Wednesday, September 21 8 pm ET

As a pop culture icon of the 20th century, James Dean is just as famous and recognizable today as Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe, even though his claim to fame rests on the only three starring roles he ever had - East of Eden (1955), Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and Giant (1956). Equally surprising is the number of documentaries and dramatizations of his short life that have been produced over the years from Robert Altman's The James Dean Story (1957) to James Franco as the Actors Studio sensation in the made-for-TNT drama James Dean (2001) to September 30, 1955 (1977), James Bridges's drama which shows the dramatic impact his death had on a few of his fans. But while the definitive movie on this symbol of teenage angst and rebellion has yet to be made, the documentary James Dean: Forever Young (2005), directed by Michael J. Sheridan, provides one of the most comprehensive accounts of his career you are likely to see.

Dispensing with any exploration of Dean's lonely childhood and teenage years, which have been well documented in numerous other portraits, the Sheridan documentary focuses instead, with exhaustive detail, on the actor's profession, from his very first job - a bit part in a Pepsi Cola TV spot - to his final performance as Jett Rink in George Stevens's film adaptation of Edna Ferber's Giant. The documentary is a treasure trove of archival TV and film clips and candid photographs, many never seen before. Although Dean had previously lived in Hollywood as a child, Sheridan's film begins with his arrival in Los Angeles in 1949 soon after his Indiana high school graduation. Among the astonishing number of rare clips we glimpse are Dean as a disciple of Christ in the Family Theatre production of Hill Number One: A Story of Faith and Inspiration (1951) and tiny bit parts - as a soldier in Samuel Fuller's Fixed Bayonets! (1951), as a boxer's second in the Jerry Lewis-Dean Martin comedy, Sailor Beware (1952), in a montage from the Humphrey Bogart drama Deadline U.S.A. (1952) and hanging out at a soda fountain in Has Anybody Seen My Gal (1952).

The great strength of James Dean: Forever Young is its meticulous depiction of Dean's development as an actor. We see him grow from an earnest but not particularly impressive novice to someone who begins to develop his own unique style and voice after moving to New York City in 1952 where he is almost immediately accepted for training at the influential Actors Studio and scores his first Broadway role in the play See the Jaguar. The New York City years were the ones where Dean honed his craft and we see him grow in confidence and acclaim in chronological order from The Kate Smith Hour TV production of "Hounds of Heaven," opposite John Carradine, to co-starring with Rod Steiger in the Tales of Tomorrow TV episode, "The Evil Within," to his intense performance as a psychotic janitor in "Death Is My Neighbor," an episode of the Danger TV series.

Sheridan's documentary also provides an intimate look at Dean's circle of friends (among them Martin Landau, dancer Elizabeth Sheridan and Sarah Churchill, daughter of Winston) and the various actor hangouts and neighborhoods he frequented in New York and Los Angeles during his career. And while the movie does chronicle Dean's love life, including his turbulent relationship with actress Pier Angeli, it avoids the tabloid sensationalism that typifies many Hollywood exposés of famous celebrities.

Other fascinating footage in James Dean: Forever Young includes a clip of him opposite Natalie Wood in the TV play I'm a Fool prior to production on Nicholas Ray's Rebel Without a Cause; scenes of Dean engaged in a favorite hobby - racing sports cars in various competitions and behind the scenes footage taken with his own Bolex camera on the set of Giant. If the documentary has any weak points - and this will totally depend on one's personal tastes - it is the tendency to use contemporary music to comment on the screen legend via the title song "Forever Young" by Rod Stewart and two closing songs - one over a montage (Jim Croce's "I've Got a Name") and one over the end credits, "Mull of Kintyre" by Paul McCartney and Denny Lane. Regardless, this is an insightful, well researched and thoughtful portrait of the charismatic screen idol and should hold plenty of surprises and discoveries for Dean fans who thought they knew everything about his career.

Producer: Kevin J. Sheridan, Michael J. Sheridan, Marcus Winslow
Director: Michael J. Sheridan
Screenplay: Michael J. Sheridan, Kevin J. Sheridan
Music: Timothy Wynn
Film Editing: Patrea Patrick, Fred Roth, Keith M. Sheridan
Cast: Corey Allen (Himself, archive footage), Pier Angeli (Herself, archive footage), Ed Begley (Himself, archive footage), Milton Berle (Himself, archive footage), John Carradine (Himself, archive footage), Sarah Churchill (Herself, archive footage), Hume Cronyn (Himself, archive footage), Vic Damone (Himself, archive footage), Richard Davalos (Himself, archive footage), James Dean (Himself, archive footage).
BW&C-93m.

by Jeff Stafford