with screenwriter Stewart Stern

Inspired by a nonfiction account of juvenile delinquency, maverick director Nicholas Ray and screenwriter Stuart Stern fashioned this definitive cinematic portrait of alienated teendom with several none-too-subtle nods to Sigmund Freud. James Dean became an instant pop-culture icon in the role of loner Jim Stark, whose outsider status and trademark red jacket place him at the center of an unconventional triangle with fellow students Judy (Natalie Wood) and Plato (Sal Mineo). Plato’s merciless treatment at the hands of high-school bullies and Stark’s violent clashes with a gang of toughs, including a young Dennis Hopper, eventually escalate into a tragic confrontation with Los Angeles police. Jim Backus, perhaps best known as the cartoon voice of Mr. Magoo, delivers a memorable supporting performance as the young Stark’s emasculated father.