When we think of the fifties in the USA we think of unprecedented economic prosperity,
suburbanization of the American landscape whereby the American family settled down with its bourgeois stability, cherishing the values of conservatism with their white picket fenced
houses and the domestic paradise of well-furnished homes, all supported by the seductive
purchasing power of this booming decade. However, if we look beyond the surface the seeds of change were already being sowed. Not only through the outspoken movements such as the Beats could we see that boredom could have led do disengagement from the mainstream, but also through other cultural expression such as cinema.
Rebel without a Cause, directed by Nicholas Ray in 1955 and starring James Dean paved the
way for cinematic representations of young people who were no longer naïve or asexual but
who epitomized a rebellious and defying stance that clashed with the values of conformity that the fifties prosperity had been fostering all along. In Rebel without a Cause James Dean plays Jimmy a restless, vulnerable and confused youth who is trying to find his own path and whose romantic liaison with Judy (played by Natalie Wood) and closeness to John (played by Sal Mineo a young Hollywood actor who was openly homosexual) speaks of new nuances in
human relations translated by a love which transcends the norms and conventions of straight
society.
Besides parents are represented in the film as ineffectual role models despite their endorsement of middle-class conventionality.
Like Brando and other actors of his generation, Dean was trained by the Actors’ Studio founded by Elia Kazan who later invited Lee Strasberg who became its artistic director. Following Stanislaski’s acting model and techniques (himself a Russian and director) the Actors’ Studio promoted a training ground for many actors and actresses espousing the process of internalizing their roles in such a way that they were supposed to live and think like their characters while they were performing them.
“For seven decades, the very existence of The Actors Studio, the principles and values that it represents, the methodology of its work process, its consistency and long life have established the Studio as a unique theatre organization and a guiding light for actors, directors and playwrights around the world. For many it is considered the temple of the acting process.” (https://theactorsstudio.org/a-history-of-the-actors-studio/)
Likewise The Wild One, 1953,( László Benedek) starring Marlon Brando also represents a gang of reckless youngsters who do not fit in conventional society and who barge into a small town causing disruption and uproar. That was one of Brando’s most iconic roles though, as we have seen throughout his career, he was able to embody a large range of characters.
Even Marilyn Monroe’s strong sexual appeal can be envisaged as a symbolic representation of the decade’s contradictions. While she was usually cast in roles that cashed in on her strong
erotic nature, her vulnerability was oftentimes brought to the surface since her convoluted personal life infused her star persona with contradictory signs. Her persona was a mixture of strong sexuality and naivete and nowhere is this best represented than in the Seven Year Itch,
directed by Billy Wilder, whereby, moving next to a hapless middle class “tamed” husband, she is not aware of how much she disturbs him and most of the film’s laughing matter relies on that.
Finally, we must not dismiss the fact that film noir emerged in the post war era. The term itself was coined by the French who perceived in some post war American films a certain skepticism and sense of disenchantment that had not been hitherto felt. This breed of films lay mainly within the realm of detective/thriller genre, mostly in black and white and usually showcasing a cynical male protagonist, a convoluted plot and a duplicitous female character, the femme fatale that lures the male into her deceitful web. Most films were also based on the school of hardboiled school of American detective and crime fiction represented by authors such as Raymond Chandler, Mickey Spillane and Dashiell Hammett among others. The noir atmosphere points, as the adjective suggests, to a dark pessimistic world where the fifties sense of security cracks and collapses since it offers no soothing alternatives.
Elsa Andrade