March 16, 1955 –
Elia Kazan’s powerful family drama, East of Eden, opened in Los Angeles on this date (this is the only one of the “big three” James Dean films to be released before his death.)
Elia Kazan has said that James Dean’s tension and shyness always manifested itself physically, so he allowed the actor to use contorted, awkward postures to convey the character: “It was almost psychotic. He was exactly like the people you see in insane asylums.”
The Haus of Dcaligari 