James Dean (film)
Encyclopedia
James Dean is a 2001 biographical
television film based on the life of the American
actor of the same name
. James Franco
plays James Dean
under the direction of Mark Rydell
, who chronicles Dean's rise from a struggling actor to an A-list
movie star in 1950s Hollywood. The film's supporting roles included director Rydell, Michael Moriarty
, Valentina Cervi
, Enrico Colantoni
, and Amy Rydell.
The James Dean biopic began development at Warner Bros.
in the early 1990s. At one point, Michael Mann was contracted to direct with Leonardo DiCaprio
starring in the lead role. After Mann's departure, Des McAnuff
, Dennis Hopper
and Milčo Mančevski
were considered as directors. Mark Rydell was hired as director in 1996, but the film continued to languish in development hell
.
Warner Bros. then decided to produce James Dean as a TV movie for Turner Network Television (TNT); both Warners and TNT are owned by Time Warner
. James Franco was cast as Dean in May 2000 after a search that resulted in 500 auditions. Franco researched his role to more closely portray Dean. James Dean showed on TNT in the United States on August 5, 2001, receiving generally positive reviews from critics.
. When Mildred dies of cancer in 1940, Winton sends James on a train to Fairmount, Indiana
, along with the coffin containing her body. Winton does not show up at the funeral, leaving James to be raised by his aunt and uncle on a farm in Fairmount. Over the years, he becomes more curious about his father's decision to abandon him. He tries to impress him by sending him a package displaying his various athletic trophies in high school sports.
James moves back to Santa Monica in June 1949, shortly after high school graduation, and finds that Winton has remarried. He decides to become an actor and takes classes under James Whitmore
. Whitmore is impressed by his acting ability, which encourages him to move to New York City
in September 1951 to pursue an acting career. Despite being a struggling actor, he enjoys the new lifestyle. He befriends fellow actor Martin Landau
and has a romantic relationship with Christine White. Both are accepted into the prestigious Actors Studio
. He receives critical acclaim in Broadway theatre
productions and for a role in a television movie
drama that is broadcast nationwide. He tries to tell Winton about his successful rise in acting, but his father still reacts with indifference, causing more emotional turmoil for him.
Film producer-director Elia Kazan
hires James for the leading role in East of Eden (1955), marking his Hollywood debut. He moves to Hollywood in April 1954 to begin filming for Eden and is introduced to Jack Warner
, the stern president of Warner Bros. Studios
who is determined to transform him into a movie star. Warner becomes suspicious of his personal life (such as his possible bisexuality
and passions for auto racing and motorcycling). On the Warner Bros. backlot
, he falls in love with actress Pier Angeli
, who is working on the neighboring production of The Silver Chalice
(1954).
Despite concerns from Pier's domineering mother, James and his girlfriend buy a beach house
in which they live together. Meanwhile, eccentric director Nicholas Ray
casts him in the lead role for Rebel Without a Cause
(1955). He once again hopes to impress his father with his rising movie star
career in Hollywood, but Winton persists with his indifference. When East of Eden debuts, Warner is furious that he does not show up at the premiere. He considers shutting down production of Rebel Without a Cause, but he drops the idea due to James's praised performance in Eden. Later, he finds out that Warner sided with Pier's mother over his break up with her. She ends up marrying Vic Damone
, while James then signs a one million dollar contract with Warner Bros. and is cast in Giant (1956). His mental breakdowns become more apparent when he starts conflicting with director George Stevens
.
Angered with his life, James decides to learn the truth about his father's carelessness over him since he was eight years old. Winton tells him that his real father was a man with whom his mother had an affair during the marriage and that he did not have the courage to raise him, not being his real father. With his inner demons resolved, he begins to enjoy life once more and adapt a friendly relationship with director Stevens. Shortly afterward, he dies in a tragic car accident that shocks both members of the film industry and the general public. En route on a train to Indiana, Winton sits next to his coffin in the storage room. Despite the fact that he is dead, Winton does not intend to abandon him once more.
planned to produce a feature biographical film
about actor James Dean
, and the studio hired Israel Horovitz
to write the script. One of the working title
s was James Dean: An Invented Life before it was finalized as James Dean. When Horovitz wrote the script, he explored the "psychological insight" of Dean by showcasing the abandonment of his father, which became the fulcrum of the storyline. Horovitz recalled, "Why would a father ship his wife's body back on a train with an 8-year-old son, never go to the funeral and never pick the son up again, never bring the son back out to him?" The screenwriter felt it was best to portray Dean's purported homosexuality
by innuendo
rather than explicitly. He wanted to focus on the romance between Dean and Pier Angeli and Dean's growth as an actor, and believed that a homosexuality subplot would distract from the storyline. Producer Marvin Worth
explained in July 1995, "We'll try to make a good movie... not one of rumor and innuendo."
and Brad Pitt
were under serious consideration for the lead role, while both actors were also attached to the part. Mann approached Leonardo DiCaprio
for the role of James Dean, feeling that DiCaprio was the best candidate. Gary Oldman
was also discussed for a supporting role. In March 1994, Mann decided not to direct James Dean due to scheduling conflicts with Heat (1995). Mann also thought that DiCaprio was too young and wanted to wait another year.
Des McAnuff
replaced Mann as director, and filming was rescheduled to December 1994. Screenwriter Horovitz was busy playwright
ing in Europe, so McAnuff and producer Marvin Worth were constantly rewriting the script in July 1994. The budget was estimated at $20 million. McAnuff stepped down as director and was replaced by Dennis Hopper
. Hopper was a close friend with Dean and co-starred with the actor in both Rebel Without a Cause
and Giant. Hopper met with DiCaprio for the lead role, but the director eventually dropped out of the film. By May 1995, DiCaprio was still the top candidate to portray Dean with Milčo Mančevski
in discussions to direct the film.
After negotiations with Mančevski fell through, Mark Rydell
was contracted to direct the biopic in February 1996. Rydell was also close friends with Dean; the two studied together at Actors Studio
in Manhattan, New York during the early 1950s. DiCaprio dropped out of the lead role entirely when his asking price was determined to be too high after the actor's success with Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Titanic
(1997). Meanwhile, Rydell worked with Horovitz on another rewrite, and Warner Bros. planned to fast track production. Don Was
was hired to write and compose the film score
, but he was later replaced by John Frizzell
. Shortly after Rydell's hiring, Stephen Dorff
entered discussions to portray James Dean. Ethan Hawke
would later turn down the role.
With the film languishing in development hell
, producer Bill Gerber
from Warner Bros. decided James Dean would work best as a television movie
for Turner Network Television (TNT); both Warners and TNT are owned by Time Warner
. Gerber explained the format choice, "It was just hard to find bankable names
that the studio would finance a $20 million movie with. And there were marketing problems. He died in a highway accident 1955 so almost everyone would know the outcome of the movie. James Dean also isn't that well known by the general movie-going public these days." Actor James Franco
was cast into the lead role, and principal photography
for James Dean started in June 2000. Filming took place around the Los Angeles area and at the Sony Pictures Studios
in Culver City
.
Rydell and other filmmakers started a casting call in late March 2000 to find the most suitable actor for the lead role. The call encompassed New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Vancouver, Atlanta, Chicago and the Midwestern United States. Casting director Nancy Foy commented that the search included "everyone from highly-trained, experienced actors in their early and mid-20s, to people who had no training and had sent in self-made tapes". Five hundred actors auditioned, and James Franco was ultimately cast as James Dean in May 2000. Franco acknowledged he was cautious of taking the role over fear of typecasting
.
Franco did extensive research for his role. He went from being a non-smoker to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, but has since quit the habit. He learned how to ride a motorcycle, play guitar, as well as the conga
and bongo drum
s. The actor also carefully studied Dean's mannerisms by simultaneously watching his three films (East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant). Franco also read numerous biographies on Dean's life. The actor also took advice from some of Dean's closest friends, including Martin Landau
, Dennis Hopper
, Liz Sheridan
(Dean's former girlfriend) and Leonard Rosenman
. "Martin was the most informative person that I spoke to. He helped me tremendously with James's physical mannerisms," Franco reflected. "I isolated myself a lot during the filming. I did this because I think he had a pervasive loneliness throughout his life and I wanted to feel what that felt like. Not talking to my family or loved ones had quite an emotional effect on me."
in July 2001. Press conferences were held with the screening, and James Dean's three feature films, East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause
and Giant, were also screened at the festival. Turner Network Television (TNT) originally intended to premiere the film on United States national television in June 2001, but the release date for James Dean was pushed to August 5, 2001. The film attracted 3.18 million viewers and received generally favorable reviews from critics. James Dean was released on DVD in January 2002 by Warner Home Video
. David Thomson
, reviewing in The New York Times
, felt Franco's performance as Dean gave Baby Boomer
audiences a positive sense of nostalgia
of the 1950s. James Poniewozik of Time magazine
also highly praised Franco's performance, but felt the script was overtly cliché
. Ken Tucker wrote in Entertainment Weekly
that James Dean, alongside Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows
(2001), was a revolutionary force in the television movie
genre.
Rydell received a Directors Guild of America Award nomination, while Franco was nominated for his performance at the 8th Screen Actors Guild Awards. In addition, Franco won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film. The film also received multiple awards and nominations at the 54th Primetime Emmy Awards
. Michael Moriarty
won the Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his portrayal of Winton Dean. The art department
(led by Robert Pearson, Marc Dabe and Leslie McCarthy-Frankenheimer), also won an Emmy. Nominations included Outstanding Made for Television Movie
, Lead actor
(James Franco), Direction
(Mark Rydell), Cinematography (Robbie Greenberg), Casting (Nancy Foy), Costume design
(Yvonne Blake and Randy Gardell), Film editing (Antony Gibbs), Makeup (John M. Elliot, Jr.) and Hairstyling (Carol A. O'Connell).
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
television film based on the life of the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor of the same name
James Dean
James Byron Dean was an American film actor. He is a cultural icon, best embodied in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause , in which he starred as troubled Los Angeles teenager Jim Stark...
. James Franco
James Franco
James Edward Franco is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author, painter, performance artist and instructor at New York University. He left college in order to pursue acting and started off his career by making guest appearances on television series in the 1990s...
plays James Dean
James Dean
James Byron Dean was an American film actor. He is a cultural icon, best embodied in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause , in which he starred as troubled Los Angeles teenager Jim Stark...
under the direction of Mark Rydell
Mark Rydell
Mark Rydell is an American actor, film director and producer.-Career:Rydell's initial training was in music. As a youth, he wanted to be a conductor. He began his career as an actor and first became known for his role as Walt Johnson on The Edge of Night and as Jeff Baker on As the World Turns,...
, who chronicles Dean's rise from a struggling actor to an A-list
A-list
A-list is a term that alludes to major movie stars, or the most bankable in the Hollywood film industry.The A-list is part of a larger guide called The Hot List that has become an industry-standard guide in Hollywood...
movie star in 1950s Hollywood. The film's supporting roles included director Rydell, Michael Moriarty
Michael Moriarty
Michael Moriarty is an American-Canadian actor of stage and screen, and a jazz musician. He played Benjamin Stone for four seasons on the TV series Law & Order.-Early life:...
, Valentina Cervi
Valentina Cervi
Valentina Cervi is an Italian film and television actress.Cervi was born in Rome, Italy. She is the daughter of director Tonino Cervi and granddaughter of the famous Italian actor Gino Cervi. Cervi started her acting career at age ten in Carlo Cotti's 1986 film Portami la luna...
, Enrico Colantoni
Enrico Colantoni
Enrico Colantoni is a Canadian actor, probably best known for portraying Elliot DiMauro in the sitcom Just Shoot Me!, Keith Mars on the television series Veronica Mars, and Sergeant Greg Parker on the television series Flashpoint. He has also had supporting roles in such films as The Wrong Guy, ...
, and Amy Rydell.
The James Dean biopic began development at Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
in the early 1990s. At one point, Michael Mann was contracted to direct with Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...
starring in the lead role. After Mann's departure, Des McAnuff
Des McAnuff
Desmond McAnuff is the Canadian-American artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and director of musical theatre of such Broadway productions as Big River, The Who's Tommy and Jersey Boys.-Biography:...
, Dennis Hopper
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
and Milčo Mančevski
Milco Mancevski
Milcho Manchevski , usually credited as Milcho Manchevski, is a film director and screenwriter from Macedonia.-Biography:Milcho Manchevski wrote and directed the feature films "Before the Rain" , "Dust'" , Shadows" and "Mothers" , over 50 short forms, including “TENNESSEE” for Arrested Development...
were considered as directors. Mark Rydell was hired as director in 1996, but the film continued to languish in development hell
Development hell
In the jargon of the media-industry, "development hell" is a period during which a film or other project is trapped in development...
.
Warner Bros. then decided to produce James Dean as a TV movie for Turner Network Television (TNT); both Warners and TNT are owned by Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
. James Franco was cast as Dean in May 2000 after a search that resulted in 500 auditions. Franco researched his role to more closely portray Dean. James Dean showed on TNT in the United States on August 5, 2001, receiving generally positive reviews from critics.
Plot
At eight years old, James Dean lives with his estranged father Winton and mother Mildred in 1939 Santa Monica, CaliforniaSanta Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
. When Mildred dies of cancer in 1940, Winton sends James on a train to Fairmount, Indiana
Fairmount, Indiana
Fairmount is a town in Fairmount Township, Grant County in the east central part of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 2,992 at the 2000 census. It is ninety kilometers northeast of Indianapolis...
, along with the coffin containing her body. Winton does not show up at the funeral, leaving James to be raised by his aunt and uncle on a farm in Fairmount. Over the years, he becomes more curious about his father's decision to abandon him. He tries to impress him by sending him a package displaying his various athletic trophies in high school sports.
James moves back to Santa Monica in June 1949, shortly after high school graduation, and finds that Winton has remarried. He decides to become an actor and takes classes under James Whitmore
James Whitmore
James Allen Whitmore, Jr. was an American film and stage actor.-Early life:Born in White Plains, New York, to Florence Belle and James Allen Whitmore, Sr., a park commission official, Whitmore attended Amherst Central High School in Snyder, New York, before graduating from The Choate School in...
. Whitmore is impressed by his acting ability, which encourages him to move to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in September 1951 to pursue an acting career. Despite being a struggling actor, he enjoys the new lifestyle. He befriends fellow actor Martin Landau
Martin Landau
Martin Landau is an American film and television actor. Landau began his career in the 1950s. His early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest . He played continuing roles in the television series Mission: Impossible and Space:1999...
and has a romantic relationship with Christine White. Both are accepted into the prestigious Actors Studio
Actors Studio
The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street in the Clinton neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded October 5, 1947, by Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford, Robert Lewis and Anna Sokolow who provided...
. He receives critical acclaim in Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
productions and for a role in a television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
drama that is broadcast nationwide. He tries to tell Winton about his successful rise in acting, but his father still reacts with indifference, causing more emotional turmoil for him.
Film producer-director Elia Kazan
Elia Kazan
Elia Kazan was an American director and actor, described by the New York Times as "one of the most honored and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history". Born in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, to Greek parents originally from Kayseri in Anatolia, the family emigrated...
hires James for the leading role in East of Eden (1955), marking his Hollywood debut. He moves to Hollywood in April 1954 to begin filming for Eden and is introduced to Jack Warner
Jack Warner
Jack Leonard "J. L." Warner , born Jacob Warner in London, Ontario, was a Canadian American film executive who was the president and driving force behind the Warner Bros. Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California...
, the stern president of Warner Bros. Studios
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
who is determined to transform him into a movie star. Warner becomes suspicious of his personal life (such as his possible bisexuality
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
and passions for auto racing and motorcycling). On the Warner Bros. backlot
Backlot
A backlot is an area behind or adjoining a movie studio, containing permanent exterior buildings for outdoor scenes in filmmaking or television productions, or space for temporary set construction....
, he falls in love with actress Pier Angeli
Pier Angeli
Pier Angeli was an Italian-born television and film actress. Her American cinematographic debut was in the starring role of the 1951 film Teresa, in which she won a Golden Globe Award...
, who is working on the neighboring production of The Silver Chalice
The Silver Chalice (film)
The Silver Chalice is a 1954 historical epic film from Warner Bros., based on Thomas B. Costain's 1952 novel of the same name.-Plot:A Greek artisan is commissioned to cast the cup of Christ in silver and sculpt around its rim the faces of the disciples and Jesus himself. He travels to Jerusalem and...
(1954).
Despite concerns from Pier's domineering mother, James and his girlfriend buy a beach house
Beach house
A beach house is a house on or near a beach, generally used as a vacation or second home for people who commute to the house on weekends or during vacation periods....
in which they live together. Meanwhile, eccentric director Nicholas Ray
Nicholas Ray
Nicholas Ray was an American film director best known for the movie Rebel Without a Cause....
casts him in the lead role for Rebel Without a Cause
Rebel Without a Cause
Rebel Without a Cause is a 1955 American drama film about emotionally confused suburban, middle-class teenagers. Directed by Nicholas Ray, it offered both social commentary and an alternative to previous films depicting delinquents in urban slum environments...
(1955). He once again hopes to impress his father with his rising movie star
Movie star
A movie star is a celebrity who is well-known, or famous, for his or her starring, or leading, roles in motion pictures. The term may also apply to an actor or actress who is recognized as a marketable commodity and whose name is used to promote a movie in trailers and posters...
career in Hollywood, but Winton persists with his indifference. When East of Eden debuts, Warner is furious that he does not show up at the premiere. He considers shutting down production of Rebel Without a Cause, but he drops the idea due to James's praised performance in Eden. Later, he finds out that Warner sided with Pier's mother over his break up with her. She ends up marrying Vic Damone
Vic Damone
Vic Damone is an American singer and entertainer.- Early life :Damone was born Vito Rocco Farinola in Brooklyn, New York to French-Italian immigrants based in Bari, Italy—Rocco and Mamie Farinola. His father was an electrician; and his mother taught piano. His cousin was the actress and singer...
, while James then signs a one million dollar contract with Warner Bros. and is cast in Giant (1956). His mental breakdowns become more apparent when he starts conflicting with director George Stevens
George Stevens
George Stevens was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer.Among his most notable films were Diary of Anne Frank , nominated for Best Director, Giant , winner of Oscar for Best Director, Shane , Oscar nominated, and A Place in the Sun , winner of Oscar for Best...
.
Angered with his life, James decides to learn the truth about his father's carelessness over him since he was eight years old. Winton tells him that his real father was a man with whom his mother had an affair during the marriage and that he did not have the courage to raise him, not being his real father. With his inner demons resolved, he begins to enjoy life once more and adapt a friendly relationship with director Stevens. Shortly afterward, he dies in a tragic car accident that shocks both members of the film industry and the general public. En route on a train to Indiana, Winton sits next to his coffin in the storage room. Despite the fact that he is dead, Winton does not intend to abandon him once more.
Cast
- James FrancoJames FrancoJames Edward Franco is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author, painter, performance artist and instructor at New York University. He left college in order to pursue acting and started off his career by making guest appearances on television series in the 1990s...
as James DeanJames DeanJames Byron Dean was an American film actor. He is a cultural icon, best embodied in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause , in which he starred as troubled Los Angeles teenager Jim Stark...
: A movie star who has emotional struggles with his father, Hollywood policies, acting, and romantic relationships.- Kyle Chambers portrays Young James Dean
- Michael MoriartyMichael MoriartyMichael Moriarty is an American-Canadian actor of stage and screen, and a jazz musician. He played Benjamin Stone for four seasons on the TV series Law & Order.-Early life:...
as Winton "Winnie" Dean: James' father who abandons him at a young age. - Valentina CerviValentina CerviValentina Cervi is an Italian film and television actress.Cervi was born in Rome, Italy. She is the daughter of director Tonino Cervi and granddaughter of the famous Italian actor Gino Cervi. Cervi started her acting career at age ten in Carlo Cotti's 1986 film Portami la luna...
as Pier AngeliPier AngeliPier Angeli was an Italian-born television and film actress. Her American cinematographic debut was in the starring role of the 1951 film Teresa, in which she won a Golden Globe Award...
: Italian actress who James first meets on the Warner Bros. backlotBacklotA backlot is an area behind or adjoining a movie studio, containing permanent exterior buildings for outdoor scenes in filmmaking or television productions, or space for temporary set construction....
. Under pressure from her domineering mother, Pier breaks off her relationship with James and marries Vic DamoneVic DamoneVic Damone is an American singer and entertainer.- Early life :Damone was born Vito Rocco Farinola in Brooklyn, New York to French-Italian immigrants based in Bari, Italy—Rocco and Mamie Farinola. His father was an electrician; and his mother taught piano. His cousin was the actress and singer...
. - Enrico ColantoniEnrico ColantoniEnrico Colantoni is a Canadian actor, probably best known for portraying Elliot DiMauro in the sitcom Just Shoot Me!, Keith Mars on the television series Veronica Mars, and Sergeant Greg Parker on the television series Flashpoint. He has also had supporting roles in such films as The Wrong Guy, ...
as Elia KazanElia KazanElia Kazan was an American director and actor, described by the New York Times as "one of the most honored and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history". Born in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, to Greek parents originally from Kayseri in Anatolia, the family emigrated...
: Acclaimed Hollywood film director. Kazan casts James in East of Eden, using unconventional directing techniques that land James critical praise. - Amy Rydell as Christine White: James' girlfriend in New York. The two successfully audition their way into the Actors StudioActors StudioThe Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street in the Clinton neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded October 5, 1947, by Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford, Robert Lewis and Anna Sokolow who provided...
. - Director Mark RydellMark RydellMark Rydell is an American actor, film director and producer.-Career:Rydell's initial training was in music. As a youth, he wanted to be a conductor. He began his career as an actor and first became known for his role as Walt Johnson on The Edge of Night and as Jeff Baker on As the World Turns,...
as Jack WarnerJack WarnerJack Leonard "J. L." Warner , born Jacob Warner in London, Ontario, was a Canadian American film executive who was the president and driving force behind the Warner Bros. Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California...
: President of Warner Bros.Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
Pictures. who signs James under contract. Mr. Warner acts as a strict father figureFather Figure"Father Figure" is the U.S. number-one song written and performed by George Michael and released on Columbia Records in 1988 as the third single from the album Faith.-History:...
to James' Hollywood lifestyle. - Samuel Gould as Martin LandauMartin LandauMartin Landau is an American film and television actor. Landau began his career in the 1950s. His early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest . He played continuing roles in the television series Mission: Impossible and Space:1999...
: Actor who befriends James in New York. - Wendy BensonWendy BensonWendy Benson-Landes is an American actress seen in many television shows. One of her roles was as Joanne Hertz, the segment producer for the character Piper Halliwell at her restaurant Quake in the series Charmed....
as Julie HarrisJulie HarrisJulia Ann "Julie" Harris is an American stage, screen, and television actress. She has won five Tony Awards, three Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award, and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1994, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts. She is a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame...
: East of Eden actress who expresses sympathy for James' break-up with Pier. - David Parker as James WhitmoreJames WhitmoreJames Allen Whitmore, Jr. was an American film and stage actor.-Early life:Born in White Plains, New York, to Florence Belle and James Allen Whitmore, Sr., a park commission official, Whitmore attended Amherst Central High School in Snyder, New York, before graduating from The Choate School in...
: James' acting teacher in Los Angeles, California. - Lisa Robins as Mildred Dean: James' mother. Mildred dies of when her son is just a child.
- Karen Kondazian as Mrs. Pierangeli: Pier's strict religious mother who convinces her daughter to marry Vic Damone.
- Barry PrimusBarry PrimusBarry Primus is an American television and film actor.Primus is primarily an actor, but has also doubled and tripled as writer and director. He worked on stage for the first decade of his career. He gained some experience on TV in shows like The Defenders, East Side/West Side and The Virginian...
as Nicholas RayNicholas RayNicholas Ray was an American film director best known for the movie Rebel Without a Cause....
: Eccentric director of Rebel Without a Cause who avoids pressure to cast Marlon BrandoMarlon BrandoMarlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
in the lead role. - Peggy McCayPeggy McCayPeggy McCay is a long-time American actress with a career lasting over sixty years in film and television...
as Emma Dean: James Dean's grandma. - Edward HerrmannEdward HerrmannEdward Kirk Herrmann is a U.S. television and film actor. He is best known for his Emmy-nominated portrayals of Franklin D...
as Raymond MasseyRaymond MasseyRaymond Hart Massey was a Canadian/American actor.-Early life:Massey was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Anna , who was born in Illinois, and Chester Daniel Massey, the wealthy owner of the Massey-Ferguson Tractor Company. Massey's family could trace their ancestry back to the American...
: Distinguished actor who portrays Dean's screen father on East of Eden. Massey is dubious over James' method acting. - Craig BarnettCraig BarnettCraig Andrew "Barney" Barnett is an Australian male model and ex international modelling pageant finalist, best known as 'MR Australia 2007' from the 2007 Manhunt International World Final...
as George StevensGeorge StevensGeorge Stevens was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer.Among his most notable films were Diary of Anne Frank , nominated for Best Director, Giant , winner of Oscar for Best Director, Shane , Oscar nominated, and A Place in the Sun , winner of Oscar for Best...
: Director of Giant who, at first, has trouble accommodating James' emotional and movie starMovie starA movie star is a celebrity who is well-known, or famous, for his or her starring, or leading, roles in motion pictures. The term may also apply to an actor or actress who is recognized as a marketable commodity and whose name is used to promote a movie in trailers and posters...
status. - Joanne Linville as Hedda HopperHedda HopperHedda Hopper was an American actress and gossip columnist, whose long-running feud with friend turned arch-rival Louella Parsons became at least as notorious as many of Hopper's columns.-Early life:...
: Hollywood gossip columnistGossip columnistA gossip columnist is someone who writes a gossip column in a newspaper or magazine, especially a gossip magazine. Gossip columns are material written in a light, informal style, which relates the gossip columnist's opinions about the personal lives or conduct of celebrities from show business ,...
who praises James' acting abilities in East of Eden. - Andrew PrineAndrew PrineAndrew Lewis Prine is an American film, stage, and television actor.-Early life and career:Prine was born in Jennings, Florida. After graduation from Andrew Jackson High School in Miami, Prine made his acting debut three years later in an episode of CBS U.S. Steel Hour...
as Rogers Brackett: Homosexual New York theater director who meets James and Martin Landau (then struggling actors) in a diner. - Lisa Blake Richards as Ethel Dean: Winton's wife after the death of Mildred. She is not satisfied over her husband's fathering of James.
- Holly Beavon as Marilyn MonroeMarilyn MonroeMarilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
(uncredited) - Elizabeth Karsell as Judy GarlandJudy GarlandJudy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
(uncredited)
Writing
In the early 1990s, Warner Bros.Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
planned to produce a feature biographical film
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
about actor James Dean
James Dean
James Byron Dean was an American film actor. He is a cultural icon, best embodied in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause , in which he starred as troubled Los Angeles teenager Jim Stark...
, and the studio hired Israel Horovitz
Israel Horovitz
Israel Horovitz is an American playwright and screenwriter.-Theatre career:An American dramatist, Horovitz has written more than 70 produced plays, many of which have been translated and performed in more than 30 languages worldwide . The 70/70 Horovitz Project was created by NYC Barefoot Theatre...
to write the script. One of the working title
Working title
A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, novel, video game, or music album.-Purpose:...
s was James Dean: An Invented Life before it was finalized as James Dean. When Horovitz wrote the script, he explored the "psychological insight" of Dean by showcasing the abandonment of his father, which became the fulcrum of the storyline. Horovitz recalled, "Why would a father ship his wife's body back on a train with an 8-year-old son, never go to the funeral and never pick the son up again, never bring the son back out to him?" The screenwriter felt it was best to portray Dean's purported homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
by innuendo
Innuendo
An innuendo is a baseless invention of thoughts or ideas. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging , that works obliquely by allusion...
rather than explicitly. He wanted to focus on the romance between Dean and Pier Angeli and Dean's growth as an actor, and believed that a homosexuality subplot would distract from the storyline. Producer Marvin Worth
Marvin Worth
Marvin Worth was an American film producer, screenwriter and actor perhaps best known for his efforts to bring the biography of Malcolm X to the big screen. His efforts spanned from 1967, when he purchased the rights to The Autobiography of Malcolm X that led to the production of the 1972...
explained in July 1995, "We'll try to make a good movie... not one of rumor and innuendo."
Production
Michael Mann was contracted to direct James Dean in September 1993, and filming was scheduled to start in May 1994. Johnny DeppJohnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
and Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
were under serious consideration for the lead role, while both actors were also attached to the part. Mann approached Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...
for the role of James Dean, feeling that DiCaprio was the best candidate. Gary Oldman
Gary Oldman
Gary Leonard Oldman is an English actor, voice actor, filmmaker and musician.A member of the 1980s Brit Pack, Oldman came to prominence via starring roles in British films Meantime , Sid and Nancy and Prick Up Your Ears , with his performance in the latter bringing him his first BAFTA Award...
was also discussed for a supporting role. In March 1994, Mann decided not to direct James Dean due to scheduling conflicts with Heat (1995). Mann also thought that DiCaprio was too young and wanted to wait another year.
Des McAnuff
Des McAnuff
Desmond McAnuff is the Canadian-American artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and director of musical theatre of such Broadway productions as Big River, The Who's Tommy and Jersey Boys.-Biography:...
replaced Mann as director, and filming was rescheduled to December 1994. Screenwriter Horovitz was busy playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
ing in Europe, so McAnuff and producer Marvin Worth were constantly rewriting the script in July 1994. The budget was estimated at $20 million. McAnuff stepped down as director and was replaced by Dennis Hopper
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
. Hopper was a close friend with Dean and co-starred with the actor in both Rebel Without a Cause
Rebel Without a Cause
Rebel Without a Cause is a 1955 American drama film about emotionally confused suburban, middle-class teenagers. Directed by Nicholas Ray, it offered both social commentary and an alternative to previous films depicting delinquents in urban slum environments...
and Giant. Hopper met with DiCaprio for the lead role, but the director eventually dropped out of the film. By May 1995, DiCaprio was still the top candidate to portray Dean with Milčo Mančevski
Milco Mancevski
Milcho Manchevski , usually credited as Milcho Manchevski, is a film director and screenwriter from Macedonia.-Biography:Milcho Manchevski wrote and directed the feature films "Before the Rain" , "Dust'" , Shadows" and "Mothers" , over 50 short forms, including “TENNESSEE” for Arrested Development...
in discussions to direct the film.
After negotiations with Mančevski fell through, Mark Rydell
Mark Rydell
Mark Rydell is an American actor, film director and producer.-Career:Rydell's initial training was in music. As a youth, he wanted to be a conductor. He began his career as an actor and first became known for his role as Walt Johnson on The Edge of Night and as Jeff Baker on As the World Turns,...
was contracted to direct the biopic in February 1996. Rydell was also close friends with Dean; the two studied together at Actors Studio
Actors Studio
The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street in the Clinton neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded October 5, 1947, by Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford, Robert Lewis and Anna Sokolow who provided...
in Manhattan, New York during the early 1950s. DiCaprio dropped out of the lead role entirely when his asking price was determined to be too high after the actor's success with Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
(1997). Meanwhile, Rydell worked with Horovitz on another rewrite, and Warner Bros. planned to fast track production. Don Was
Don Was
Don Was is an American musician, bassist and record producer.-Life and career:Was was born in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Oak Park High School in the Detroit suburb of Oak Park, then attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor but dropped out after the first year...
was hired to write and compose the film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
, but he was later replaced by John Frizzell
John Frizzell
John B. Frizzell is a Canadian screenwriter and film producer.After several years writing, directing and co-producing the documentary series A Different Understanding for TVOntario, Frizzell joined partners Niv Fichman, Barbara Willis Sweete and Larry Weinstein to found the Canadian production...
. Shortly after Rydell's hiring, Stephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff is an American actor, best known for portraying Stuart Sutcliffe in Backbeat, Johnny Marco in Somewhere, and for his roles in Blade and Cecil B. DeMented.-Early life:...
entered discussions to portray James Dean. Ethan Hawke
Ethan Hawke
Ethan Green Hawke is an American actor, writer and director. He made his feature film debut in 1985 with the science fiction movie Explorers, before making a supporting appearance in the 1989 drama Dead Poets Society which is considered his breakthrough role...
would later turn down the role.
With the film languishing in development hell
Development hell
In the jargon of the media-industry, "development hell" is a period during which a film or other project is trapped in development...
, producer Bill Gerber
Bill Gerber
Bill Gerber is an American film producer, responsible for such films as Queen of the Damned and the remake of The Dukes of Hazzard TV series.- Filmography :* Get Carter executive producer* James Dean executive producer...
from Warner Bros. decided James Dean would work best as a television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
for Turner Network Television (TNT); both Warners and TNT are owned by Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
. Gerber explained the format choice, "It was just hard to find bankable names
A-list
A-list is a term that alludes to major movie stars, or the most bankable in the Hollywood film industry.The A-list is part of a larger guide called The Hot List that has become an industry-standard guide in Hollywood...
that the studio would finance a $20 million movie with. And there were marketing problems. He died in a highway accident 1955 so almost everyone would know the outcome of the movie. James Dean also isn't that well known by the general movie-going public these days." Actor James Franco
James Franco
James Edward Franco is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author, painter, performance artist and instructor at New York University. He left college in order to pursue acting and started off his career by making guest appearances on television series in the 1990s...
was cast into the lead role, and principal photography
Principal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
for James Dean started in June 2000. Filming took place around the Los Angeles area and at the Sony Pictures Studios
Sony Pictures Studios
The Sony Pictures Studios are a television and film studio complex located in Culver City, California at 10202 West Washington Boulevard and bounded by Culver Boulevard , Washington Boulevard , Overland Avenue and Madison Avenue...
in Culver City
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
.
Casting
| It was interesting because everyone I spoke to had a different perspective on James Dean. I think it is because he compartmentalized his friends so distinctly that everyone saw a different side of him. I often found that if people did not have that much personal information about James Dean, the experiences they had with him were mystical. |
| — James Franco on his research for James Dean |
Rydell and other filmmakers started a casting call in late March 2000 to find the most suitable actor for the lead role. The call encompassed New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Vancouver, Atlanta, Chicago and the Midwestern United States. Casting director Nancy Foy commented that the search included "everyone from highly-trained, experienced actors in their early and mid-20s, to people who had no training and had sent in self-made tapes". Five hundred actors auditioned, and James Franco was ultimately cast as James Dean in May 2000. Franco acknowledged he was cautious of taking the role over fear of typecasting
Typecasting (acting)
In TV, film, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character; one or more particular roles; or, characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ethnic groups...
.
Franco did extensive research for his role. He went from being a non-smoker to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, but has since quit the habit. He learned how to ride a motorcycle, play guitar, as well as the conga
Conga
The conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
and bongo drum
Bongo drum
Bongo or bongos are a Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of single-headed, open-ended drums attached to each other. The drums are of different size: the larger drum is called in Spanish the hembra and the smaller the macho...
s. The actor also carefully studied Dean's mannerisms by simultaneously watching his three films (East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant). Franco also read numerous biographies on Dean's life. The actor also took advice from some of Dean's closest friends, including Martin Landau
Martin Landau
Martin Landau is an American film and television actor. Landau began his career in the 1950s. His early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest . He played continuing roles in the television series Mission: Impossible and Space:1999...
, Dennis Hopper
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
, Liz Sheridan
Liz Sheridan
Elizabeth "Liz" Sheridan is an American actress.-Background:Sheridan was born in New York City, the daughter of Elizabeth Poole-Jones, a concert singer, and Frank Sheridan, a classical pianist. Sheridan began her career as a dancer working in New York City in nightclubs and musicals. There, she...
(Dean's former girlfriend) and Leonard Rosenman
Leonard Rosenman
Leonard Rosenman was an American film, television and concert composer.-Life and career:Leonard Rosenman was born in Brooklyn, New York. After service in the Pacific with the Army Air Forces in World War II, he earned a bachelor's degree in music from the University of California, Berkeley...
. "Martin was the most informative person that I spoke to. He helped me tremendously with James's physical mannerisms," Franco reflected. "I isolated myself a lot during the filming. I did this because I think he had a pervasive loneliness throughout his life and I wanted to feel what that felt like. Not talking to my family or loved ones had quite an emotional effect on me."
Release
James Dean premiered at the 27th Deauville American Film FestivalDeauville American Film Festival
The Deauville American Film Festival is a yearly film festival devoted to American cinema, taking place since 1975 in Deauville, France. It was established by Lionel Chouchan and André Halimi....
in July 2001. Press conferences were held with the screening, and James Dean's three feature films, East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause
Rebel Without a Cause
Rebel Without a Cause is a 1955 American drama film about emotionally confused suburban, middle-class teenagers. Directed by Nicholas Ray, it offered both social commentary and an alternative to previous films depicting delinquents in urban slum environments...
and Giant, were also screened at the festival. Turner Network Television (TNT) originally intended to premiere the film on United States national television in June 2001, but the release date for James Dean was pushed to August 5, 2001. The film attracted 3.18 million viewers and received generally favorable reviews from critics. James Dean was released on DVD in January 2002 by Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
. David Thomson
David Thomson (film critic)
David Thomson is a film critic and historian based in the United States and the author of more than 20 books, including The New Biographical Dictionary of Film.-Career:...
, reviewing in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, felt Franco's performance as Dean gave Baby Boomer
Baby boomer
A baby boomer is a person who was born during the demographic Post-World War II baby boom and who grew up during the period between 1946 and 1964. The term "baby boomer" is sometimes used in a cultural context. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve broad consensus of a precise definition, even...
audiences a positive sense of nostalgia
Nostalgia
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
of the 1950s. James Poniewozik of Time magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
also highly praised Franco's performance, but felt the script was overtly cliché
Cliché
A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
. Ken Tucker wrote in Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
that James Dean, alongside Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows
Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows
Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows is a 2001 television film based on the memoirs of Lorna Luft, the daughter of Garland. The production is notable for its meticulous recreations of her films and concerts, and verisimilitudinous impressions of her by Tammy Blanchard and Judy Davis.The film,...
(2001), was a revolutionary force in the television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
genre.
Rydell received a Directors Guild of America Award nomination, while Franco was nominated for his performance at the 8th Screen Actors Guild Awards. In addition, Franco won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film. The film also received multiple awards and nominations at the 54th Primetime Emmy Awards
54th Primetime Emmy Awards
The 54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were held Sunday, September 22, 2002. Nominations were announced July 22, 2002. The awards show was hosted by Conan O'Brien and was broadcast on NBC...
. Michael Moriarty
Michael Moriarty
Michael Moriarty is an American-Canadian actor of stage and screen, and a jazz musician. He played Benjamin Stone for four seasons on the TV series Law & Order.-Early life:...
won the Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his portrayal of Winton Dean. The art department
Art department
Art department in movie terms means the section of a production's crew concerned with visual artistry. Working under the supervision of the production designer and/or art director, the art department is responsible for arranging the overall look of the film as desired by the film director...
(led by Robert Pearson, Marc Dabe and Leslie McCarthy-Frankenheimer), also won an Emmy. Nominations included Outstanding Made for Television Movie
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Made for Television Movie
This is a list of the winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Made for Television Movie, which is awarded since 1992. The category was originally called Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special.-1980s:*1980: The Miracle Worker...
, Lead actor
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor - Miniseries or a Movie
This is a list of winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.-1950s:*1952: Thomas Mitchell*1953: no award*1954: Robert Cummings – 12 Angry Men*1955: Lloyd Nolan – Caine Mutiny Court Marshal...
(James Franco), Direction
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special
This is a list of the winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special.- Chronology of categories :...
(Mark Rydell), Cinematography (Robbie Greenberg), Casting (Nancy Foy), Costume design
Costume design
Costume design is the fabrication of apparel for the overall appearance of a character or performer. This usually involves researching, designing and building the actual items from conception. Costumes may be for a theater or cinema performance but may not be limited to such...
(Yvonne Blake and Randy Gardell), Film editing (Antony Gibbs), Makeup (John M. Elliot, Jr.) and Hairstyling (Carol A. O'Connell).