Because James Dean's life was tragically cut short in a car accident when he was only 24 years old, he ended up acting in only three films. However, all three films left an indelible mark on popular culture. With his narrow eyes and a cigarette dangling from his pursed lips, paired with tight jeans and white shirts bursting from his lithe frame, Dean quickly created a mystique that always seemed destined for Hollywood infamy.

Dean himself was A bad boy method actor in the vein of Marlon Brandoalthough less brutal and more melancholic and sensitive. Beneath his tough exterior, Dean also carried an inner heaviness that made his performances so painfully vulnerable. He was a handsome, tragic hero with a worldly maturity who not only captivated audiences of the 1950s, but generations of moviegoers that followed. Let's rank the three films that made him such a star.

As the title suggests, George Stevens' The Giant is a sprawling three-hour epic about a wealthy Texas farmer and his new wife, an East Coast aristocrat, who has difficulty assimilating into her new rural surroundings. The film buckles under the weight of its length and soap opera-style melodramatics as we follow the tensions between ranchers and oil barons through the decades.

While we may be surprised by the star power of Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor as Leslie and Jordan Benedict, the story of a billionaire fighting for his country and hungry for more is a put off - especially given the class divide of today. Dean, meanwhile, is barely there in "Giant" as a poor rancher who finds his fortune in oil, but creates a memorable character with youthful optimism who can't conquer his emotional demons.

What does "The Giant" do well and why /Film writer Daniel Ryan considers it one of the best films set in Texasis her depiction of the racial tension between the Mexican and American characters, especially when the Benedicts have a biracial grandchild.

Directed by Elia Kazan, East of Eden is based on John Steinbeck's novel and the biblical story of Cain and Abel. In 1910s California, Cal and Aaron are a pair of competitive brothers who uncover a secret about their mother that is tearing their family apart.

Dean has an intensity that leaps off the screen here, one that feels even more powerful than in Rebel Without a Cause. In scenes with his father, Adam, Cal's entire being vibrates with desperation for just an ounce of the patriarch's love and respect. We also get to see the wounded little boy who lives in Cal and constantly seeks approval. This tension is completely melted away by Dean's physicality during the scenes with Abra, which presents an opportunity for pure love for Cal.

Visually, "East of Paradise" has a nostalgic tenderness and beauty, especially in the sunny flower-filled field exteriors and the energetic nighttime carnival scenes. This lyrical drama depicts family dynamics and emotions that are as old as human history itself.

"Rebel Without a Cause" became iconic because it was one of the first films to take teenage conflicts seriously. The film follows Jim, Judy and Plato, all teenagers struggling with their parents' emotional abandonment and feeling lost. The film's three young actors - Dean, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo - all give electric performances. They have a combination of innocent fragility and heavy heart that is fascinating to watch.

Dean, in particular, articulates the frustration that comes with coming of age and trying to understand the generation that came before you. He is at his busiest during the scene when Jim pleads with his father and mother: "You, you say one thing, he says another, and they all change again!" Dean's performance, and the entire film, expresses that raw confusion of being young when your emotions are overwhelming, the weight of the world seems too heavy, and your future seems bleak.

Director Nicholas Ray's use of Technicolor makes the cinematography pop as much as the emotion—from the bright reds of Dean's jacket and the glow of hot rods to the Los Angeles cityscape seen from the top of the Griffith Observatory. "Rebel Without a Cause" may perfectly capture the zeitgeist of the 1950s, but its depiction of teenage resistance and disillusionment still resonates today. It's an undeniably bold film with a lot to say and begs to be told. That Dean will forever be a symbol of rebellious youth thanks to "Rebel Without a Cause" it remains a beautiful, cruel irony.