East of Eden

OSCAR WINNER:Best Supporting Actress Jo Van FleetBased on John Steinbeck s novel and directed by Elia Kazan, 1955 s East of Eden is the first of three major films that make up James Dean s movie legacy. In East of Eden, the 24yearold idoltobe plays Cal, a wayward Salinas Valley youth who, along with his competitive brother Aron (Richard Davalos), vies for the affection of his hardened father (Raymond Massey), making for a tragic Cain and Abel off the haunting sensitivity of Julie Harris, Dean s performance earned one of the film s four Academy Award nominations, which included stellar performances throughout, including that of Jo Van Fleet who won the Oscar as Best Supporting