James Dean Fifty Years Ago

Like a restless ghost, James Dean (1931-1955) continues to haunt us. Though he died nearly fifty years ago, the enigmatic star of East of Eden (1955), Rebel without a Cause (1955), and Giant (1956) still symbolizes the mystery and torment of adolescence - an image that his sudden, violent death fixed forever in the public mind. Photographer Dennis Stock met Dean in Hollywood in 1953 and, intrigued, began to photograph him. Following him for three months on his return to his birthplace in Indiana, his journey to New York City, and then back to Hollywood, Stock recorded unforgettable and iconic views of the young actor in both his professional and his private worlds.