A Place in the Sun (1951)

Director:

George Stevens

Writers:

Theodore Dreiser (novel)
Patrick Kearney (play)

Release Date:

11 October 1951 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Love that paid the severest of all penalties!

Plot:

Young up-and-comer George Eastman is thrust into the blue collar life of a rich uncle's family business...

Plot Keywords:

Marriage | Factory | Love | Assembly Line | Physician

Awards:

Won 6 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Montgomery Clift	...	George Eastman
Elizabeth Taylor	...	Angela Vickers
Shelley Winters	...	Alice Tripp
Anne Revere	...	Hannah Eastman
Keefe Brasselle	...	Earl Eastman
Fred Clark	...	Bellows, defense attorney
Raymond Burr	...	Dist. Atty. R. Frank Marlowe
Herbert Heyes	...	Charles Eastman
Shepperd Strudwick	...	Anthony 'Tony' Vickers
Frieda Inescort	...	Mrs. Ann Vickers
Kathryn Givney	...	Louise Eastman
Walter Sande	...	Art Jansen, George's Attorney
Ted de Corsia	...	Judge R.S. Oldendorff
John Ridgely	...	Coroner
Lois Chartrand	...	Marsha

Also Known As:

An American Tragedy (USA) (working title)
The Lovers (USA) (working title)
The Prize (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-11 (re-rating) (1986) | West Germany:12 (f) | Argentina:13 (DVD rating) | Australia:G (original DVD rating) | Australia:PG (DVD re-rating) | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #14461)

Filming Locations:

Cascade Lake, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

George Stevens thought that Gloria Grahame would be perfect for the role of Alice and personally called her to play the part. However, Grahame's studio boss Howard Hughes refused to loan her out.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: At the Vicker mansion, after learning that George is suspected of murdering Alice, Angela is escorted to her room by her mother and Lulu the maid. Angela collapses on a large oval hooked rug. This is clearly a stunt double and is most obvious just before she is being lifted off the floor by Mrs. Vickers as the shot fades into a view of George's cell. That is not Elizabeth Taylor.

Quotes:

Angela: Tell mama... tell mama all.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mad Men: The Benefactor (#2.3)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Mona Lisa

Clift, Taylor, Stevens and a spellbinding American tragedy

Time does extraordinary things with greatness. If nothing else it confirms it. "A Place in the Sun" is a remarkable example of that theory. I rushed to buy a DVD after watching a BBC documentary on ELizabeth Taylor to celebrate her 75th birthday! In "A Place on the Sun" an Elizabeth Taylor barely out of her teens is paired with Montgomery Clift. She had been raised at MGM and groomed for movie stardom from day one. He was a method actor, complex, introspective and their coupling produced something that I'm tempted to call, unrepeatable. The actors own personal stories, their friendship, mutual love and respect made it possible for their communion to be so transcendental. To make things even more perfect, the film seems a love letter from director George Stevens to his stars and vice versa. Look at the opening credits and tell me if you've ever seen a more startling introduction to a character/star. The story of doomed love and descend into darkness is, without question, one of the best ever made.