Movie Review

Sixth Friday of Lent

East of Eden

     I've been promising this movie review for a few days now. I'm now thinking that the only way I'll get to it is to get it up front at the beginning of the blog. 

     I saw East of Eden a week or so ago on Turner Classic Movies. I had read the John Steinbeck novel on which it is based in 1983. The movie is a good bit different from the book but has the same basic plot. It is a modern retelling of the Cain and Abel story from the point of view of  Cain. 

    Cal, the equivalent character to Cain, is played by James Dean in one of the greatest acting performances I have ever seen. James Dean made only three movies, all in the 1950's, the other two being Rebel Without a Cause and Giant. He died at age 24 in an auto accident. What a tragic loss. 

      Cal describes himself as bad. He has a difficult relationship with his perfectionist father, whose name is Adam. Cal has a bad temper, often acts irrationally, and frequently gets into trouble. His father disapproves of him at every point but more or less tolerates him. Cal's brother, Aaron (the Abel equivalent) is as perfect as Adam could ever wish for a son to be. Aaron's girlfriend Abra also has an attraction to Cal. The action takes place in Salinas and Monterey California in 1917.

      Adam has always told his sons that their mother left him shortly after they were born and that he has never heard from her again. Cal, who thinks he must be much like his mother, while Aaron is like their father, seek to find her. She is but 17 miles away from Salinas in Monterrey, on the coast, where she runs a brothel. Cal finds her, gets to know her, and comes to understand why he is the way he is. 

      Adam loses almost all his money, $5000, in a business venture to refrigerate lettuce with ice blocks and ship it by rail to the East. Adam has enough left to live modestly. Cal make it his mission to get $5,000 dollars and give it to Adam to make up for Adam's loss. Cal thinks this will finally make Adam proud of him. Cal uses powers of persuasion and some business acumen, investing in futures in beans, to get the $5,000. He has a surprise birthday party for Adam. Aaron comes, but brings no gift. Abra comes as well.

     Adam, who at this point is not only Cal and Aaron's father, but also in the subtext represents God, refuses Cal's $5,000 gift, tells Cal that he doesn't need or want Cal's money. What follows is the most heartbreaking scene I have ever seen on screen. James Dean's acting is beyond phenomenal. Cal's hurt is as deep as human hurt can go. It is his father's rejection of the very best Cal can possibly do for him. There are tears in my eyes even as I write this. 

     Aaron then abruptly announces to his father that he and Abra are engaged to be married. Aaron has not told this to the doubly-stunned Abra. Adam is thrilled and embraces Aaron. His perfect son has done the perfect thing. Cal/Cain's gift which came from agriculture (beans futures) is rejected, while Aaron/Abel's gift, that of another human being, someone from the animal kingdom is accepted. A few days later, Cal leaves Salinas to go east, East of Eden, just as Cain did.

     Before you see the movie, read Genesis 4 again. Why did God accept Abel's gift, but refuse Cain's? The Genesis narrative never tells us (but I will tell you in the next blog). 

      So Omegas, tell us some movies you have seen and liked during this time of sheltering in place. They can be serious movies or profound movies but they don't have to be. The other movie I saw that same week on TCM was the Marx Brothers' Duck Soup. It's hard to get much sillier. On our playlist of movies we have recorded but not yet seen is also Beach Blanket Bingo.

Faithfully,

Christian

P.S. In the last blog I left out a perhaps significant detail about my contemplative mystery woman in-law whom I've never met. When she was consecrated into her contemplative order after a lengthy novitiate, she took a new name, as is the practice of this order. Her new name is Christiana.