazing job here.

[@Ryan78336]

I remember as a teen there being such a massive gulf between me and my parents that I felt like no matter how loudly I shouted (figuratively) no matter how obvious I tried to make my problem, they just couldn’t hear me. Not for La k of listening or observing. I was under close scrutiny but I felt like this was invasive and I desperately wanted independence. No question about it, I didn’t deserve independence I couldn’t be trusted. Online, I was not well supervised because I was sneaky and secretive. And I felt like my parents couldn’t possibly comprehend. And then a switch flipped inside my head and I began to see the world from my parents pov. And now I have this weird, liminal sense of empathy. Now I feel compelled to apologise to my mum for my behaviour as a teen because I remember how I treated her. But also to my teenage self for how I treated them too. My horrible inner voice spawned in that high school hellscape of puberty, unmanaged mental illness, isolation and closeted queerness. And it persisted till my mid to late twenties. The work it takes to dismantle that. I wish I had had the vocab to make this comprehensible to the adults around me then so they could help. And I wish I could tell my teenage self to just let them, that it will be ok. I was hard to love as a teenager. My standoffish personality combined with my total lack of a functional frontal cortex made parenting someone like me very hard. But imagine how hard living inside a head like that is…

[@ruthspanos2532]

In my ideal world, everyone would get classes in psychology and especially child/brain development. I kind of think that many humans are primed to dislike their parents when they’re teenagers. As a biological imperative to get out and meet people outside the family. Maybe it would help parents to accept that their conflicts with their teens are just a developmental process, kind of like the terrible twos. Not to discount your own trauma, by any means. But sometimes parents get so disappointed when their child gets belligerent that they can’t start seeing their child as an individual.

[@cinemaocd1752]

I loved this film as teenager. I worked in a vdieo store in the 80s and took this home. I recorded the audio "You're tearing me apart" and put it on a mixed tape with songs and other movie dialog. I gravitated to the character without ever conscientiously reading the gay subtext. I think I saw Plato as being like their kid in a way, or maybe older brother. Maybe it was because I was an only child and also struggling with my sexual identity. I understood that Dean was a gay icon but I thought it was because of his handsomness, not because of the way he acted in film. Subtext doesn't require media literacy to actually work!

[@aliciabergman1252]

Wow! So happy I saw this video. I'd heard about this movie before butI thought it was more or less like every other movie with teens in the 50's, some romance, rebellion and a happy ending etc. But it really is something else. More than anything it reminded me of Euphorias success and the adult world's horror of such a show. Dean's loving and gentle way in how he portrays his character is something I don't think I've ever seen in a male character before, let alone in a teen movie. That's the kind of "mature" you want in your teen media.

[@verawarren2893]

Great video! It was very clear to me that the two male leads were in love, but my friends did not see that. Also, I really dig it that you matched your outfit to James Dean's, nice touch!!

[@someonesomeone25]

Loved this film as a teen. All the actors were beautiful, and it was so sad, and it's easy to relate to emotional and ostracised characters when young and lonely.

[@corkscrewfoley]

Another excellent video, Matt.

[@AntajuanGrady]

*Matt Baume* What do you think of East of Eden? I've always liked it more than Giant or Rebel but those are good too!

[@colinneagle4495]

If I've learned one thing from years of watching this channel, it's that Natalie Wood was the Kevin Bacon of midcentury queer Hollywood

[@MicheleCampbell]

And also the 90s-00s icon LAURA DERN!

[@katieoberst490]

I first saw Rebel when I was a young teenager, and though I didn't have a word for it at the time, I remember thinking Jim, Judy, and Plato were all in a romantic relationship together. Today, I know that I thought their relationship was one of the first polyamorous ones in cinéma, maybe THE first. I was a blossoming pansexual at the time, so maybe it was just my fantasy, haha. I really loved their relationship, though, even if the movie made me sad at the time. I should watch it again to see if it still makes me feel that way. This was a fantastic dive into this movie. You always teach me something while entertaining me, Matt, thank you!!

[@mantunes339]

great video! however, i wish there had been a mention about the tragedy tied up in the deaths of the three main actors: dean famously killed in the car crash; mineo murdered in what has been determined to be a botched robbery (though not satisfyingly so); and wood drowning in very suspicious circumstances. i only say its worth mentioning because each of these three actors were very much victims of the hollywood system that had produced them.

[@feelin_fine]

My mother used to keep a framed picture of James Dean in our house. In my teens, I mentioned his bisexuality. But it was clear he meant something to her (and presumably my father too, who allowed the picture to be there).

[@juanmigueltomala5022]

I watched the film only recently and really reaaally was looking forward for a Rebel video on this channel. Liked it very much, thank you

[@timothynelson3841]

Innuendo is a wonderful thing. When too young to understand the undertones, it’s a friend movie. When older it’s like, oooh….got it!

[@67psychout]

I've watched this movie so many times. Plato was in love with Jim. I never saw the reciprocation from Jim. He was into Judy and looked at Plato as a friend

[@ZX-zw3ge]

Sal and Dean were so cute together, you kinda wish there was a scene where they kissed. Lol😂❤

[@chrisinnes2128]

Apparently there was it was cut out

[@Louie-Crunch]

I always thought it was a closeted film, Plato is very obviously into Jim and Jim connects to him in a way that he just doesn't with Natalie Wood, though she is a legend as well. West Side Story, nuff' said. As great as she was in this film her character always seemed like a consolation prize given the film's ending.

[@jurgenvandesanden2490]

Amazing analysis ❤