A cut above the usual cheesy paste-up tribute, The James Dean Story is imbued with a modicum of style thanks to fledgling film-director Robert Altman. Most of the film consists of clips from Deans three starring pictures (East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant), with tantalizing glimpses of his pre-star career. One such glimpse, a snippet from the 1951 TV religious special Hill Number One, has popped up in virtually every Dean retrospective since. Altmans inherent cinematic gifts are evident in the impressionistic re-enactment of Deans fatal auto crash. Narrated by Martin Gabel, The James Dean Story isnt terribly deep, but its a good shorthand overview of one of the most powerful screen presences of the 1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide