Warner Bros. Studio continues their 100th anniversary celebration with the release of “East of Eden” for the first time on 4K Ultra HD. Directed by Academy Award winner Elia Kazan and adapted from John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel, the film starred James Dean who gives a gripping performance that would earn him a posthumous Academy Award nomination. This terrific new edition features the film on 4K disc and digital copy.
The new 4K UHD edition of “East of Eden” will release on August 1, 2023. See below for a full synopsis and release information.
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS
Year: 1955
Runtime: 117 Minutes
Director: Elia Kazan
Screenwriter: Paul Osborn
Cast: James Dean, Julie Harris, Raymond Massey, Richard Davalos, Burl Ives, Jo Van Fleet, Albert Dekker, Nick Dennis, Harold Gordon, Lois Smith
FROM THE STUDIO
In the Salinas Valley in and around World War I, Cal Trask feels he must compete against overwhelming odds with his brother Aron for the love of their father Adam. Carl is frustrated at every turn, from his reaction to the war, to how to get ahead in business and in life, to how to relate to his estranged mother.
The 1955 period drama is directed by Elia Kazan from a screenplay by Paul Osborn and based on the 1952 John Steinbeck novel of the same name. The film stars James Dean, Julie Harris, Raymond Massey, Burl Ives, Richard Davalos, and Jo Van Fleet.
East of Eden was nominated for 3 Academy Awards with Van Fleet winning for Best Supporting Actress. East of Eden was named one of the 400 best American films of all time by the American Film Institute. In 2016, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
4K Ultra HD Features
East of Eden Ultra HD Blu-ray contains the following previously released special features:
- Commentary by Richard Schickel
- Ultra HD Blu-ray Languages: English, Spanish, and French
- Ultra HD Blu-ray Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, Parisian French
Keith & the Movies 
This is the one film starring James Dean that I haven’t seen as I have seen Rebel Without a Cause and Giant as the latter is a phenomenal film despite the awful makeup work that Dean had to wear late in the film. I have also saw him in a small bit part in a war film by Samuel Fuller as I forget which one he’s in. I know this film was on a lot at TCM but now that I don’t have that channel anymore and have been aware of the shitstorm that was caused by David Zaslav (he’s in my enemies list). I hope to see this soon as I might put it as a Blind Spot for next year.
This is a really good 4K edition. Can’t recommend it enough. You’ll definitely want to check this one out. Dean is terrific in it.
It’s been a while, I think this is Cain and Abel? I see the character names are Cal and Aron, that’s probably a clue. I’ve never been as high on James Dean as others have, I think he was all in on The Method. Maybe you had to live through that time, the before Dean and after Dean.
Yep. And their father’s name is Adam. You hit the nail on the head.