Rebel Without a Cause

Not enough has changed to render this film outdated; it still reads as American Gothic given truth serum.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 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.