Ein Platz an der Sonne (1951)
42KEin Platz an der Sonne: Directed by George Stevens. With Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Shelley Winters, Anne Revere. A poor boy gets a job working for his rich uncle and ends up falling in love with two women.
“I can only say that George Stevensu0026#39; version of Theodore Dreiseru0026#39;s u0026quot;An American Tragedyu0026quot; is not what I envisioned when I read the book. Therefore, I came away disappointed at the screen treatment with Liz Taylor (beautiful but shallow), Montgomery Clift (beautiful but shallow) and poor Shelley Winters looking like a drab little wren. An air of artificiality hangs over every scene, every slow-moving scene, and only increases by the time the story arrives at the courtroom climax where an unrestrained Raymond Burr is allowed to chew the scenery. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis is NOT the great picture everyone always says it is. Itu0026#39;s one of those films that dates badly. Evidently, fans of Liz Taylor and Monty Clift are starry-eyed about their favorite actors and refuse to see the weaknesses in the plodding story and the thinly sketched characters. Elizabeth Taylor had much better roles in her future career (Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, Giant) and Montgomery Clift would make an unforgettable Morris Townsend in The Heiress. Their acting here is as self-conscious as the arty camerawork that frames them in huge romantic close-ups.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe novel had much more depth and meaning than this watered down version of the story. Read it and you will wonder what all the fuss was about when u0026quot;A Place in the Sunu0026quot; was released. Vastly overrated and noteworthy only for the sincere performance of Shelley Winters and Franz Waxmanu0026#39;s interesting background score.”
