3 Reasons why you need to pick-up Rebel Without a Cause on 4K Ultra HD

The most exciting prospect of Warner Bros 100 years celebration was the re-release of some of their classic films from their back catalogue that fans have been waiting for, for many, many years. Warner Bros and Roadshow have done a terrific job in recent years with this, re-releasing many classics including 'Casablanca', 'Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory', 'Wizard of oz', 'Singin in The Rain', 'Its A Wonderful Life' and 'Giant' over the last few years. They are continuing this trend with the release of 3 classics in the month of April with ‘Rebel Without a Cause’, ‘Maltese Falcon’ 'Superman 2-4' and ‘Cool Hand Luke’. To celebrate the release of ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ on 4K Ultra HD (UHD) I will be breaking down the 3 main reasons you need to pick-this one up on 4K UHD. So, let’s get stuck into it!

“You’re tearing me apart” – James Dean’s iconic performance –

As you all know, James Dean tragically passed at the young age of 24 from a fatal car accident in the Hollywood hills. His legacy in Hollywood is one of the greatest ever, only starring in 3 key films, but ultimately delivering 3 of the best performances of all time in 'Giant', 'East of Eden' and 'Rebel Without a Cause', earning two Academy Award nominations for his turns in 'Giant' and 'East of Eden' respectively.  However, to me the best example of his incredible talent is perfectly exemplified in ‘Rebel Without a Cause’, with his turn in this film as Jim Stark ranking among one of the best performances in my opinion, of all time. Yes, all time. He is, as the title would suggest, a rebel without a cause. A man who is running from his past whilst trying to pave his way to a brighter future, battling his demons along the way. It’s a tale as old as time itself, but I believe that James Dean’s turn as this character cemented Rebel Without a Cause as THE film when it comes to this type of narrative. Yes you could argue that Footloose and even Ferrie Bueler's Day Off both are examples of these themes being presented in this type of film, however, the more dramatic look into this type of character is far more interesting and better handled. James Dean’s ability to quickly transition from a teen heartthrob to a villain of sorts, back to a vulnerable young man is remarkable, proving he really was a once in a generation talent. If you haven’t seen a James Dean film before and want to see what all the fuss is about, then definitely start with Rebel Without a Cause, its my favourite film of his and captures the essence of the amazing talent that he was.

A trip through the Hollywood hills – The setting and locations of ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ –

Very few films in cinematic history have got the setting of Los Angeles right. In recent years films such as LaLa Land, Babylon, Nightcrawler, Collateral and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, have provided very different looks of what Los Angeles is like, but few from the golden age of cinema managed to capture it. Rebel Without a Cause uses the location very well, incorporating landmarks such as the Griffith Observatory in an iconic and memorable way. The Los Angeles setting adds a level of authenticity to the film, with it becoming its own character in a way. What I mean by this is, the location feels alive, playing an integral part to the story, providing not just a setting for the narrative to be hung on but also a piece of the story. Utilising these locations is a reason that the film works as well as it does and has aged as well as it has.

Re-living a classic – the 4K re-master of the film –

I was very impressed by re-visiting this film on 4K UHD at just how good the film looks. The high dynamic range of the transfer is among some of the best that Warner Bros. have put out and that’s a big statement, because they have so many amazing 4K UHD releases in their catalogue already. The older the film, the better they seem to look when upgraded to 4K. The previous DVD release of this film has aged poorly, with the grain and aspect ration suffering a great deal with that transfer on larger and newer television screens. Now with the 4K release, every aspect is improved from the picture, with amazing improvements to the colour, the sound is also greatly improved, with a lot of the muffled dialogue now replaced with Dolby Atmos sound, which is the only way a film like this should be viewed.

‘Rebel Without a Cause’ is a true classic. The film's setting, characters and performances have all culminated to one of the most memorable titles in the Warner Bros back catalogue. James Dean was immortalised with his turn in this film and for good reason. It was an absolute blast re-visiting this film and if you haven’t checked it out there’s no better time to then now, that it has a brand new 4K UHD re-release. Be sure to pick-up your copy today from Sanity here

Christopher Pattison from Oz Movie Geek wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here