I liked this documentary THE JAMES DEAN STORY a lot when I watched it for the first time. As I had not really seen any other documentaries about Dean to compare with, it provided me with much information about the actor unknown to me at the time. When I watch it again now, I realize that there have been made several more thorough, and perhaps less speculative documentaries about James Dean since this was first released in 1957. This documentary is clearly a product of its time; Dean had tragically passed away only two years before, and one senses that the film tries to present him in a way to match the expectations of his fans. Whereas some later documentaries (and biographies) have made a point of trying to separate the man and the myth, THE JAMES DEAN story is transparently calculating at times. The narrator Martin Gabel also speaks in rather calculating (if engaging) manner, as if able to walk into Dean's soul and read his thoughts (a side-note: Marlon Brando reportedly considered doing the narration, but finally declined). This film is clearly aimed at a popular audience, who has not been constantly fed with documentaries about anything and everything through TV such as today.
On the plus side, however, the documentary is not so overly concerned with Dean's status as a "Hollywood rebel" as one might expect. Much focus is also given to other aspects of his life than being a movie star, such as his interest in painting and playing the drums. Some of the interviews are also of interest; the recollections of the two bartenders whom Dean used to hang around with shed light on the cheerful, less solemn side of James Dean. The part where Dean's cousin Marcus (at that time about ten years old) reads out loud a letter he received from Dean a few months before the latter's sudden death is quite touching. Leith Stevens' jazzy soundtrack is excellent, and really fits the mood of the film. In the end, THE JAMES DEAN STORY is by all means worth to watch to anyone interested in the life and talent of James Dean, though there have been made more all-around satisfying documentaries since the time of its making. (This review has later been somewhat revised and updated)
On the plus side, however, the documentary is not so overly concerned with Dean's status as a "Hollywood rebel" as one might expect. Much focus is also given to other aspects of his life than being a movie star, such as his interest in painting and playing the drums. Some of the interviews are also of interest; the recollections of the two bartenders whom Dean used to hang around with shed light on the cheerful, less solemn side of James Dean. The part where Dean's cousin Marcus (at that time about ten years old) reads out loud a letter he received from Dean a few months before the latter's sudden death is quite touching. Leith Stevens' jazzy soundtrack is excellent, and really fits the mood of the film. In the end, THE JAMES DEAN STORY is by all means worth to watch to anyone interested in the life and talent of James Dean, though there have been made more all-around satisfying documentaries since the time of its making. (This review has later been somewhat revised and updated)