James Dean: Sense Memories

The year a star was made and a legend was born.

"Keep it up," director Elia Kazan privately told James Dean after co-star Raymond Massey complained about the newcomer's acting style. The kid knew how bring heat to a scene, how to get under people's skin.

That story and others shape this sharply focused American Masters look at the meteoric, star-making last year of Dean's life. One year. Three films (East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, Giant). Unending impact. Via film clips, behind-the-scenes footage, archival photos, and on-camera interviews with colleagues (including Mark Rydell, Eartha Kitt, Lois Smith, Dennis Stock and Corey Allen) who shared that year with him, James Dean Sense Memories reveals the man, the movies and his timeless mystique. After 50 years, the kid who is the archetypal rebel for every generation still brings heat. Watch. And discover why.