_____ The 20^th century was a time when people and events shaped the world at a degree that had not been recorded before. The path humanity was taking changed its direction constantly and the people of this time were as much contributors as they were helpless casualties. The people, events and personalities are now representative of this time and encapsulate the emotions and impact they had on the world.

_____ Billy Joel, an American musician wrote a song called “We Didn’t Start the Fire” that includes 119 brief allusions to critical events and people between his birth, 1949, and the song’s release, 1989. Billy Joel is trying to tell listeners that the crud the world deals with is not his generation’s fault, and within all the negatives of the past that still linger, his generation brought forward fulfilling positives that helped improve the state of the world. From this song I have taken 1 key item and explored why it had a great impact, and what that impact was.

_____ James Byron Dean was born in February 1930 and grew up in both Indiana and California. With the death of his mother at age 9 and the inability of his father to take care of him, he moved in with his aunt an uncle in Fairmount Indiana. James developed and grew into a man throughout high school where he was an exceptional student and extremely popular. Dean was a confident boy who participated in public speaking competitions, drama presentations and excelled at varsity sports. After finding a passion in acting and theatre, he studied theatre at SMC and UCLA where his talent was noted, and he eventually dropped out to pursue acting. From here James dean developed into the cultural icon we know him as today…

_____ James Dean was a legendary actor during the 1950’s who spoke for an entire generation. His explosive and attractive presence on screen appealed to postwar teens who were dealing with the turbulence of teenage years. James Dean dealt with loneliness and frustration realistically during a time of violence and teen delinquency. The impressions Dean left on the world and western culture are still felt today over 60 years later. James Dean started created something representing more than himself, and his impact he left behind exploded because of his tragic death that came too soon.

_____ Dean spoke for a generation and represented adolescence because his persona reflected something that hadn’t been publicly represented before, youth-identity politics. In the three movies he acted in, his “effortlessly cool” and glorious rebellion hit home within the teenage viewer, who felt underrepresented during the time. Misunderstood outcasts who sought approval from their family but could not comply with societal standards saw themselves in Dean. Post War teenagers were drawn to Dean, they were inspired by his character and the characters he played. Rebel Without a Cause portrayed Dean as a man who was angry and disobedient, while unparalleled in his essence of cool. This persona would skyrocket into the teenage zeitgeist, inspiring so many to be the youth they wanted to be. James Dean’s tragic and equally iconic death cemented him in place as a legend and icon with timeless presence and never-ending inspiration for youth across America.

_____ James and all he represented through the characters he played and the life he lived as a movie star, inspired endless iterations of rebellion. Elvis Presley and the Rockstar life he lived was directly inspired by James Dean along with other artists such as Bob Dylan, The Clash, John Lennon, The Beatles and actors today like Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp. James Dean brought forward revolutions in the style world with his long hair and blue jeans, paired with a white tee and a leather jacket. Dean was what parents didn’t want their children to be. He was a sex symbol that had a mysticism about him. He did not conform to what grownups wanted and the dominating preppy style of middle American life that symbolized western culture. Dean loved motorbikes and sports cars. He drove these vehicles with purpose and passion and ultimately paid for this dearly.

_____ After making a successful montage that represented the 1960’s and the cultural movements I’ve been inspired to make another music video type of project.  The problem with my 1968 one is that it was limited to one minute and it’s not a complete project. With my self, being very passionate about James Dean I fell into a deep and dark work session creating a James Dean music video that sucked many hours of my day, and I awoke with a final project that I am proud of. I really believe that this music video encapsulates James and all of his glory, coolness, masculinity, softness and incredible acting skills.

https://youtu.be/yE-HnqEaPEk

Refrences

Live Fast, Die Young: The Wild Ride of Making Rebel Without a Cause

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dean#Legacy_and_iconic_status

https://www.shortlist.com/news/why-is-james-dean-a-cultural-icon/37001

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angst

James Dean, Pomegranite Art Books, 1983

Clips in movie: From all over youtube