jacobs-greenwood
Produced and directed by George Stevens, with a screenplay by Michael Wilson and Harry Brown, this essential romance drama about forbidden, tragic love (and more) stars two of the most beautiful actors of their time at the peak of their sex appeal, Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor.The excellent cast also includes Shelley Winters, Anne Revere, Fred Clark, Raymond Burr, and even John Ridgely (among others). Clift earned the second of his four (unrewarded) acting Oscar nominations, Winters her first and only lead actress nomination (she would go on to win two Supporting Actress Oscars out of three more nominations).Though producer Stevens lost his Oscar to An American in Paris (1951), director Stevens took home the gold; he earned a second directing Giant (1956). Writers Wilson and Brown also won as did the film's B&W Cinematography, Costume Design, Editing and Score. Added to the National Film Registry in 1991. #92 on AFI's 100 Greatest Movies list. #53 on AFI's 100 Greatest Love Stories list.George Eastman (Clift) is a handsome drifter with ambition. He gets a job at his wealthy uncle Charles's (Herbert Heyes) bathing suit factory where he works a mundane job and meets assembly line worker Alice Tripp (Winters). Even though she's not attractive and he was told not to date anyone at the plant, George has an affair with her. Later, however, George finds what he think will finally be his "place in the sun". He gets invited to attend one of the parties at his uncle's estate. There he meets a beautiful debutante Angela Vickers (Taylor). Two people who look as good as they do were meant to be together, right? The only problem is that Alice thinks she has a future in George's "climb up the ladder" in his uncle's business herself. Alice tells George that she's thinks she's pregnant from their earlier encounter which leads him to a desperate decision in a boat on a lake with her over Labor Day weekend.Revere plays George's poor mother, Clark George's defense attorney, Burr the DA, and Ridgely the coroner. Ian Wolfe appears uncredited as Dr. Wyeland.
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.
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!
