East of Eden

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East of Eden

PG

Released Mar 9, 1955

1h 55m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

43 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

In this film based on John Steinbeck's epic novel, Cal Trask (James Dean), the son of a California farmer (Raymond Massey), feels that his father cares only about his brother, Aron (Richard Davalos). When Cal embarks on a business venture to gain the favor of his dad, he finds himself dealing with his estranged mother (Jo Van Fleet), now the owner of a brothel, and tensions in the family rise even further when he begins to fall for Aron's girlfriend, Abra (Julie Harris).

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Critics Consensus

East of Eden strains to swell its story to epic dimensions, but James Dean's riveting performance gives this CinemaScope drama much of its raging heart.

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Basil Taylor

Sight & Sound

The film ends on a flagrant miscalculation which typifies Kazan at his worst.

Mar 17, 2020

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

It's far from a dull movie, but it's certainly a very strange one; it's an enshrinement of the mixed-up kid.

Jan 3, 2018

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

John Steinbeck's painful biblical allegory -- Genesis replayed in Monterey, California, circa 1917 -- is more palatable on the screen, thanks to the down-to-earth performances of James Dean as Cal/Cain and Richard Davalos as Aron/Abel.

Nov 1, 2007

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

After testing various performers (including a newcomer named Paul Newman), Elia Kazan went with the unknown James Dean, a move that immediately yielded dividends.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 10, 2023

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

The film is set in 1917 but Dean feels completely modern and contemporary, a boy not quite comfortable in his body.

Jun 11, 2023

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Jason Delgado

Film Threat

Jimmy Dean, as they called him, will stand the test of time due to his powerful on-screen presence because once a star is born on celluloid, they live on forever.

Rated: 7/10

Apr 6, 2023

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Meri S.

A movie of its time; very melodramatic. Not a fan that so many prominent characters were cut out of the movie and took some different approaches that didn’t follow the classic novel.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/21/25

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Luke S

Coming of age can be challenging - especially when your father and twin brother have pigeonholed you as bad. Melodrama abounds. It doesn't nearly capture all the beauty of Steinbeck's novel, but it gives it a good shot.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/08/25

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Lisa L

After reading the book, I can not recommend watching the movie. There are so many elements of the book that are left out. The supporting character in the book, "Lee," isn't even part of the movie. Not sure why. The ending is missing so much. Very disappointed!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/09/25

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Audience Member

It saddens me to see such an amazing book so poorly adapted.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/26/24

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James E

One of the great film classics. James Dean establishes him self in this film. Based on the second half of the John Steinbeck novel of the same name. It does an excellent job of telling the story on film The supporting cast is outstanding, including Julie Harris, Raymond Massey, Brul Ives and JoVan Fleet, who won best supporting actress. The film was shot in the Monterey, California location, where the story takes place. A true 5 star rating. Don't miss this one. and some of the characters truly memorable. It was shot where the story took place in Monterey, California a wonderful setting. A true five star film that holds up well.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/25/24

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Blu B

All Time Classic. James Dean carries this film with an amazing performance filled with angst, charisma, and pain. Harris is really good and his father and mother are excellent as well. The cinematography is exceptional and has plenty of epic shots, color, mood, and balances going between epic and intimiate beautifully. The editing is excellent always staying focused on Cal. The music is really good also and this is paced very well. If I had any real complaints it has to do with the more nuance things not getting as much focus. Like Cal and his brothers relationship and things like the German guy are well done but they feel hammed in at times. When we see Cal have drama sometimes it feels a little out of nowhere with Aron as we don't see much of it. And while I haven't read the book, I can tell some things were probably removed here and there at the expense of keeping this more focused probably. But the direction and performances are so strong it powers through that. Everyone should give this a try once.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/10/24

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Elia Kazan

Director

James Dean

Cal Trask

Julie Harris

Abra

Raymond Massey

Adam Trask

Jo Van Fleet

Kate

Burl Ives

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Synopsis

In this film based on John Steinbeck's epic novel, Cal Trask (James Dean), the son of a California farmer (Raymond Massey), feels that his father cares only about his brother, Aron (Richard Davalos). When Cal embarks on a business venture to gain the favor of his dad, he finds himself dealing with his estranged mother (Jo Van Fleet), now the owner of a brothel, and tensions in the family rise even further when he begins to fall for Aron's girlfriend, Abra (Julie Harris).

Director: Elia Kazan
Producer: Elia Kazan
Screenwriter: Paul Osborn, John Steinbeck
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Warner Brothers
Rating: PG (Thematic Elements|Some Violent Content)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 9, 1955, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 31, 2007
Runtime: 1h 55m
Sound Mix: Stereo
Aspect Ratio: 35mm

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