DVD : A Place in the Sun

In association with Amazon.com

Rating:

- A Great Introduction to Montgomery Clift & Elizabeth Taylor
I had never seen a movie with Montgomery Clift and had seen very few movies with Elizabeth Taylor when I saw "A Place in the Sun". What a striking pair! Clift reminds me quite a bit of Tom Cruise. Taylor was quite a beauty at 17. Shelly Winters is the other key cast member and she was good as well. The dilemma that Clift gets himself into is compelling, even though it would barely be seen as a problem today (see Kevin Federline and Britney Spears...). The movie is a lesson demonstrating the old adage that "honesty is the best policy."

Rating:

- Excellent Story & Strong Performances
This movie surprised me. It wasn't what I expected. Taylor, Cliff & Winters give great performance in the respective roles, believable & sympathetic. A must see movie and a moral lesson goes long with it but not heavy handed. SPOILER AHEAD: Murder or not you decide but the priest answers that question for us. Also, watch the documentary in the special features. It's about 20 minutes but worth watching.

Rating:

- Wonderful, sorrowful, luminous film
"A Place in the Sun" tells the story of George Eastman (Montgomery Clift), a poor relation who goes to work in his rich uncle's factory. He starts at the bottom level, working the production line, and gets involved romantically and sexually with co-worker Alice Tripp (Shelley Winters), all the while yearning for the unattainable - the gorgeous Angela Vickers (Elizabeth Taylor). However, by the time he is able to finally be with Angela, his relationship with Alice interferes with his plans.

The film is based on the novel "An American Tragedy", written by Theodore Dreiser in 1925. Elizabeth Taylor, who was only 17 at the time, was cast as Angela Vickers, the beautiful and rich love interest of George Eastman (Montgomery Clift). Shelley Winters is Alice Tripp, the woman who becomes a burden to Eastman, an obstacle to his love for Angela and her way of life. Stevens was reticent at first to cast Winters in the dowdy role; at the time she was known for portraying glamorous types or sexpots. She convinced Stevens to cast her by showing up in his office for her appointment with him dressed for the part, sitting silently when he came out and didn't recognize her for several minutes as he glanced around his outer office at the actresses waiting to see him.

Raymond Burr, best known for his TV role as Perry Mason, plays a Perry Mason of sorts in the film: the prosecuting attorney, Frank Marlowe.

This was the first of three films that Taylor and Clift made together; and they became instant friends upon meeting for the first time for the making of "A Place in the Sun". The chemistry between the two is evident, although Clift was in real life homosexual. They remained close friends until his death in 1966, at age 45, from a heart attack. Taylor has remarked that her first kiss with Clift in the film was the second time she had ever been actually kissed - the first time was two weeks before filming started.

Director Stevens decided to take the story and set it in post-war times instead of in the 1920's, when the novel takes place, to take the atmosphere of wartime out of the feel of the story. The lushly filmed lake scenes have the look of an Ansel Adams photograph. Color would have been superfluous. The masterful use of shadows is evident throughout, and Stevens' several excruciatingly tight closeups of Taylor and Clift together serve to highlight her beauty and the chemistry between the two lead actors, heightening the sense of danger and romance.

"A Place in the Sun" was nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning six, including Best Director for George Stevens.

Note:
Dreiser's novel was based on an actual murder case of 1906 - the case of Chester Gillette.

Rating:

- Advertisement for "Abstinence"!!!-Thought provoking also!
This could have been titled"Wheres a "Cold Shower" when you need one". But Seriously-- I am rewriting this review because i found myself thinking about this movie days after the viewing.This movie has lessons in it about "lust" vs "love(real). About promises made and sometimes broken. About the choices in life and how a moments decision can affect the rest of ones life, about the nature of loneliness, about Class structure in work, lifestyle differences between the haves and have-nots.ETC... PARENTS can appreciate this as a study of the tough teenage years when getting to know oneself and being invovlved in relationships can be very difficult(characters in love triangle are 18-22 age group) Elizabeth Taylor is mesmorizing, has a spectacular screen presence. Montgomery cliff plays a James Dean type, hes torn up inside with the decisions he has to make, a little stiff at times. Will definitly keep..

Rating:

- Heartbreaking & Realistic
Ever wanted something you couldn't have? Ever wanted it so badly you'd kill to have it? In "A Place in the Sun" George Eastman (Montgomery Clift), a poor young man with big dreams, deals with these questions as he tries to make it to the top of the social ladder in spite of social prejudices from the richer Eastman clan.
As he pursues his dream of social grandeur, he falls in love with the beautiful and unatttainable Angela Vickers (Elizabeth Taylor), a rich socialite. But just as his dreams begin to come true, George is confronted by his ex girlfriend (Shelly Winters), a poor factory employee, who is pregnant with his baby and threatens to destroy his newly attained social lifestyle. Having made it to the top, however, George is determined to stay there at any cost - a decision that leads to tragic results.

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