Movie Review: ***East of Eden

My interest in this movie stems form my interest in most things John Steinbeck.  This is his classic novel of a family with two sons, and a mother who is supposedly dead; but in the end is not dead but a woman of the world.  The sons realizing this, has different consequences for them.

The younger son considers himself bad, and does everything for his father's love.  The other son, who is considered good, has his father's love and approbation.  However, in the end, it is the younger son who cares for his father after his stroke, and the other son goes to war.  James Dean stars as the younger son, and this movie helps with his reputation of being a rebel.  I would mildly recommend this movie.  It does show two contrasting worlds, that of Monterrey and Salinas, at the time when the country was preparing to go to war.  It also shows racism at it ugliest, as the locals deal with a citizen of German descent.  Finally this movie also confronts the theme of what is right--how do we let others be themselves, while living a good life.