Rebel Without a Cause
Ray's most productive and successful period was the 1950s. In the mid-fifties he made the two films for which he is best remembered: "Johnny Guitar" (1954) and "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955). The former was a Western starring Joan Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge in action roles of the kind customarily played by men. Highly eccentric in its time, it was much loved by French critics. (François Truffaut called it "the beauty and the beast" of Westerns). In 1955, Ray directed "Rebel Without a Cause", starring James Dean in what proved to be his most famous role. When "Rebel" was released, soon after Dean's early death in an automobile crash, it had a revolutionary impact on movie-making and youth culture, virtually giving birth to the contemporary concept of the American teenager. Looking past its social and pop-culture significance, "Rebel Without a Cause" is the purest example of Ray's cinematic style and vision, with an expressionistic use of colour, dramatic use of architecture, and an empathy for social misfits.