A Place In The Sun Reviews

1951

Rated:
70
from 1073 members

George Stevens' lavish adaptation of this classic casts Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor as the star-crossed lovers. As George Eastman (Clift) hitchhikes into the town where a job awaits him at the factory of his affluent Uncle Charles (Herbert Heyes), the lovely Angela Vickers (Taylor) speeds by him. Although the job .. Read more

Starring	Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift, Shelley Winters, Anne Revere
Director	George Stevens
Genres	Drama

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Critics' reviews (4) of A Place In The Sun
View all
Elizabeth Taylor has never looked lovelier, or the young Montgomery Clift more tortured than in this glossy adaptation of Theodore Dreiser's dour novel An American Tragedy, previously filmed by Josef von Sternberg. This film won six Oscars, including best director for George Stevens, whose trademark dissolves are most tellingly displayed as Clift and Taylor meet for the first time. Trouble is, this tale of love across the tracks has dated badly, and today seems rather drawn out. But Clift and, especially, Shelley Winters are brilliant, so forget the plot and just revel in what was once Hollywood's idea of classy movie-making.
- Radio Times
- Posted 29 Jan 2006
Overblown, overlong and over-praised melodrama from a monumental novel of social guilt; sometimes visually striking, this version alters the stresses of the plot and leaves no time for sociological detail. A film so clearly intended as a masterpiece could
- Halliwell's Film Guide
- Posted 02 Mar 2006
Typically slow and stately in the later Stevens manner, this is a shameless travesty of Theodore Dreiser's monumental... read more on Time Out
- Time Out
- Posted 04 Nov 2008
Most helpful members' reviews (3) of A Place In The Sun
View all
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful

More than melodrama...

What starts looking like three hanky tale about a girl loved and left (Shelley Winters is excellant in the part) quickly moves towards tragedy in a relentless fashion that surprises. That Montgomery Clift's character falls for Elizabeth Taylor's is no surprise what she sees in him is a little harder to understand - but still a good film.
- - Andrew from Scotland
  - Posted 25 Jun 2004 14:40
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

MONTY AND LIZ SIZZLE TOGETHER

Liz Taylor plays the vampish rich girl to perfection, while Monty gives his usual understated performance, a tortured soul if ever there was one.

The love story develops well through out the film , with the sad conclusion played brilliantly by the main leads.

Shelley Winters, although only playing a supporting role gives a memorable performance.

A great film.
- - garabaldi from uk
  - Posted 06 Apr 2005 12:36
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful

[Highly rated reviewer]

A place in history

An enduring and swooning romance with an underbelly of fatalism as poor boy Clift tries to better himself by moving up a social set and finds that destiny has other things in mind for him. Clift was never more sympathetic playing a not entirely likeable young man who succumbs to temptation. And who wouldn't with Taylor at her most luminously beautiful? Their kissing scene is one of the cinema's most erotically charged moments.
- - RJNeb2
  - Posted 17 Dec 2005 unknown
Most recent members' reviews (2) of A Place In The Sun
View all
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful

[Highly rated reviewer]

A place in history

An enduring and swooning romance with an underbelly of fatalism as poor boy Clift tries to better himself by moving up a social set and finds that destiny has other things in mind for him. Clift was never more sympathetic playing a not entirely likeable young man who succumbs to temptation. And who wouldn't with Taylor at her most luminously beautiful? Their kissing scene is one of the cinema's most erotically charged moments.
- - RJNeb2
  - Posted 17 Dec 2005 unknown
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

MONTY AND LIZ SIZZLE TOGETHER

Liz Taylor plays the vampish rich girl to perfection, while Monty gives his usual understated performance, a tortured soul if ever there was one.

The love story develops well through out the film , with the sad conclusion played brilliantly by the main leads.

Shelley Winters, although only playing a supporting role gives a memorable performance.

A great film.
- - garabaldi from uk
  - Posted 06 Apr 2005 12:36

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful

More than melodrama...

What starts looking like three hanky tale about a girl loved and left (Shelley Winters is excellant in the part) quickly moves towards tragedy in a relentless fashion that surprises. That Montgomery Clift's character falls for Elizabeth Taylor's is no surprise what she sees in him is a little harder to understand - but still a good film.
- - Andrew from Scotland
  - Posted 25 Jun 2004 14:40
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

MONTY AND LIZ SIZZLE TOGETHER

Liz Taylor plays the vampish rich girl to perfection, while Monty gives his usual understated performance, a tortured soul if ever there was one.

The love story develops well through out the film , with the sad conclusion played brilliantly by the main leads.

Shelley Winters, although only playing a supporting role gives a memorable performance.

A great film.
- - garabaldi from uk
  - Posted 06 Apr 2005 12:36
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful

[Highly rated reviewer]

A place in history

An enduring and swooning romance with an underbelly of fatalism as poor boy Clift tries to better himself by moving up a social set and finds that destiny has other things in mind for him. Clift was never more sympathetic playing a not entirely likeable young man who succumbs to temptation. And who wouldn't with Taylor at her most luminously beautiful? Their kissing scene is one of the cinema's most erotically charged moments.
- - RJNeb2
  - Posted 17 Dec 2005 unknown
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

[Highly rated reviewer]

excellent film brilliant from start to finish i loved it so much

this film kept me captivated from the very start you cant help but to fall in love with the mongomery clift character of the lonley boy it keeps you keen to help his character struggle for the high life going shelley winters plays a great role in this film also as does a most beautiful elizabeth taylor she plays the spoilt little rich girl perfectly but you end up truly believing in their love affair i found this film totally enthralling from start to finish and mongomery clift is definately the shining star of this film i was moved to tears at the end of this film it was brilliant truly brilliant
- - roseann from milton keynes england
  - Posted 10 Jan 2008 16:27
Good entertainment

This 1951 film is a classic starring Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery cliff and shelley Winters. A story of a young man who comes from a religious and poor family, but is offered a chance of bettering himself by his uncle but not all is as it first seems. Shelley winters is brilliant in her part and deserves some credit for pullin the plot together an enjoyable film.
- - A customer from Devon England
  - Posted 20 Jan 2006 21:51
Tale of love and greed

A Place In The Sun tells the story of George (Clift) who goes to work for his wealthy uncle. There he begins an affair with co-worker Alice (Winters), but when George is promoted he starts to mix with a new crowd and also falls for a beautiful socialite (Taylor). George's greed eventually catches up with him, with drastic consequences. This film is filled with high drama and relative themes to modern life, plus with the bonus of such a fantastic cast, how can you go wrong?
- - Gavin M from Glasgow, Scotland
  - Posted 26 Apr 2006 22:08
aaaaa

Shelley Winters puts in a powerful performance alongside the other worldly handsome Cliff. A movie which I will probably watch once a year.
- - A customer from Manchester
  - Posted 30 Dec 2008 21:53
[Highly rated reviewer]

Heart Wrenching

Great to see Taylor and Clift together again!
- - citygirl from London
  - Posted 21 May 2009 16:44

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Critics' reviews (4)
Elizabeth Taylor has never looked lovelier, or the young Montgomery Clift more tortured than in this glossy adaptation of Theodore Dreiser's dour novel An American Tragedy, previously filmed by Josef von Sternberg. This film won six Oscars, including best director for George Stevens, whose trademark dissolves are most tellingly displayed as Clift and Taylor meet for the first time. Trouble is, this tale of love across the tracks has dated badly, and today seems rather drawn out. But Clift and, especially, Shelley Winters are brilliant, so forget the plot and just revel in what was once Hollywood's idea of classy movie-making.
- Radio Times
- Posted 29 Jan 2006
Overblown, overlong and over-praised melodrama from a monumental novel of social guilt; sometimes visually striking, this version alters the stresses of the plot and leaves no time for sociological detail. A film so clearly intended as a masterpiece could
- Halliwell's Film Guide
- Posted 02 Mar 2006
Typically slow and stately in the later Stevens manner, this is a shameless travesty of Theodore Dreiser's monumental... read more on Time Out
- Time Out
- Posted 04 Nov 2008
"...An American tragedy..." -- Rating: A
- Entertainment Weekly
- Posted 11 Mar 2005

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  George Stevens' lavish adaptation of this classic casts Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor as the star-crossed lovers. As George Eastman (Clift) hitchhikes into the town where a job awaits him at the factory of his affluent Uncle Charles (Herbert Heyes), the lovely Angela Vickers (Taylor) speeds ...