East of Eden - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

East of Eden



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
The 1950s was a transitional period for film making in Hollywood. The age of the Western was slowing down, the Leave it to Beaver happy go lucky films that we were used to had fallen out of favor, and the culture was changing too. There was a sense of rebellion and seething frustration in the younger generation of that era, and Hollywood rightly picked up on that pulsating vein of emotion that was bubbling under the surface and started translating that into the motion pictures. People like James Dean catapulted themselves straight into stardom with darker, edgier, more rebellious characters that resonated with the youth, and raked in millions for the studios. Dead was pretty much cock of the walk during the 1950s (before his untimely death) and East of Eden is probably the single best film that he made during that time period (just barely in front of Rebel Without a Cause).

East of Eden is based off of famous author John Steinbeck’s novel of the same name, telling the story of Cain and Able in a modern day setting. The 1952 book literally became so popular overnight that studio heads were in discussion for the film rights the very next year after release, and within 3 year the film was born starring a young James Dean. But to be fair, this is really only the latter half of the book in film form, as the sprawling novel would have been 4 hours long if the studios decided to adopt the whole book.

Cal Trask (James Dean) is the younger brother of Aron (Richard Davalos), born to dirt poor vegetable farmer by the name of Adam (Raymond Massey) in the Salinas Valley. Aron is the favored son of his father, with Cal desperately wanting the love of his father, only to be shunned and grow up hatefully jealous of both his brother and his father. Adam’s face literally turns into scowl when Cal enters the room, and brightens the second Aron comes into view, juxtaposing the biblical tale in a modern day setting. The film opens with Cal hopping a freight train to a local fishing town down the road, only to run into a brothel owner by the name of Kate (Jo Van Fleet) who is soon revealed to the boy as being the mother that he was told was dead so many years ago.

To explain the rest is almost a task in futility, as East of Eden is an allegorical take on a biblical tale, and really needs to be watched to be truly appreciated. Cal’s descent into madness and jealousy over his father’s affection, as well the fall from grace of Aron and his girlfriend Abra (Julie Harris) is absolutelty mesmerizing to watch. What makes East of Eden so incredibly visceral and special is James Dean’s kinetic energy on screen. The man was an absolute legend for just exuding energy and sheer force of will on screen (Rebel without a Cause is proof alone of that) and his absolute devotion of the role of the “evil” brother is both sickening and mesmerizing at the same time.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




4K Video: Video:

East of Eden is one of those films that has to be viewed through the lens of cinematographer’s choices. It’s oddly shot, with off kilter camera angles, a stupidly bright and vivid color spectrum, with harsh browns and overly bright pinks and blues contrasting each other. Blocking is a bit wonky, and the darkness is oppressive and almost crushed by intent. That being said, this is a rather large improvement from the old Blu-ray. It may not be night and day differences like Rio Bravo, but the 1955 cinemascope film looks gorgeous in 4K. The grain is thick and healthy and I couldn’t see any issues with grain reduction or any digital tinkering. In fact, this master looks to be unmolested and fairly neutral. Outdoor shots take on that bright and blue/green sunny disposition, while the black night time shots and the interior of the Trask home are oppressing and dimly lit. I did struggle a bit to see shadow detail due to the crushing that the film is known for, but overall this is an impressive looking 4K transfer with solid details, great colors from the HDR application, and a few wonky camera issues that were aesthetic choices of the time.









Audio:

The choice to make a 5.1 mix for the DVD and Blu-ray out of what was a basic 2.0 track in theaters has always boggled my mind. East of Eden got a home theater remix back in the DVD heyday, and that 5.1 mix has stuck ever since. I’m equally boggled by Warner’s decision to make it a full bore Atmos track for this 4K release. The panning effects and musical cues in all of the musical numbers sound nice and all that, but this is still a 2.0 drama that really doesn’t thrive off of the excess channels. This new Atmos mmix is a bit lighter and more nimble across the sound stage, showcasing a more encompassing feel, but I still feel that this is massive overkill.

Luckily Warner also included the 2.0 theatrical mix in DTS-HD MA lossless, so purists will feel comfortable slipping into the original audio shoes (so to speak) as well. I can’t tell if it’s a downmix or if it’s the “original” theatrical mix for sure, but it most certainly doesn’t sound like a downmix. So kudos to Warner for putting that back in.







Extras:

• Commentary by Richard Schickel

Final Score: ​

Part allegory, part 1950s angry drama, East of Eden is still one of the best pictures of James Dean’s entire library, and one of my personal favorite film. The last of the Warner Brothers James Dean flicks to FINALLY get a 4K UHD release, it is probably the best looking and most visually appealing of the set. Sadly Warner STILL continues on the Paramount path of leaving out the Blu-ray disc in the package, which means almost all the extras go with them. So while this set is VERY much worth picking up, I would definitely keep your DVD or Blu-ray if you’re a fan of extras. Highly recommended.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: James Dean, Raymond Massey, Julie Harris
Directed by: Elia Kazan
Written by: John Steinbeck (Book), Paul Osborn
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), English DTS-HD MA 2.0, French, German, Italian, Spanish (Castilian), Spanish (Latin) DD 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Spanish (Castilian), Dutch, Spanish (Latin America), Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: NR
Runtime: 118 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: August 1st, 2023

Recommendation: Great Watch