bsmith5552 "Place in the Sun" will be found on most top 100 lists of the greatest movies of all time, and deservedly so. It has George Stevens a top producer/director and an unbeatable cast right down to the smallest part. The film won several Academy Awards (including best picture and best Director) and was nominated for several more.The film opens with George Eastman (Montgomery Clift) hitch hiking from Chicago to California. Coming from a religious store front mission family, George is coming to seek employment with his rich uncle's clothing manufacturing firm. He is cautioned not to fraternize with the company's female employees but strikes up a relationship with co-worker Alice Tripp (Shelley Winters).At a party at the Eastman estate, George meets the beautiful daughter, Angela Vickers (Elizabeth Taylor), of the Eastman's wealthy neighbors. George is immediately smitten with her. Meanwhile Alice learns that she is pregnant and begins to pressure George into marrying her. While on holiday with the Vickers, Alice shows up at the local bus station and demands that George come to her immediately or else she will tell all of her predicament.George is forced to go to her and agrees to marry her only to find the Court House closed for the Labor Day holiday. George then devises a plan to eliminate Alice. He relents at the last minute but the boat they were in capsizes and the woman drowns. Several witnesses identify George as the the "man in the boat" and he is quickly arrested and charged with murder.A trial ensues with D.A. Frank Marlowe (Raymond Burr) prosecuting and Bellows (Fred Clark) and Jansen (Walter Sande), attorneys for the defense. Although George has a plausible story, the jury........................................Elizabeth Taylor was only 17 when this movie was made and this proved to be a breakthrough adult role for her. She was already one of the most beautiful women in the world. The brooding, mysterious method actor Montgomery Clift, at this point, had become a major star and the two would become life long friends. Shelley Winters was de-glamorized for her role and she too proved that she could act.Raymond Burr's performance as the D.A. could almost be said to have been an audition for his future role as Perry Mason in the long running TV series. I was also impressed by the performance of veteran "B" western actor Walter Sande as defense attorney Art Jansen.Others in the cast include Anne Revere in a brief appearance as Clift's mother, Herbert Hayes and Katherine Givney as the Eastmans, Shepperd Strudwick and Freda Inescourt as the Vickers, rising star Keefe Brasselle as the Eastman son Earl and veteran heavy Ted DeCorsia as the trial judge.A true classic in every sense of the word.

Dalbert Pringle For starters - I had always thought that actor Montgomery Clift was just another empty-headed, Hollywood "pretty-boy", and, basically, nothing more than that. But his portrayal in A Place In The Sun (APITS, for short) proved to me, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he was really quite a gifted performer.In my opinion, it was definitely Clift's heartfelt portrayal as the tragic George Eastman character who gave APITS's story of social snobbery and murder its depth and its meaning. I'd say that it was Clift, alone, who carried this film over its many flaws and clichés to its riveting, melodramatic conclusion.Yes. Of course, it certainly did help APITS's overall success that the gorgeous, 19-year-old Elizabeth Taylor was cast as Angela Vickers, the sole focus of George's hopes, his dreams and his burning desire.But once poor George became hopelessly involved with pretty, young Angela, this viewer could easily understand what heady and emotional turmoil drove him at first to contemplate and then commit the ultimate "crime of passion".If you ask me - I think that even today, 66 years later, this depiction of the "American Tragedy" holds up surprisingly well. It's a film that has somehow managed to avoid that inevitable "dated" feeling which seems to plague so many pictures from that particular era.

ElMaruecan82 The heart of tragedy is when even the best choice implies the worst. The essence of tragedy is that you must make a choice. Which leads to the defining paradox of tragedy: you seem to have a choice, but in fact, you have none.George Eastman, a dark and thin young man made the choice of escaping from his impoverished and overly-religious background. With the kind of looks that go places, a tenacious ambition and a rich uncle, he was the perfect candidate for the American Dream, before becoming the fallen protagonist of "An American Tragedy", the title of the novel from Theodore Dreiser, from which George Stevens adapted "A Place in the Sun".The novel was written in the 20's and inspired a movie of the same name; it had such an impact that George Stevens' film was almost labeled a remake. But time has proved its partiality to Stevens and no movie lover can ignore this masterpiece of film-noir, reuniting two of the most talented and beautiful actors of their generation: the tormented and hypnotic Montgomery Clift and the woman of divine unequaled beauty, Elizabeth Taylor. This is a film we know before watching it as the shot of Liz Taylor's entrance with that white gown and Franz Waxman's score are already part of cinema's iconography.And one review isn't enough to cover all the elements that elevate the film, owing a lot to Stevens' confident directing. I can mention the use of dissolve shots to juxtapose between the blue-collar world and the aristocracy, the use of economical or the bold black-and-white photography emphasizing the darkening effect of ambition on Eastman's soul. The film also features some neatly done over-the-shoulder close-ups reinforcing the intimacy between Taylor and Clift, but beyond the technicalities: how about the raw material, the story? It's a simple triangular love mixed with clash of classes, but like in chemistry, the simplest elements, mixed together, can provoke the most dangerous and spectacular effects.But Eastman doesn't mix in the rich world first, he doesn't believe in becoming a front-office man, basking in an ocean of idleness, driving yachts and sipping cocktails with Ivy-league buddies and their trophy-girlfriends, he's come to his uncle asking for factory work and he gets it. This is a realistic guy whose feelings and ambitions are determined by the choices he can make, and he's wise enough to know his place and value it. So he works and then grows genuinely infatuated with his co-worker Alice, played by Shelley Winters. She's not exactly beautiful or glamorous but her gentleness radiates a sort of vulnerable beauty that is not lacking appeal, and the two youths form a nice couple, multiplying dates until the fateful one where Alice finally gives herself like any girl who believes she found her Charming Prince.But George had already found his Princess, only she was too inaccessible for even daring to approach her. But karma does rhyme with witch and like some sort of wicked curse, while it generally takes time to build a relationship; Angela falls in love with George as instantly as he does. This is not your typical love-at-first-sight, or maybe it is, but handled by Clift and Taylor, there's no way not to believe that these two people don't love each other. Angela is fascinated by George's morose intensity and devotion to his mama, he looks like an Eastman, which is good, but is different from them, which is even better. In one of the most memorable scenes, she even dares a "tell mama" as if she single-handedly overtaken the mother's status, confident that he would let such an intrepid move be made.And she couldn't be wrong, because if you had to define Eastman's feeling, all you've got to do is remember the most beautiful declaration of cinema's history: "I love you. I've loved you since the first moment I saw you. I guess I've even loved you even before I saw you" Angela is love, lust and pure mystical and irresistible attraction, and she's rich, wealthy, easygoing, free-spirited, and more than anything, she's "accessible". And poor Alice is no match, as soon as Angela illuminates the screen, what was left of Alice's attractiveness slowly fades and turns into the annoyance of a nagging plump with a bun in the oven. She is twice the victim because of the rejection and because she believed in George's love, ignoring that it was only determined by a choice made in a specific context, which had changed.A man's life is the sum of the choices he made and by choosing Angela over Alice, George gets himself in the kind of troubles that announces nothing good for the final act. But what can I say now without spoiling the film? Well, let's just state that "A Place in the Sun" is a milestone highlighting the significance of 1951 as a year where American cinema crossed new borders over censorship, portraying more troubled and sexually charged characters, Marlon Brando in "A Streetcar Named Desire" or Montgomery Clift were both men victims of impulses despite their genuine capability for love, men victims of their own flaws causing the downfall of gentler souls. That "An American in Paris" won the Best Picture of the year says a lot about Hollywood being behind the evolution of its time.The film still won 6 Oscars and is considered as the greatest film noir ever, and it is probably, as tragedy is the embodiment of film-noir and the film gave that overused word its fullest definition, the choice of the title is inspired too because by mentioning "A Place in the Sun" we hesitate between its interpretation as a character's driver or a lost dream, but however you look at it, Eastman's "place in the sun" embodies this iconic quote from Oscar Wilde: "There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it."

Jackson Booth-Millard It was a shame when it was announced the British actress, one of the last remaining actresses from the "golden age" of cinema, had died, I was certainly looking forward to seeing her young and beautiful in this film, listed in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, from Oscar winning, and Golden Globe nominated director George Stevens (Swing Time, Gunga Din, Shane). Basically poor young man George Eastman (Oscar and Golden Globe nominated Montgomery Clift) arrives in a Chicago town, and while working in a hotel as a bellboy has a chance encounter with his wealthy industrialist uncle Charles Eastman (Herbert Heyes), he allows his nephew to visit whenever he is around, and despite the other Eastman family members seeing him as a bit on an outsider George is given a job in Charles's factory. George hopes to impress his uncle working hard, and while there he also starts dating poor and inexperienced fellow worker Alice Tripp (Golden Globe nominated Shelley Winters), she is dazed by him and doesn't really realise his family name being significant, and he does go up the corporate ladder, which include him allowed to suggest improvements to production, and his uncle impressed invites him to the family home for a social gathering. Since he arrived in town, George has been admired by "society girl" Angela Vickers (Dame Elizabeth Taylor), they finally meet at the party, and quickly fall in love, and escorting her propels him into the intoxicating and carefree high society lifestyle he had always been denied, and he stays with her even after Alice announces she is pregnant and expecting him to marry her, he even arranges an abortion which she does not go ahead with. George and Angela go to Loon Lake to seclude themselves and spend time together, he hears a tale of how a drowning occurred and a man's body was ever found, so he concocts a plan to get rid of Alice so he marry Angela, Alice meanwhile threatens to expose him and the pregnancy he caused while at a business event, so he leaves the family so he can deal with the situation. The next morning George and Alice try to get married at City Hall, but it is closed due to Labor Day, so he suggests they spend the day rowing on the lake, she has no suspicions of his plan, he acts visibly nervous before getting the boat, on the water Alice talks about dreams she has had of them being happy together with the child, he changes his mind about any murder plan, but she realises something is wrong, and standing up causes the boat to capsize, and she drowns while he swims to shore. Returning the Vickers lodge he is feeling tense and does not speak to anyone about what has happened, Alice's body is discovered in the water, her death is suspected as murder due to witness statements and abundant evidence, George is arrested just as he is granted permission to marry Angela by her father, although the drowning was accidental George's actions before and after the death condemn him. The District Attorney R. Frank Marlowe (Raymond Burr) acting as prosecution really grills him, and his denials are useless, in the end he is found guilty and sentenced to execution in the electric chair, George confesses he deserves it, as he wanted to kill her, so that makes just as guilty as much as if he had actually committed the crime. Also starring Anne Revere as Hannah Eastman, Keefe Brasselle as Earl Eastman, Lois Chartrand as Marsha, Fred Clark as Bellows, Shepperd Strudwick as Anthony 'Tony' Vickers and Frieda Inescort as Mrs. Ann Vickers. Clift as the young man rising in society, falling in love but brought back down again by an accident is really good, Winters is brilliant as the innocent and sympathetic other woman the leading man formerly had a relationship but unknowingly gets in his way, and young Taylor of course with lovely eyes, dark hair and big lips has never looked more beautiful, and is likable being the glamorous love interest. I don't know the origin of the film title, but the story is based on a novel called An American Tragedy, this is called one of the finest dramatic films of the 1950's, and that is definitely a suitable recommendations, it has impeccable imagery for a black and white picture, the acting and writing is great, I agree it may seem a little dated with it's love story ideas and being a little too drawn out, but it undoubtedly a gripping and splendid classic drama. It won the Oscars for Best Writing, Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing and Best Music for Franz Waxman, and it was nominated for Best Picture, and it won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Drama, and it was nominated for Best Cinematography. Dame Elizabeth Taylor was number 77 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, she was number 73 on The 100 Greatest Pop Culture Icon, she was number 7 on Britain's Finest Actresses, she was number 11 on The 50 Greatest British Actresses, she was number 13 on The 100 Greatest Sex Symbols, and she was number 7 on 100 Years, 100 Stars - Women, the film was number 92 on 100 Years, 100 Movies, and it was number 53 on 100 Years, 100 Passions. Very good!