— by ELI COLON —
Few Hollywood icons have haunted the American cinema quite like James Dean. On one hand, this is due to his stirring, visceral performances in such classics as “Rebel Without a Cause” and “East of Eden.” More than that, however, it’s the legacy Dean left as a star and the images of him that still resonate a surpassingly cool iconography to this day that really makes him such a figure of obsession. Those photos of him are the main inspiration for Anton Corbijn’s new film “Life,” and now the official trailer of the film has arrived online.
The story follows the relationship that formed between Dean, played here by Dane DeHaan, and Life Magazine photographer Dennis Stock, played by Robert Pattinson.
Stock was responsible for some of the most iconic images we have of Dean, including the rainy Times Square photo that was teased at the end of the trailer. The pair met at a party in 1955, shortly before “East of Eden” launched Dean’s high-flying career. As the pair traveled together to Los Angeles, New York, and Dean’s home state of Indiana, they developed a friendship.
This “Life” trailer certainly looks promising, including showing the rest of the cast, including Ben Kingsley as Jack Warner and Joel Edgerton as Stock’s boss, John Morris, who is clearly not immediately won over by the outwardly hip Dean and his cool, progressive style. Unfortunately, “Life” has gotten so-so reviews on the festival circuit so far. Some have described it as “engaging [and] elegiac,” while others found it “worryingly and ironically lifeless.”
Still, this is an Anton Corbijn film, and each frame looks more gorgeously composed and loaded with period detail than the last. From the looks of this, the filmmaker’s portrait of Dean could end up being as haunting as “Control,” his striking biopic of Joy Division front man Ian Curtis.
“Life” will open in France on Sept. 9 and Sept. 25 in the U.K. As for the U.S., Cinedigm is releasing the film here stateside, but hasn’t yet set a date.
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