Themes: Treacherous Spouses, Class Differences, Social Climbing
Main Cast: Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Shelley Winters, Keefe Brasselle, Anne Revere, Fred Clark
Release Year: 1951
Country: US
Run Time: 120 minutes
Plot
Previously filmed in 1931 under its original title, Theodore Dreiser's bulky but brilliant novel An American Tragedy was remade in 1951 by George Stevens as A Place in the Sun. Montgomery Clift stars as George Eastman, a handsome and charming but basically aimless young man who goes to work in a factory run by a distant, wealthy relative. Feeling lonely one evening, he has a brief rendezvous with assembly-line worker Alice Tripp (Shelley Winters), but he forgets all about her when he falls for dazzling socialite Angela Vickers (Elizabeth Taylor). Alice can't forget about him, though: she is pregnant with his child. Just when George's personal and professional futures seem assured, Alice demands that he marry her or she'll expose him to his society friends. This predicament sets in motion a chain of events that will ultimately include George's arrest and numerous other tragedies, including a vicious cross-examination by a D.A. played by future Perry Mason Raymond Burr. A huge improvement over the 1931 An American Tragedy, directed by Josef von Sternberg, A Place in the Sun softens some of the rough edges of Dreiser's naturalism, most notably in the passages pertaining to George's and Angela's romance. Even those 1951 bobbysoxers who wouldn't have been caught dead poring through the Dreiser original were mesmerized by the loving, near-erotic full facial closeups of Clift and Taylor as they pledge eternal devotion. A Place in the Sun won six Oscars, including Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Cinematography, although it lost Best Picture to An American in Paris. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
A Place in the Sun removes much of the insight and depth of Theodore Dreiser's source novel, taking just the plot and turning it into a solidly entertaining Hollywood production. Director George Stevens was a capable craftsman who understood the advantages of a studio's resources. He shows his skills in combining top-grade stars and a powerful story, while giving the film a glossy veneer of class. The performances are generally strong, most notably Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor. Helped strongly by its first-rate tech credits, the film won six Oscars, including for director Stevens, costume designer Edith Head, and composer Franz Waxman, though the Best Picture nod went to An American in Paris. ~ Richard Gilliam, All Movie Guide
Raymond Burr - Frank Marlowe; Herbert Heyes - Charles Eastman; Shepperd Strudwick - Anthony Vickers; Frieda Inescort - Mrs. Vickers; Kathryn Givney - Mrs. Louise Eastman; Walter Sande - Jansen; Ted de Corsia - Judge; John Ridgely - Coroner; Lois Chartand - Marsha Eastman; William Murphy - Mr. Whiting; Douglas Spencer - Boatkeeper; Charles Dayton - Kelly; Paul H. Frees - Rev. Morrison; Gertrude Astor; Ken Christy - Warden; Mike Pat Donovan; Ralph Dunn - Policeman; Laura Elliot - Miss Harper; Al Ferguson - Bailiff; Kathleen Freeman - Martha; Lisa Golm - Maid; Sam Harris - Man; Len Hendry - Guard; Frank Hyers - Guard; Carmencita Johnson - Girl; Louis Lane; Mike Mahoney - Motorcycle Officer; Robert Malcolm - Guard; Martin Mason - Prisoner; Lee Miller - Bus Driver; Jay Morley - Executive; Wallace Scott - Factory Guard; Billy Sheehan - Court Clerk; Josephine Whittell - Secretary to Charles Eastman; Eric Wilton - Butler; Ian Wolfe - Dr. Wyeland; Frank Yaconelli - Truck Driver; Hans Moebus - Butler at Eastman House; Ezelle Poule - Receptionist; Joe Recht; Lulu Mae Bohrman - Woman; Pat Combs; Frances Driver - Maid; Ann Frederick; Marion Gray; Dolores Hall; Mary Kent - Mrs. Roberts; Philip Kieffer - Jailer; Ed O'Neill - Deputy; James Horne, Jr. - Tom Tipton; Robert Anderson - Eagle Scout; Jim Horne
Credit
Hans Dreier - Art Director, Walter Tyler - Art Director, Ivan Moffat - Associate Producer, Edith Head - Costume Designer, Charles C. Coleman, Jr. - First Assistant Director, George Stevens - Director, William W. Hornbeck - Editor, Franz Waxman - Composer (Music Score), Wally Westmore - Makeup, William C. Mellor - Cinematographer, George Stevens - Producer, Emile Kuri - Set Designer, Gordon Jennings - Special Effects, Gene Merritt - Sound/Sound Designer, Gene Garvin - Sound/Sound Designer, Harry Brown - Screenwriter, Michael Wilson - Screenwriter, Pat Moore - Additional Editing, Theodore Dreiser - Book Author
George Eastman (Montgomery Clift), the nephew of industrialist Charles Eastman (Herbert Heyes), takes a job in his factory to learn the business. While working there, he starts dating factory worker Alice "Al" Tripp (Shelley Winters), who becomes pregnant.
At the same time, he meets society girl Angela Vickers (Elizabeth Taylor), and loses interest in Al. Shortly after Al tries to blackmail George into marrying her by threatening to expose their relationship to Angela, she is killed in a boating accident, while out on the lake with George. The film ends when George is convicted of her murder.
