Not enough has changed to render this film outdated; it still reads as American Gothic given truth serum. Realizing CinemaScope's narrative potential, Ray effectively tore open the walls of the American home to reveal teenagers wracked by alienation and parents trapped in the cycle of their own ineffectuality. The lasting image of Jim Backus in an apron goes beyond pseudo-Freudian analysis to typify this director's rare mixture of cold criticism and sensitivity toward the problems of the American family. The film that made James Dean an emblem for an entire generation also established him as an actor of impressive depth and sensitivity. Dean's attempt to recreate a family with Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo is presented with unsentimental clarity, owing much to Dean's quicksilver timing, Mineo's knowing childishness, and Ray's compassion for that sandtrap between childhood and adulthood known as adolescence. The architectural strength of the visuals and editing is enhanced by the choice of Los Angeles hilltop locations including the Planetarium-an imposing structure that sits close to the sky, lending an ancient classicism to a fifties classic.