A Place in the Sun (1951)
A Place in the Sun (1951)
1951’s A Place in the Sun is an extremely well-made movie both emotionally and technically. It’s your quintessential American movie that you often see from the 1950’s. The movie is based off the famous Theodore Dreiser tragedy, “An American Tragedy” which itself is based on true events. That book is well-known for its social commentary and director George Stevens does the best he can to bring the commentary from page to screen. He is mostly successful, but Stevens was very ambitious when it came to this movie. Sadly, Paramount scaled his ambitions with a strict budget. He was still able to deliver an entertaining movie about forbidden love and class struggles.
From what I gather, the making of this movie could have been its own movie. Twenty years prior, a version of Dreiser’s novel was filmed and was a disaster for Paramount, so the studio had Stevens on a tight leash. The three main stars are Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, and Shelley Winters. Stevens often disagreed with Clift because Clift, as a method actor, believed that Winter’s character should have been more sympathetic. Winters did not get along with Stevens because he did not even want her in his movie. Also, Elizabeth Taylor made it no secret that she had a thing for Clift, who may or may not have been in the closet. As you may see, there was plenty of drama onset. Still, we got a really good movie. In fact, so good that the film was nominated for Best Picture.
This film is about a man named George Eastman (Montgomery Clift) who barely has an education and was raised by a religious sect. He leaves this sect to find opportunities elsewhere. This leads him to his uncle, a very fine businessman. He works in his uncle’s factory where he is told not to mingle with the ladies. He happens to do so with one of his co-workers, Alice Tripp (Shelley Winters). His uncle notices how hard George works so he introduces him to a more elite crowd. There is where he meets Angela Vickers (Elizabeth Taylor). They fall for each other. When Alice finds out she is pregnant, she forces George to take her hand in marriage or else she will raise trouble. What will George do?
Despite the problems from the actors on set, they delivered fantastic performances all around. This was my introduction to Elizabeth Taylor and it never struck me that she was actually a great actress. She got all the attention for her personal life, but she blown me away here. Winters also does a great job in a rather different type of role. Her character was dialed down from characters she was accustomed to playing. Montgomery Clift was known in Hollywood for his method acting ways and it really pays off. He was drawn into his character. Ultimately, these performances allowed for an excellent character study within division of classes (rich versus poor) because they were so good. Oh yes, I forgot one more! The final third of the film is where we are introduced to Raymond Burr’s character, District Attorney R. Frank Marlowe. He adds an extra oomph as the final act played itself out.
When the film was originally released, it got solid reviews and multiple Academy Award nominations. More contemporary critics have not been as kind. They said the film was watered down which it was in a sense. Paramount had to scale back the ambitions of Stevens and also there were strict codes about what could be said or seen in movies. In the book, abortion is mentioned. There is no way that could have been said or even implied. But this movie is a bit sneaky. Listen to the conversation between Alice and her doctor.
Many of my contemporary peers do not agree, but I thought A Place in the Sun was fantastic. I thought the social commentary, while not overly scathing, was still very meaningful. The performances from the three leads are excellent. Stevens does incredible making the film feel the way it does. The movie slowly simmers until it reaches an explosive boiling point during its climax. Also, there is a lovely score from Franz Waxman and great cinematography from William C. Mellor. Mellor captured some great shots meant to stick with you.
I am glad I got the chance to see A Place in the Sun. You should too if ferocious acting displays or shocking climaxes are your thing. This is American cinema at its finest.
My Grade: A-
1951’s A Place in the Sun is an extremely well-made movie both emotionally and technically. It’s your quintessential American movie that you often see from the 1950’s. The movie is based off the famous Theodore Dreiser tragedy, “An American Tragedy” which itself is based on true events. That book is well-known for its social commentary and director George Stevens does the best he can to bring the commentary from page to screen. He is mostly successful, but Stevens was very ambitious when it came to this movie. Sadly, Paramount scaled his ambitions with a strict budget. He was still able to deliver an entertaining movie about forbidden love and class struggles.
From what I gather, the making of this movie could have been its own movie. Twenty years prior, a version of Dreiser’s novel was filmed and was a disaster for Paramount, so the studio had Stevens on a tight leash. The three main stars are Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, and Shelley Winters. Stevens often disagreed with Clift because Clift, as a method actor, believed that Winter’s character should have been more sympathetic. Winters did not get along with Stevens because he did not even want her in his movie. Also, Elizabeth Taylor made it no secret that she had a thing for Clift, who may or may not have been in the closet. As you may see, there was plenty of drama onset. Still, we got a really good movie. In fact, so good that the film was nominated for Best Picture.
This film is about a man named George Eastman (Montgomery Clift) who barely has an education and was raised by a religious sect. He leaves this sect to find opportunities elsewhere. This leads him to his uncle, a very fine businessman. He works in his uncle’s factory where he is told not to mingle with the ladies. He happens to do so with one of his co-workers, Alice Tripp (Shelley Winters). His uncle notices how hard George works so he introduces him to a more elite crowd. There is where he meets Angela Vickers (Elizabeth Taylor). They fall for each other. When Alice finds out she is pregnant, she forces George to take her hand in marriage or else she will raise trouble. What will George do?
Despite the problems from the actors on set, they delivered fantastic performances all around. This was my introduction to Elizabeth Taylor and it never struck me that she was actually a great actress. She got all the attention for her personal life, but she blown me away here. Winters also does a great job in a rather different type of role. Her character was dialed down from characters she was accustomed to playing. Montgomery Clift was known in Hollywood for his method acting ways and it really pays off. He was drawn into his character. Ultimately, these performances allowed for an excellent character study within division of classes (rich versus poor) because they were so good. Oh yes, I forgot one more! The final third of the film is where we are introduced to Raymond Burr’s character, District Attorney R. Frank Marlowe. He adds an extra oomph as the final act played itself out.
When the film was originally released, it got solid reviews and multiple Academy Award nominations. More contemporary critics have not been as kind. They said the film was watered down which it was in a sense. Paramount had to scale back the ambitions of Stevens and also there were strict codes about what could be said or seen in movies. In the book, abortion is mentioned. There is no way that could have been said or even implied. But this movie is a bit sneaky. Listen to the conversation between Alice and her doctor.
Many of my contemporary peers do not agree, but I thought A Place in the Sun was fantastic. I thought the social commentary, while not overly scathing, was still very meaningful. The performances from the three leads are excellent. Stevens does incredible making the film feel the way it does. The movie slowly simmers until it reaches an explosive boiling point during its climax. Also, there is a lovely score from Franz Waxman and great cinematography from William C. Mellor. Mellor captured some great shots meant to stick with you.
I am glad I got the chance to see A Place in the Sun. You should too if ferocious acting displays or shocking climaxes are your thing. This is American cinema at its finest.
My Grade: A-
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