James Dean: Race With Destiny
Product Description
Casper Van Dien of STARSHIP TROOPERS stars as James Dean, whose remarkable talent and rebel attitude took Hollywood by storm. But as Dean s star begins to rise, his passionate affair with Italian ingénue Pier Angeli (Carrie Mitchum of THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL) angers her disapproving mother (Academy Award nominee Diane Ladd) and studio chief Jack Warner (Mike Connors). How did a broken heart, reckless behavior and his relationships with Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo and director George Stevens (the legendary Robert Mitchum in his final screen role) lead to Dean s ultimate race with destiny? Connie Stevens, Joseph Campanella and Casey Kasem co-star in this revealing biopic that goes behind the myth to tell the true… More >>
Although flawed in some ways, in all I really loved this movie. It was authentic in its recreation of the Porsche Spyder accident that claimed James Dean. Great music and sound, especially in the flashbacks, race sequences and final scene. Casper Van Dien seems to be the perfect actor to portray Dean and Diane Ladd was great as the mother of Pier Angeli. Good date movie!
Rating: 4 / 5
I have recently purchased this video after first seeing it on Romance Classics. I have found the story to be somewhat plausible. Casper Van Dien seems to have done a lot of research in his portrayal of the skyrocketing ’50s screen idol. Robert Mitchum, as George Stevens (not Cukor), still was able to zap the audience with his presence, even though it was evident he was terminally ill. His granddaughter Carrie (then Mrs. Van Dien) made an interesting and convincing Pier Angeli. Diane Ladd was at her nastiest since “Carnosaur” as the spiteful Mama Pierangeli. The only person who I found extremely unconvincing and untalented was Louis D’Alto. His performance as Vic Damone did not win me (or any of my friends who saw this movie) over. His singing (sans music) and acting was flat. This film may not have been Oscar caliber, but still convincing enough to bring the ill-fated young actor back to life.
Rating: 3 / 5
I don’t know anything about James Dean. I’m not a fan of his. The only reason I saw this film is because my wife picked it up for a dollar.
The film makes James Dean look like a jerk. I’ll give you an example. He is in love with an Italian girl, and in front of her mother he insults Italians by referring to one as a pasta head.
He is a self centered and annoying jerk throughout much of the movie. Reading other reviews on this site, it seems that he wasn’t that way in real life.
Also, I remember reading somewhere that he had a terrible relationship with his foster parents, and that he received a lot of beatings. In this film, his dad is just peachy with him. If they can’t even get that right, I have to wonder who this film is about.
There is an ultra phony scene where James Dean makes a tough guy basically quack like a duck. He tells the tough guy to admit that he is a yellow chicken, and the guy does, all because James Dean is holding a finger against the guy’s eye. What a stupid scene. The guy should have grabbed his hand and pulled it away from his eye, and then socked him. How stupid was this? You can’t just stand there holding your finger to someone’s eye. It simply doesn’t work. Either you poke the man’s eye or you get your hand pulled away, one or the other. It is not difficult to pull someone’s hand away from your damn eye and move your head back.
The whole movie was intent on portraying James Dean as some tough guy with an attitude, rebel without a cause. It was just stupid. That was the name of a movie. That wasn’t the biography of a three dimensional man.
The love of his life, Pier Angeli, came off as an idiot, even moreso than Dean. She loved Dean but she married Vic Damone because her mother told her to. What? What century were these people living in? That was ridiculous. If I am to believe these characters as presented, I can feel no sympathy for that moronic girl, but only scorn, and wish her the worst. Too bad she didn’t get killed in a car wreck. Moron.
All in all, a frustrating and stupid movie. I was rooting against the characters because they were so damn annoying and stupid. I was wishing them the worst. A nice happy ending would have been for them all to fall in quicksand and sink.
Rating: 2 / 5
This is the same low budget, completely historically inaccurate film that was originally released straight to VHS as James Dean: Live Fast, Die Young. This is bad, bad, bad. Don’t let it taint your memory of fine actors like Robert Mitchum and Diane Ladd. They were probably duped into doing this by an Ed Wood type shyster. The guy playing Dennis Hopper looks and acts nothing like him, that’s this movie’s worst sin.
If you have to see a James Dean biography and not let his work speak for itself, see the one with James Franco – THIS IS NOT THAT FILM.
Rating: 1 / 5
I really enjoyed this movie, it helped ignite my love for Jimmy. I had never heard of Jimmy or Casper before I seen this movie, therefore I Originally had no bias what so ever, I did go on to read his biography and research him greatly after viewing the movie. Once done this I watched the movie again and I must say I still enjoyed it, yes I admit there was sum really odd things about the acting and portrayal of Jimmy however there was that intence look and voice that Casper Portrayed oh so well!!! (the name change for the us premiere was not well thoughtout)
Rating: 4 / 5