Fairly uninteresting classic, which I think is the last film I hadn't seen that was on the original AFI 100. Montgomery Clift plays a creepy-seeming guy who starts to work for an uncle who barely knows him. He gets thrown into the uncle's bathing suit factory, doing an unflattering job. He courts a fellow line worker (Shelly Winters), but later gets moved up by his uncle. He leaves Winters behind and falls for the more upperclass Elizabeth Taylor (that's a Hell of a trade-up!). Unfortunately, he also leaves Winters pregnant. I have to compliment the film for being a bit ahead of its time. At least it acknowledges that sex exists. It even acknowledges abortion for half a second. It wants to acknowledge justice. (I'm assuming everyone else has seen this movie, but, if not, SPOILERS follow). Clift considers murder, and comes close to going through with it. He might have even done it, eventually, but Winters (in an incredibly forced scene) falls into a lake on her own and dies. Because of Clift's suspicious activities surrounding the event, he is arrested for murder. The last part of the film has to do with his trial, where Raymond Burr plays the D.A. Of course, this being 1951, the punishment is death. The film wants to get me to think, and, I have to admit, the only thing I could really think about is how unfair capital punishment is in this case. Plus, who doesn't want to kill Shelly Winters? She's the kind of gal you'd wake up next to the next day and then immediately consider murder, and maybe suicide. The film is mostly well made, but is not especially memorable. Acting-wise, I only liked Taylor. Clift overacts, in my estimation.
Review of A Place in the Sun
