by Julian Spivey

There’s little doubt that Marlon Brando was a rebel.

In Laslo Benedek’s 1953 film “The Wild One” a character asks Brando’s Johnny Strabler: “What're you rebelling against, Johnny?”

Strabler, the ultimate rebel without a cause, two years before James Dean’s portrayal of Jim Stark in Nicholas Ray’s “Rebel Without a Cause” responds: “Whaddya got?”

It was this kind of attitude that resonated among the youth anti-heroes of the screen throughout the 1950s.

Dressed in black leather jackets and riding their loud motorcycles Strabler and his group the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club ride around terrorizing small towns throughout Middle America.

When the film was released it was deemed highly controversial and banned for fourteen years in England by the British Board of Film Censors. In the U.S. the film was feared and even referred to by some as “communist.” People were afraid that the film would cause a revolt among the youth of the country.

“The Wild One,” written by John Paxton, is a film that truly doesn’t stand up well today as a classic. Some critics have said that the film is so outdated that it provides unintentional laughs. The film is a short one running just one hour and 19 minutes, however, because of the slow pace of the film it is a long one hour and 19 minutes.

“The Wild One” definitely isn’t a bad film, but it’s one that really isn’t that special either. It is a good film that should be viewed once and then you probably wouldn’t care to see it again.

Benedek’s “The Wild One” seriously lacks the greatness of Ray’s “Rebel Without a Cause.” There have been those fans and critics alike out there who have said that Dean was merely imitating Brando throughout his short film career, however, the character of Stark as played by Dean ultimately trumps and will likely live longer in film lore than Brando’s Strabler.

Some have said that “The Wild One” is the greatest biker film of all-time. Apparently these people haven’t seen the 1969 film “Easy Rider,” starring Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper and directed by Hopper.   

One of the few highlights in “The Wild One” is the supporting acting of Lee Marvin as Chino. Chino is an old friend of Strabler’s as the two were once in the same biker gang together. Chino is the leader of the the Beetles, a rival biker group. There is a popular rumor that the name of the rival biker gang was the inspiration for The Beatles rock group.

“The Wild One” also stars Mary Murphy and Robert Keith in supporting roles.

Brando as Strabler is an iconic figure in film and pop culture history. However, “The Wild One” is a film that probably shouldn’t find its way on many greatest films lists.