Reviews (62)

A Bad Life Decision
A Place in the Sun, 1951
Running time: 120 minutes in black & white
Director: George Stephens
Studio: Paramount Studio
Actors/Actresses: Montgomery Clift (George Eastman)
Elizabeth Taylor (Angela Vickers)
Shelly Winters (Alice Tripp--name is symbolic of her behavior)
Awards/Nominations: Oscar won in 1952 for best cinematography, black & white; best costume design, black & white; best director; best film editing; best music; and best writing.
Nominated for an Oscar in 1952 for best actor and actress in a leading role and best picture.
DGA Award won in 1952 for outstanding directorial achievement in motion pictures.
Golden Globe won in 1952 for best motion picture drama.
Silver Ribbon Award won in 1952 for best director of a foreign film.
NBR Award won in 1951 for best picture.
PGA Hall of Fame for Motion Pictures Award won in 1997.
WGA Screen Award won in 1952 for best written American drama and nominated for the Robert Meltzer Award.
Genre: Romantic Tragedy

In summary, the movie includes the trials and tribulations of a love triangle between a smart nice guy, a rich nice woman, and a manipulating possessive working-class woman. George Eastman hitchhikes from Kansas City to his uncle's swimsuit factory to work. Once there, he is given a position boxing merchandise by his not-too-friendly cousin. Prior to his employment, George is informed that he is not to have romantic relations with his fellow co-workers as a condition of employment. Unfortunately, George broke this rule by dating and ultimately getting one of his coworkers pregnant. While dating her (Alice), he falls in love with Angela Vickers, a high-class woman that is well-known throughout the comunity and by Charles Eastman (George's rich uncle). Instead of telling Angela about Alice and vice versa, George "drives himself crazy" and eventually commits the ultimate crime. What may astonish the viewer is that even after learning of George's hideous crime, Angela confesses that she still loves him.

Both George and Alice would have different lives at the end of the movie if George had stayed in Kansas City! He also should have been honest with both women in order to alleviate stress for both he and Alice. This movie was given four stars due to its relativeness to society and its great plot for the time period. It was interesting throughout the whole movie.

What Chemistry
The first time I viewed A Place In The Sun it did not have much of an impact on me. Perhaps I was too young, plus I did not understand Montgomery Clift's acting style. Subsequent viewings have made me realize the quality of this film. Clift stars as the poor relation of an important family who begins to work his way up. He first has a relationship with plain working girl Shelley Winters. Then he meets the real love of his life, beautiful, wealthy Elizabeth Taylor. From that point, things become very complicated for all concerned. Clift was an actor that played everything deeply, and his performances are always painfully real, just like this one, in which you can feel the conflicts that tear him apart. Winters is excellent in her tragic role, while Taylor, besides looking unbelievably beautiful, brings a lot of honesty to her character. The chemistry between the Clift and Taylor is palpable, and their on screen kiss is one of the most memorable you will ever see. Although there is a sense of doom that permeates the movie, the actors make every moment a great one. Some of elements of the story may seem dated, but it is played with such honesty and intensity that you will appreciate it for the very fine film it is.

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.

Memorable performances
Excellent movie about the tragic consequences of pushing too hard to obtain the american dream. Montgomery Clift gives a realistic performance as the poor kid who makes it to the top at a high price. Liz Taylor is believable as the rich beauty who falls in love with Clift, and Shelly Winters is especially memorable as the poor factory worker who gets shoved aside by Clift after he meets Taylor. Beautifully made movie that makes you really get into the mind and heart of its protagonists. Highly Recommended.

Tragedy Turned to Melodrama
It was probably inevitable that "An American Tragedy," in its evolution to screen, would become more about the doomed love affair of Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor than the moral and ethical dilemmas that really form the foundation of Theodore Dreiser's novel. After all, doomed love is a bigger sell, especially when you have the romantic faces of Clift and Taylor swooning together in extreme close-up.

I'm not a fan of doing book to movie comparisons. I figure that film and literature are two different art forms, so I shouldn't compare their rendering of the story anymore than I would compare the same story as presented in a painting as opposed to a ballet. So I tried to take the film on its own merits (admittedly difficult to do, since I watched the movie on the same day I finished the book), but even at that, I think the movie falls short.

Clift plays George Eastman, poor nephew to a rich, socially elite family in a small New York state factory town. He's been invited by his uncle to come and work in the Eastman factory, giving him an entre into a world of luxury that has always been out of his grasp due to his family's humble position (they run a mission and preach on the streets). George strikes up a love affair with Alice Tripp (Shelley Winters), a girl who works with him in the factory, but his attentions for her quickly fade when he becomes interested in Angela Vickers, another member of the rich set, played by Liz Taylor. Complications ensue, and George finds himself and his situation spiralling drastically out of control, with an ending more tragic than he ever thought possible.

George Stevens directs the film with a sure hand, and there are some breathtaking displays of directorial skill. For example, one that stands out in my mind comes when the camera focuses on a radio reporting a possible murder, while the young, rich kids with whom George has struck up a friendship goof off in the water in the background. There are also some great uses of dissolve editing, though the technique is somewhat overused.

But there are many problems with the film, notably its pacing. Much time is spent on George's love triangle with Alice and Angela, while the script races through the trial and George's ultimate fate, as if the screenwriter realized he only had two hours to tell his story when he'd already wasted an hour and a half on front-end material. Rushing through the end blunts much of the story's original intent and power, as that is where the majority of moral questions arise.

Also, the character Shelley Winters plays is so drab and mousy, that one doesn't understand why George would entangle himself with her in the first place. But Clift does a great job with the lead role, delivering a performance of raw nerve.

It befuddles me somewhat as to why this movie is quite so acclaimed. I can only imagine that its reception has to do with cultural moods at the time it was released and that it just hasn't aged well. It came out in 1951, a big year for literary adaptations ("A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Death of a Salesman" were both given big-screen treatments that year), and you only need to compare "Sun" to "Streetcar" to see how short it falls at capturing the essence of a ture literary classic.

Grade: B- ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great Scott! Great Western!
This is the stuff that Columbia/Tristar should be releasing on disc
not another deluxe,special edition of "Spiderman" Randolph Scott is
in top form as the leader of a band of rebel confederates who after
Robbing a Union Convoy & killing all on board they come to find out
that the civil war has ended over a month ago. Faced with choice of
being executed or fleeing for home. As men option the latter only
a posse of bounty hunters ruin the groups chances as
they are forced to take hostages and hold up in a stagecoach shack.

One of the best in a series of good westerns made by Randolph
Scott in the 1950's This one sports a great plot with a good cast
of characters including Donna Reed,Richard Denning and Lee Marvin
The remaster quality is excellent(almost blinding) in it's bright
technicolor glory. Come on Columbia get the lead out of that film
vault and release "The Bounty Hunter" and "Commanche Station"!

Minor Scott masterpiece
Director Roy Huggins has produced a winner in the classic oater HANGMAN'S KNOT. Released in 1952, this film features Scott, with a supporting cast including Donna Reed and Lee Marvin, as a Confederate agent sent west with a small party to capture Yankee gold for the beleaguered Confederacy. Action is taught and the dialogue, in its leanness, is at times reminiscent of the later Budd Boetticher Scott westerns of the late 1950s. This is certainly one of the best Randy Scott movies of the 1950s and maintains interest thoughout. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Subtract one star. Appalling DVD ruins some classic comedy
W. C. Fields's short comedies of 1932-33, produced by Mack Sennett, offer some of this great comedian's best work. However, this particular DVD edition treats Mr. Fields (and the purchaser) quite shabbily. The sound is not always synchronized with the picture, the image is often gray, and in at least one instance the film seems to be copied from a VHS tape recorded at the slowest speed. Just plain bad; don't throw your money away (we did, and we also threw the discs away).

A General Rule of Thumb
Hmmmm....
If it's from Madacy, you will be MAD when you SEE what you paid for.

Before transferring a movie to video, these people would put a pristine print through a blender just to make sure their standards don't deviate.

Madacy=Garbage
This is one of those DVD's that doesn't deserve one star but it's as low as I could go.

Sloppy presentation detracts from classical comedy
The six short subjects on this double dvd set represent, I am led to believe, the total short subject output of the great W.C. Fields. I did not expect a crystal clear video image, as these items are about 70 yrs old, although overall the quality is not that bad. Similarly, the audio track, while a bit "crackly" at times, was quite acceptable. What did make me threaten the life span of the TV, player and disc however, was the lack of sinc between the video and audio tracks. It is rather off putting to find a second or so difference between what you see "being said", and what you actually hear. You feel you are watching a poorly dubbed foreign film. The comedy is still very appealing, but this attention to fine detail on the part of the makers of the set leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I wish I had read reviews first-now I'm stuck
I am so disappointed. I love these 6 films, and have seen them on 16MM film (superb quality) from Blackhawk films, and on so-so VHS. This DVD is the worst. I only watched "The Pharmacist" and the soundtrack is so badly recorded that you can't follow the dialogue.

Hillarious
Very Funny. My dad gave me this for my birthday,and I laughed my but off. It was kind of depressing since he was a raging alcholoic, but in the end, that is what makes hime the most fuinny. Cheap and a classic! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Credit this informative review to Michael from Muskogee OK
This is a bland little crime drama that screams for a decent story line and script. Two undercover agents(Fred MacMurray and Claire Trevor)try to bust up a drug-smuggling ring in Mexico. The two not knowing the real identity of the other end up falling in love. MacMurray proves he can play any kind of role. Trevor seems out of place and wrong for the part. Raymond Burr plays a heavy in more ways than one. Also in the cast are: Jose Torvay, Roy Roberts and Don Diamond.

I would add to this that if you want great film noir with Clair Trevor then check out "Key Largo"; as for Fred Mac Murray, "Double Indemnity."

A good movie to see, at least once
I found this movie to be fun to watch. It has a fresh plot, that is kind of noce for a change. I sugest viewing it at least once ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Credit this informative review to Michael from Muskogee OK
This is a bland little crime drama that screams for a decent story line and script. Two undercover agents(Fred MacMurray and Claire Trevor)try to bust up a drug-smuggling ring in Mexico. The two not knowing the real identity of the other end up falling in love. MacMurray proves he can play any kind of role. Trevor seems out of place and wrong for the part. Raymond Burr plays a heavy in more ways than one. Also in the cast are: Jose Torvay, Roy Roberts and Don Diamond.

I would add to this that if you want great film noir with Clair Trevor then check out "Key Largo"; as for Fred Mac Murray, "Double Indemnity."

A good movie to see, at least once
I found this movie to be fun to watch. It has a fresh plot, that is kind of noce for a change. I sugest viewing it at least once ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Subtract one star. Appalling DVD ruins some classic comedy
W. C. Fields's short comedies of 1932-33, produced by Mack Sennett, offer some of this great comedian's best work. However, this particular DVD edition treats Mr. Fields (and the purchaser) quite shabbily. The sound is not always synchronized with the picture, the image is often gray, and in at least one instance the film seems to be copied from a VHS tape recorded at the slowest speed. Just plain bad; don't throw your money away (we did, and we also threw the discs away).

A General Rule of Thumb
Hmmmm....
If it's from Madacy, you will be MAD when you SEE what you paid for.

Before transferring a movie to video, these people would put a pristine print through a blender just to make sure their standards don't deviate.

Madacy=Garbage
This is one of those DVD's that doesn't deserve one star but it's as low as I could go.

Sloppy presentation detracts from classical comedy
The six short subjects on this double dvd set represent, I am led to believe, the total short subject output of the great W.C. Fields. I did not expect a crystal clear video image, as these items are about 70 yrs old, although overall the quality is not that bad. Similarly, the audio track, while a bit "crackly" at times, was quite acceptable. What did make me threaten the life span of the TV, player and disc however, was the lack of sinc between the video and audio tracks. It is rather off putting to find a second or so difference between what you see "being said", and what you actually hear. You feel you are watching a poorly dubbed foreign film. The comedy is still very appealing, but this attention to fine detail on the part of the makers of the set leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I wish I had read reviews first-now I'm stuck
I am so disappointed. I love these 6 films, and have seen them on 16MM film (superb quality) from Blackhawk films, and on so-so VHS. This DVD is the worst. I only watched "The Pharmacist" and the soundtrack is so badly recorded that you can't follow the dialogue.

Hillarious
Very Funny. My dad gave me this for my birthday,and I laughed my but off. It was kind of depressing since he was a raging alcholoic, but in the end, that is what makes hime the most fuinny. Cheap and a classic! ... Read more