TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Romantic Dramas (East of Eden / Cat on a Hot Tin Roof / A Streetcar Named Desire / Rebel Without a Cause)

TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Romantic Dramas (East of Eden / Cat on a Hot Tin Roof / A Streetcar Named Desire / Rebel Without a Cause)
Customer Review: Four top-drawer romantic classics in an economical package
This is one of the first of what is planned to be 27 sets of four films each from Warner Home Video. They are bare-bones releases of classic movies sold at a discount to introduce classic film to the masses. That is a good idea, and for that I salute Warner Home Video. This set is about romantic dramas, with an emphasis on the works of Tennessee Williams and James Dean. The following are the contents of this set: East of Eden (1955) - Directed by Elia Kazan and starring James Dean. Adam Trask is a California farmer with two sons - Aron and Cal. Cal feels that his father holds him in only medium esteem while he gushes over Aron. Cal also learns what really happened to his mother, and begins visiting her. When Adam loses a fortune in a failed shipping venture, Cal decides to win Adam's favor by going into business himself and getting his father's money back. However, he decides to go to his mother to get his start-up capital. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) - Directed by Richard Brooks, stars Paul Newman as Brick and Elizabeth Taylor as his wife, Maggie. Brick is an alcoholic ex-football hero who has the favor of his father, played by Burl Ives. Brick's older brother does everything the way his father says to do it, but still does not have his father's heart. The problems in this disfunctional family rise to the surface when it is learned that "Big Daddy" doesn't have long to live. Streetcar Named Desire (1951) - Directed by Elia Kazan starring Marlon Brando as Stanley, the brutish bridegroom of Stella (Kim Hunter). Stella has an older sister Blanche (Vivien Leigh) who acts as though she is a southern belle rather than an aging woman with a dreary existence in the French quarter of New Orleans. When Stanley hears Blanche encouraging Stella to leave him, he plots a cruel revenge. Rebel Without a Cause (1955) - Directed by Nicholas Rey, stars James Dean and Natalie Wood in a film that is more about the disenchantment of the modern teenager with society than it is a romantic drama classic. It's a different kind of romance. At face value you could say the two wind up together because they both feel so alone, but there is a real chemistry and attachment there that is beyond just emotional survival. These romantic dramas are often more dramatic than romantic, but they are all five stars. As is common in this Warner series, these films have more deluxe editions in DVD sets if you are interested. For fans of James Dean, his two films can be found in The Complete James Dean Collection (East of Eden / Giant / Rebel Without a Cause Special Edition). The sad thing is, with the exception of a few cameos and TV appearances, this really is the complete James Dean collection. As for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Streetcar Named Desire, they are both in more deluxe versions on the excellent Tennessee Williams Film Collection (A Streetcar Named Desire 1951 Two-Disc Special Edition / Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 1958 Deluxe Edition / Sweet Bird of Youth / The Night of the Iguana / Baby Doll / The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone).