James Dean: What Makes a Film Icon? 

In this video essay, I discuss the ontology of star iconicity, taking James Dean and the rebel icon as a case study to explore this concept.
Written version of this video:
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Timecodes:
00:00 Introduction
04:19 The Rebel Icon
07:35 The Transparency and Opacity of the Icon
13:39 The Ontology of the Screen Performer
References:
• Bazin, André. What is Cinema? Vol. 1. Translated by Hugh Gray, U of California P, 2005.
• Cavell, Stanley. The World Viewed: Reflections on the Ontology of Film. Harvard UP, 1979.
• Dyer, Richard. Stars. New ed. with a supplementary chapter and bibliography by Paul McDonald, BFI, 1998.
• Fishwick, Marshall. “Icons of America.” Introduction. Icons of America, edited by Ray B. Browne and Marshall Fishwick, Popular Press, 1978, pp. 3 - 12.
• Genette, Gérard. Paratexts: Thresholds of Interpretation. Translated by Jane E. Lewin, Cambridge UP, 1997.
• Halberstam, David. The Fifties. ePub ed., Open Road Integrated Media, 2012.
• Meir, Irit and Oksana Tkachman. “Iconicity.” Oxford Bibliographies in “Linguistics”. Oxford UP, last modified 24 March 2014, www.oxfordbibl...
• Orr, David Gerald. “The Icon in the Time Tunnel.” Icons of America, edited by Ray B. Browne and Marshall Fishwick, Popular Press, 1978, pp. 13 - 23.
• Springer, Claudia. James Dean Transfigured: The Many Faces of Rebel Iconography. U of Texas P, 2007.
• Truffaut, François. “James Dean is Dead.” The Films in My Life, translated by Leonard Mayhew, Simon & Schuster, 1985, pp. 296 - 299.
Films Featured:
Rebel Without a Cause (Nicholas Ray, 1955) amzn.to/3FqVt2R
East of Eden (Elia Kazan, 1955) amzn.to/37q3zfB
Giant (George Stevens, 1956) amzn.to/3vQHfFs
Music by AIIVAWN, Craymer:
“Can’t Take My Eyes off You”
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Music by Twotrees:
“Lighthouse” - Iridescence
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Music by Mondo Loops, Quist:
“Winding Roads” - In Nature
“The Nightman” - In Nature
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#jamesdean #icon #rebel #cinema