A cut above the usual cheesy paste-up "tribute", The James Dean Story is imbued with a modicum of style thanks to fledgling film-director Robert Altman. Most of the film consists of clips from Dean's three starring pictures (East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant), with tantalizing glimpses of his pre-star career. One such glimpse, a snippet from the 1951 TV religious special Hill Number One, has popped up in virtually every Dean retrospective since. Altman's inherent cinematic gifts are evident in the impressionistic "re-enactment" of Dean's fatal auto crash. Narrated by Martin Gabel, The James Dean Story isn't terribly deep, but it's a good shorthand overview of one of the most powerful screen presences of the 1950s.

 
Produced by 
 
Warner Brothers 
 
AMG Video ID 
 
V    25796 
 
Corrections to this Entry? 
 
 Lew Brocker  - "Dean's Friend"  
Mr. Carter  - "Dean's Friend"  
Patsy D'Amore  - "Dean's Friend"  
James Dean  - [Archival Appearance]  
Mr. Dean  - Dean's Grandfather  
Louis de Liso  - "Dean's Friend"  
Martin Gabel    
Adelaide Hall  - Dean's Drama Teacher  
Robert Jewett  - "Dean's Friend"  
John Kalin  - "Dean's Friend"  
Lili Kardell  - "Dean's Friend"  
Billy Karen  - "Dean's Friend"  
Arnie Langer  - "Dean's Friend"  
Jerry Luce  - "Dean's Friend"  
Officer Nelson  - Highway Patrolman  
George Ross  - "Dean's Friend"  
Arline Sax  - "Dean's Friend"  
Big Traster  - "Dean's Friend"  
Christine White  - "Dean's Friend"  
Marcus Winslow  - Dean's Uncle  
Markie Winslow  - Dean's Cousin  
Ortense Winslow  - Dean's Aunt