Every second of this noir masterpiece is gripping, and the chemistry between Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor is utterly thrilling
Noir suspense merges with romantic tragedy in this stunning 1951 movie adapted from the Theodore Dreiser novel. It features two of the most beautiful people in movie history, Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor. They are almost like reflections of each other; when they kiss, something incestuous and thrillingly forbidden throbs out of the screen. Clift plays George Eastman, a poor but personable young man who lands a job in his wealthy uncle's business. He begins dating Alice (Shelley Winters), who works on the factory floor, but then falls madly in love with Angela Vickers (Taylor), a beautiful socialite who is part of his uncle's smart set. His connections and luck encourage George to believe in his destiny, and that old encumbrances must be shrugged off. Clift perfectly shows how bewildered, earnest, and yet conceited and evasive his character is: Taylor's feline self-possession is troubled by George's extravagant, ingenuous passion. Director George Stevens composes each shot and scene with masterly flair, with a superb eye for incidental detail; the sheer artistry with which the film is put together is remarkable. Gripping from first to last.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/jan/31/a-place-in-the-sun-review
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