03. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
A Place in the Sun is one of those rare films where a perfect blend of melodrama and suspense is achieved. Combined with excellent casting Montgomery Clitft excels as the angst ridden Eastman, Elizabeth Taylor simply sizzles as the socialite who captures his rapacious heart and Shelley Winters is never better as the heartbroken working class factory girl the film is highly stylised and beautifully directed by George Stevens. With a narrative that was very bold for an early 50s production Alices illegitimate pregnancy predominantly the film makes a strong social statement. When compared to that years winner, Vincente Minnellis An American in Paris, in my eyes there is no doubt that A Place in the Sun was robbed! Whilst Minnellis film is entertaining and Gene Kelly is his usual charming self in the starring role, it just doesnt quite cut it as a piece of truly memorable cinema. An American in Paris seems like a piece of inconsequential nonsense when compared to the tragic doomed love story and subsequent descent into darkness at the heart of A Place in the Sun. Whilst Oscar winning pictures dont always have to be gloomy or overly serious, here, I just cant fathom why the Academy would have voted for a film so trivial over one with a remarkable (if gloomy) comment on society.