A Place in the Sun
(1951)A Place in the Sun 1951
Director George Stevens faced the challenge of adapting Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy for the big screen to make his tale of solid naturalism and class conflict appealing to 1950s audiences who wanted entertainment more than political knowledge. His solution was very effective: to highlight the erotic desires of George Eastman (Montgomery Clift) for the beautiful Angela Vickers (Elizabeth Taylor). George, a poor relative of a wealthy industrialist, is sent to this man by his mother to have a good future. However, under the influence of feelings of deprivation and isolation, George has neither the desire nor the will to stand up. In fact, he is so persistent that he breaks one of the most important rules when he first starts working in a factory. He falls in love with a woman who works at the same workplace and eventually becomes pregnant by a poor, hopeless woman whom he has lost interest in. Clift is portrayed as a pathetic, naive person, and George's most valuable asset is his helpful appearance and kindness. Crime Against Humanity becomes one of the most touching and tragic stories in classic Hollywood as Stevens carefully manipulates the main characters (who are told to emphasize body language instead of dialogue) and deftly uses two contrasting styles. George's dreamy encounter with the innocent Angela is particularly soft, with detailed, cascading close-ups with his first girlfriend Alice (Shelley Winters) at a factory and later at court, where clarity is subtly distorted to create an emotional atmosphere. His images in the living room are shot in the style of film noir, emphasizing the play of light and shadow and unbalanced compositions, aptly portraying the threat posed by circumstances to George's search for a "sunny place." Pregnant Alice threatens to tell her family everything if she doesn't marry George; George escapes that fate, as the town hall is closed for the holidays. A young man offers to take a boat ride on the lake; His intention is to drown Alice in the "accident" that occurred there. He fails to commit the murder, but then, in a panic, a young woman falls off the boat. Alice drowns because George does not try to save her; Our hero pays for his indifference with his life. But director Stevens remembers her not as a socio-political example, but as an unfortunate lover.
