A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951) - ♦♦♦♦

Directed by - George Stevens

Written by - Patrick Kearney, Michael Wilson, Harry Brown (based on a novel by Theodore Dreyser)

Starring - Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift, Shelley Winters

"A young man who starts work in the factory of a wealthy distant relative gets himself into trouble by falling in love with two women. Stevens’ film is really about a young man’s uncontrollable attraction with high society, and the lengths he will go to in order to be accepted by it. It is rather overtly melodramatic, and often disappointingly formulaic. In fact, it may even appear overrated. Despite its obvious faults, which mostly lie in its screenplay and its cardboard characters, the performances are very impressive. Taylor and Clift look stunning on screen together, but it is perhaps Shelley Winters in one of her most impressive and memorable role as the everyday needy woman, representing the plain and unglamorous life which seeks to trap Clift’s character, that steals the show."

Drama, USA