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It's amazing that even by the time that Dean died in his car crash, the impact that he had on acting and the film industry. To this day. And he was only 24. And he did three movies with two Oscar nominations. It's sad that he died so young. It would've been interesting to see he and Marlon Brando competing with one another or if they had done a movie.
He seems to be the River Phoenix of Golden Age Hollywood. it is sad he died young and we may never know where his career would have taken him. However he is one of those actors where I have seen many more traditional film historians try to use to draw the line between an icon and a legend, despite the fact a person can be both. Dean is more of an icon than a legend.
The AFI List of the 50 greatest actors of that era, many were not happy Dean was placed higher than the likes of William Holden and Sydney Poiter and I have to agree. I am not even sure he should have even been on the list, because he was still quite young and as you said he had only 3 films. Many felt the reason he was placed higher than some others who were more legends and veterans in the business was because he was this huge iconic sex symbol.
However to give a more balanced view. On that list of AFI greatest actors, Marlon Brando was placed 4th. After Humphrey Borgat, Cary Grant and James Stewart. Jeans Dean was placed 18th, so maybe if he had lived, the gap between him and Brando would have been closer, especially if they had gone head to head with one another in some films.
[QUOTE=Castle;5644531]He seems to be the River Phoenix of Golden Age Hollywood. it is sad he died young and we may never know where his career would have taken him. However he is one of those actors where I have seen many more traditional film historians try to use to draw the line between an icon and a legend, despite the fact a person can be both. Dean is more of an icon than a legend.
The AFI List of the 50 greatest actors of that era, many were not happy Dean was placed higher than the likes of William Holden and Sydney Poiter and I have to agree. I am not even sure he should have even been on the list, because he was still quite young and as you said he had only 3 films. Many felt the reason he was placed higher than some others who were more legends and veterans in the business was because he was this huge iconic sex symbol.
However to give a more balanced view. On that list of AFI greatest actors, Marlon Brando was placed 4th. After Humphrey Borgat, Cary Grant and James Stewart. Jeans Dean was placed 18th, so maybe if he had lived, the gap between him and Brando would have been closer, especially if they had gone head to head with one another in some films.[/QUOTE]
I agree about the placing. I think with Rebel Without a Cause that cemented his iconongraphy with the red jacket and teen rebelliousness at the time. I've seen all 3 movies. I thought he was great in all of them. With Giant, I wish the emphasis was more on his character instead of the Rock Hudson/Elizabeth Taylor ones. His was far more interesting.