The James Dean Story The James Dean Story The James Dean Story is a 1957 American documentary. Released two years after Dean's death, the Warner Bros. Pictures release chronicles his short life and career via black-and-white still photographs, interviews with the aunt and uncle who raised him, his paternal grandparents, a New York City cabdriver friend, and the owner of his favorite Los Angeles restaurant, and outtakes from "East of Eden", footage of the opening night of "Giant", and Dean's ironic PSA for safe driving from "Warner Bros. Presents". Martin Gabel's narration was written by Stewart Stern, who scripted Dean's "Rebel Without a Cause",
Nicolas Cage acting because he "wanted to be James Dean. I saw him in "Rebel Without a Cause", "East of Eden". Nothing affected me—no rock song, no classical music—the way Dean affected me in "Eden". It blew my mind. I was like, 'That's what I want to do'." At fifteen years old he tried to convince his uncle, Francis Ford Coppola, to give him a screen test, telling him "I'll show you acting." His outburst was met with "silence in the car". By this stage of his career, Coppola had already directed Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Gene Hackman and Robert De Niro.