September 30, 1955

4 out of 10

The title represents the date that the legendary and truly great actor James Dean died in a car crash. His death has an adverse effect on a group of teens in a small southern town.

Thomas is the main character who , along with his girlfriend Billie Jean, seems to get the most upset. Although some of his actions may seem fanatical it is really not as extreme or as a fanatical as you may think it would be or could have been. At no time does he become so immersed in it that he loses sight of reality. At times it really becomes more of a story of lost young souls looking for an identity than it does on celebrity worship.

The story itself is pretty slow and has a lot of long drawn out takes. There are times when the drama gets just a little too heavy. The ending is especially unsatisfying as it doesn't even give us a hint as to whatever became of these characters who are all left in unfinished scenarios. In the final analysis this thing is nothing more than another one of those sappy 70's teen romance tragedies.

Beyond the poor structure there are indeed some good things going on here. One is the just the chance of seeing such budding young talents working together and carrying a film. The other is director Bridges who shows some really good insight into Dean's mystic and why he made such a strong connection with the youth. You have the feeling that Bridges himself was a really big Dean fan. He also makes a good statement about just how many lost, lonely souls there are out there and the stifling nature of small town life especially during that period. He also recreates an excellent 50's flavor maybe some of the best you will ever see. The interactions between the characters seems very real and there is good historical accuracy. Bridges is honest with his assessment of the 50's and yet is not condescending to it like with a lot of other movies. He digs beyond just the period detail. You really feel, at least during the first hour, that you are right there and a part of the 50's experience, which is interesting and fun.

Overall Bridges shows signs of being a serious up and coming filmmaker. Unfortunately he tries a little too hard here. It seems too labored and trapped by the sensibilities of it's era. It is also completely humorless, too talky, and an eventual bore.

An appealing rookie effort by James Bridges that has its moments. Yes, the quality is uneven but its melancholy, nostalgic undercurrent echoes Dean's effect on the disaffected youth of the "innocent" Fifties, the first generation to register his impact. Offbeat, quirky and, yes, melodramatic, "September 30, 1955" captures adolescent confusion, longing and the death of innocence, paralleling Dean's own untimely death. The day-for-night closing fade-out and elegiac music foreshadow a sleepy generation soon to lose its Saturday-night youth to rapid, startling change. Throughout, Dean's presence is often eerily palpable in an admittedly lesser effort that deserves a greater following.

This autobiographical film is one of the rare American motion pictures to examine the effect that movie stars have on audiences, particularly young audiences yearning for role models during times of emotional isolation. Writer-director James Bridges ("The Paper Chase," "The China Syndrome") recalls his youth in Paris, Arkansas (called Conway here) to create a heartfelt work of escalating intensity as its impressionable hero, Jimmy J (Richard Thomas), leads his friends over the edge as they mourn James Dean. "September 30, 1955" integrates images, themes, and even the music (also by Leonard Rosenmann) from "East of Eden" and "Rebel Without a Cause," and adds resonances to both films. This little, unheralded picture needs to be seen -- as does Richard Thomas's utterly brave performance. The key to understanding this film is not to think of it as a "youth picture" but as a deconstruction of the movie star mythos.

September 30, 1955 (1977)

** (out of 4)

Coming of age film about a troubled teen (Richard Thomas) whose life falls apart when he hears that his idol James Dean has been killed. This is a rather nice homage to Dean and it was interesting seeing how some peoples lives were changed by his death but writer/director James Bridges makes one fatal mistake that kills the film and he makes the lead one of the biggest assholes who be in any movie I've seen. The main character played by Thomas thinks he is just like Dean so he tries being a rebel but instead his character comes off as a complete jerk. He's so bad that you can't help but wish someone would just beat the hell out of him. Lisa Blount plays another teen who ties to communicate with Dean through black magic while dressed up as Vampira. Tom Hulce, Susan Tyrrell and Dennis Quaid round out the cast.

College boy in Arkansas 1955--a big fan of James Dean from the movie "East of Eden" (which he has seen four times at the local picture show)--is sad and upset upon hearing the news of Dean's death in a car crash on September 30th; meanwhile, his former girlfriend (the town tramp!) is taking her grief to extreme measures. Despite hero-worship theme and some eccentric flourishes, a rather typical depiction of angsty small town kids trying to act grown-up by drinking and defying the law. Writer-director James Bridges has a good ear for dialogue, but he's a bit lax with his actors aside from the always-solid Richard Thomas in the lead. Gordon Willis' burnished cinematography lends the proceedings a highly sophisticated look that Bridges' juvenile script really doesn't deserve (or require), yet there are evocative and lively moments. ** from ****