A Place in the Sun
Directed by George Stevens. US. 1951. NR. Running time: 122 min.
Presented by The Wharton Esherick Museum.
- Sun, Mar 7, 2:00 pm
Theodore Dreiser’s classic novel An American Tragedy (partially written at the home of local woodworker Wharton Esherick) gets the full Hollywood treatment, with 17-year-old Elizabeth Taylor at her loveliest and Montgomery Clift at his most tortured in this tale of love, lust and tragic consequences. Well-deserved Academy Awards went to director George Stevens, as well as for the film’s cinematography, editing, screenplay, costumes and music. Also, Montgomery Clift was nominated for his searing portrayal of the social-climbing young man whose chance to wed lovely debutante Elizabeth is compromised when he gets his frowzy, factory-worker girlfriend (Shelley Winters, in an also Oscar-nominated role) “in trouble.” For a taste of old-fashioned romance, tempered by 1950s morality and harsh reality and featuring top acting from all concerned, this is one movie not to miss. (Bill Roth)