1951: A Place in the Sun (George Stevens)

Released: August 14, 1951

Director: George Stevens; Screenplay: Michael Wilson and Harry Brown, based on the play An American Tragedy by Patrick Kearney, which in turn is based on Theodore Dreiser’s novel of the same title; Cinematography: William C. Mellor; Studio: Paramount Pictures; Producer: George Stevens

Cast: Montgomery Clift (George Eastman), Elizabeth Taylor (Angela Vickers), Shelley Winters (Alice Tripp), Herbert Heyes (Charles Eastman), Anne Revere (Hannah Eastman), Keefe Brasselle (Earl Eastman), Shepperd Strudwick (Tony Vickers), Frieda Inescourt (Mrs. Ann Vickers), Raymond Burr (District Attorney R. Frank Marlowe)

If the uninitiated ever wonders why Montgomery Clift is considered so great an actor they need only watch this 1951 film from director George Stevens. He was great in a number of other classic films – From Here to Eternity, Red River, Judgment at Nuremberg – but I do not even hesitate in declaring that this is the finest performance Monty ever made. Clift is perfect as the well-intentioned working class George Eastman. He is unable to keep himself from being drawn into the high society circles of his relatives and eventual love interest Angela Vickers (Elizabeth Taylor). The closer George gets to Angela, the further he is pulled from his factory-working girlfriend Alice (Shelley Winters). When Alice becomes pregnant, George finds himself in the middle of a love triangle from which he sees only one escape -- he must find a way to disengage from Alice, while not allowing Angela to find out about it.


I had seen Clift in movies before. I saw him for the first time in 1953’s From Here to Eternity and thought that he was genuine as the detached Prewitt. With the inclusion of Red River in this countdown, I have already made clear that I was shocked to discover how successful Monty was playing a cowboy. But it was upon seeing this acclaimed George Stevens film that I became a full-blown Clift convert. Clift is far from forgotten as a screen legend, but he is oftentimes overshadowed by the large legacies of two of his legendary contemporaries, Marlon Brando and James Dean. I in no way want to diminish the talent of either of those great actors, but I think that Clift is the equal of both of them. According to Hollywood legend, Dean actually cited Monty as one of his idols. Hopefully I’m preaching to the choir in regards to Clift’s greatness as an actor, but I still had to get in my feelings of just how terrific he was.

The central question that comes to haunt George Eastman is how far is he willing to go in order to be with Angela? He clearly still has some feelings for Alice, wanting to end the relationship with her, but he sees that she is not at all interested in being an unmarried mother caring for a small child. It is a plot that most moviegoers are going to be familiar with. The film is based the novel An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser, and it is interesting to note that this is not the first film adapted from it. Renowned director Josef von Sternberg directed his own version of the story in 1931. While I have not seen this version, Dreiser himself was evidently not a fan of the film. Regardless, the storyline is one that has been imitated and riffed by a myriad of novels and movies since its publication. While not a direct copy of the story, you can see the plot influence in movies like Woody Allen’s Match Point or even his earlier Crimes and Misdemeanors. Dreiser’s story has truly become a standard, and with so many different movies following variations of the tale, it takes a strong effort to stand out from the pack. All three of the movies mentioned in this paragraph do just that, but as much as I love both of the Allen films, I definitely feel that this is the best adaptation/variation/version of Dreiser’s novel.

It is through Clift's virtuoso performance that the film transcends this traditional plot and that the audience is made to truly feel the doomed outlook that George begins to adopt. The obstacles accumulating in George’s path to happiness are magnified by the fact that he has to somehow secretly end the relationship with Alice. Not only does he have to disengage from her, but he has to do so in a way that will keep her from making their relationship known publicly. The reason is that when George was hired to work at his uncle’s Eastman Company, it was made very clear to him that associating with co-workers, particularly female employees, was unacceptable. Thus, if his relationship with Alice were ever to become common knowledge, his burgeoning career at the company would be ruined. And Alice makes it abundantly clear to George that if he does not do right by her, that she is going to blow the whistle to everyone. George quickly begins to move toward the conclusion that the only solution to his problems is to silence Alice – permanently. The issue becomes, can he really go through with such a job?


While most certainly not a film noir, the movie has a distinctly noir feeling and atmosphere. The audience quickly begins to understand that things are not likely to work out for George Eastman. How hard he is going to fall is the true suspense. I knew very early in my first viewing that things were going to crumble for George, but I had no idea just how drastic the consequences of his fall would be. Would he lose his career? His girlfriend? Maybe even his life? It’s the same sense of doom that I felt toward Steve Thompson in Criss Cross or Jeff Bailey in Out of the Past. Certain key sequences are filmed in the dark style commonly associated with noir – for example when George and Alice are alone together in a canoe and George is internally debating whether to go through with his plan. It is due to how well Clift plays the character that no matter how far George goes in his machinations, there is a heartbreaking quality to the character. I always felt some measure of sympathy for him. This was a man who initially wanted nothing more than to find work and better his life. Instead, he found himself drawn into an exotic lifestyle and was quickly in over his head.


Both Elizabeth Taylor and Shelley Winters are excellent as the two love interests. I don’t want to make it seem as if Taylor turns in an earth-shattering performance, but she is effective in the role because she possesses the most necessary attribute for the character – sex appeal. Taylor is stunningly beautiful, and Angela Vickers needs to be. Without this irresistible charm, the way that she quickly wins over George would seem completely unbelievable. In the end though, as I’ve reiterated time and again, this always remains Clift's film. This is a movie that received much praise upon its initial release, but one that in recent years has been more and more regarded as an overly-dramatic George Stevens production. I suppose I can understand where those that have no stomach for melodrama could see it in this light, but for me it is gripping drama. I'll be very interested to see where everyone else comes down on this film.

Rating: 9/10

Other Contenders for 1951: The runners-up in this year are essentially a roll call of notable Hollywood directors. The closest contender is actually a film that I only recently saw for the first time. I have always found the films of Samuel Fuller to be very hit or miss, really liking movies such as Pickup on South Street yet finding efforts like The Naked Kiss to be terribly overrated. Seeing The Steel Helmet was a revelation. I can understand why it created such uproar upon its release. It is a great war film because it focuses more on the men involved in the journey than being swept up in large-scale battles and strategy. Although I only saw it for the first time last weekend, it has stuck with me and was strongly considered for this year. It has quickly become my favorite from Fuller. The other film nearly taking the honors for this year comes from the Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock. Strangers on a Train is a wonderful film and I still take delight in the way that he shot the murder sequence, using the victims eyeglasses.

Some other films from Hollywood heavyweights are also favorites from this year. Billy Wilder’s Ace in the Hole contains a great Kirk Douglas performance and feels unlike any other film dealing with the power of the press. Being a huge Bogart fan also means that I have a soft spot for John Huston’s The African Queen. While not Bogart or Huston’s best, it’s a fun film.

I am guessing that A Streetcar Named Desire will receive support, but this is one that has never clicked for me. I like both director Elia Kazan and Marlon Brando, but think that the two of them would move on to make better films, both together and separately.

1948: Red River (Howard Hawks)

Released: September 30, 1948

Director: Howard Hawks, Arthur Rosson (co-director); Screenplay: Borden Chase and Charles Schnee; Cinematography: Russell Harlan; Studio: United Artists; Producer: Howard Hawks

Cast: John Wayne (Thomas Dunson), Montgomery Clift (Matthew Garth), Walter Brennan (Groot Nadine), Joanne Dru (Tess Millay), John Ireland (Cherry Valance), Coleen Gray (Fen), Harry Carey Sr. (Mr. Melville), Noah Beery Jr. (Buster McGee), Harry Carey Jr. (Dan Latimer), Chief Yowlachie (Quo), Paul Fix (Teeler Yacey), Hank Worden (Simms Reeves), Ray Hyke (Walt Jergens), Wally Wales (Old Leather), Mickey Kuhn (Matt as a boy)

Wow, did I go back and forth on this one. 1948 was a two-horse race for me right from the start and I vacillated between which of the tremendous films I would choose. There are quite clearly more than two worthy films in this year, but for me it was always a contest between the classic Howard Hawks western Red River and the Vittoro De Sica masterpiece Bicycle Thieves. If this countdown were purely an exercise in attempting to decide which film is the “greatest,” I feel quite confident that Bicycle Thieves would be the definite choice. I cannot praise it enough – it is a truly touching film and an amazing experience to realize that such a simple story is so affecting. Just thinking about the film as I type this review makes me want to consider changing my mind yet again. But of the two films, Red River is the one I most often return to. I watch it regularly and feel it is completely accurate to declare it to be the best western of the entire decade.

Over the course of the last few months I’ve slowly begun to come around to the realization that Howard Hawks may very well be my favorite director. The versatility displayed throughout his career is astounding – the man was equally adept with adventures, comedies, dramas, noir, and other types of films. This production was Hawks’ first foray into westerns, and while I will stop short of calling it his best take on the genre, I definitely feel that he hit it out of the park on the first swing. To me, the best westerns are not so much about wild chases and gunfights, but are those that offer fascinating character studies. I find it intriguing to watch flawed men as they attempt to maneuver through tempting or dangerous situations. The reason that Hawks is so successful in his western is that he is able to maintain this crucial element, while at the same time also including well-done action and gunplay. Prior to making this movie, Hawks was already well accomplished in action films (just watch Only Angels Have Wings if you need proof of this), thus it is no surprise that Red River would include thrilling sequences such as a wild cattle stampede or tense showdowns. But these moments of adventure never detract from the central force of the film – the relationship between the determined Tom Dunson (John Wayne) and his adopted son Matt (Montgomery Clift).


I won’t claim that this is the best role of Wayne’s career, because I don’t think it is, but the apocryphal story of John Ford’s reaction after seeing the film is telling. Referring to Wayne’s performance, Ford is said to have exclaimed, “I didn’t know the big son of a bitch could act!” Aside from being my favorite story of Hollywood lore, it speaks volumes of how good Wayne is as Tom Dunson. Dunson is the pivotal character in the story. The movie opens to Dunson leaving a wagon train bound for California in order to settle on land in Texas. He and his sidekick Groot (Walter Brennan) survive an Indian attack that kills everyone else in the train except a young boy who manages to escape with a single cow. Using the lone bull of Dunson’s and the cow that Matt managed to save, the two form a partnership and set out to establish a cattle empire in the Lone Star state.

The story then fast-forwards 14 years and the cattle ranch is fully up and running. Dunson controls a herd of cattle numbering in the thousands, but is cash poor as the price of beef in Texas is very low. Hearing that better prices are to be found to the north, Dunson decides the best and most lucrative option is to drive the cattle to Missouri. Along with Matt and Groot, Dunson hires more help among veteran cowhands like Buster (Noah Beery Jr.) and Dan Latimer (Harry Carey Jr.) and famous gunmen like Cherry Valance (John Ireland).

The brilliance of Wayne’s performance shines as the group progress deeper into the cattle drive. Through the early stages of the movie and the first half of the drive, Dunson is the usual gallant and heroic character that Wayne is commonly associated with. Here is a man who is caring enough to take in an orphaned boy, making him a partner in the cattle business and willingly raising him to manhood. But the same determination that spurred Dunson to embark on the daunting journey ultimately becomes all-consuming and leads him to emerging obsessed with making it to Missouri. Suddenly, Tom develops tunnel vision and allows nothing to deter he and his cattle from making it there – not complaining by workers, not advice from close confidants like Matt and Groot, and not even the threat of injury to his men. In this transformation into a much darker personality, you can clearly see the roots of a future Wayne character like Ethan Edwards.

When some of the workers on the drive begin to mention that the group would be better served to take the cattle to Abilene, Kansas instead of Missouri, Tom will hear none of it. Rather than put up with what he considers to be insubordination, he instead begins to drive the men even harder. Eventually, with the men nearing downright rebellion, Matt steps in and takes over command of the entire operation. Tom is left behind and sent back toward Texas, but before doing so he makes a bold speech to Matt. In possibly the most coldblooded moment of Wayne’s career, Tom Dunson looks straight into the eyes of his adopted son and declares: “You should have let 'em kill me, 'cause I'm gonna kill you. I'll catch up with ya. I don't know when, but I'll catch up. Every time you turn around, expect to see me, 'cause one time you'll turn around and I'll be there. I'm gonna kill ya, Matt.” No longer the likable character seen at the beginning of the film, Tom Dunson has now become a man hell-bent on nothing but revenge.

The last section of the drive appears to be building toward a final climactic showdown between Dunson and Matt. On the way to Abilene, Matt and his men help out a beleaguered wagon train that is under Indian attack. After driving off the natives, Matt meets Tess Millay (Joanne Dru) and the two begin to fall in love. However, Matt does not stay long, as he and his men are soon back on the trail to Abilene. After Matt leaves, Dunson proves to be right on his heels as he soon catches up to the same wagon train. He too is attracted to Tess, who tries in vain to convince Tom to let Matt live.


When Tom and Matt finally come face to face in Abilene, the expectation is a deadly showdown between the two fastest guns in the country. Instead, we get what I would argue to be the one weak spot of the film. The buildup to the showdown is hard-charging and relentless – something dramatic and brutal seems the only fitting conclusion based upon what has transpired. Instead, we get an awkward speech from Tess that settles the differences between the two and closes the movie with a forced happy ending. The buildup to the face-off is nearly flawless, so it would be a lie to say that it was not a letdown to witness this conclusion for the first time. Still, I love everything else about the film so much that I’m willing to overlook the misstep. I understand that this could sound like selective assessment, but it how I feel.

Wayne’s performance is not the only one worthy of praise. I have been a huge Montgomery Clift fan from the first time I saw a movie he starred in – that being From Here to Eternity. Even still, I remember being somewhat apprehensive in picturing Clift playing a cowboy. Luckily, my fears were easily discarded. While Red River was the first movie Clift ever made, he is smooth as the calm, confident Matthew Garth. And Walter Brennan is Walter Brennan. By this, I mean he gives yet another example of why I consider him to be the finest character actor of his era. His roles may have been variations of the same character over and over again, but it’s entertaining every time.


It also needs to be pointed out that the photography makes excellent use of the scenery of a cattle drive. Cinematographer Russell Harlan utilizes the sweeping landscape and we get great shots of the mountains, rivers, and the driving cattle. The photography also blends perfectly with the action sensibilities of Hawks, as witnessed in the filming of the famed stampede scene midway through the trek.

In my opinion, Howard Hawks would actually go on to direct an even better western than this in the next decade. But that in no way detracts from the greatness of this film. It is not a perfect film, as evidence by the fact that I openly admit to not caring for the ending (and evidently, neither did Howard Hawks himself). Even so, I think that taken as a whole that Red River can stand alongside any film ever made.

Rating: 10/10

Other Contenders for 1948: Hopefully my fondness for Bicycle Thieves came through loud and clear in those opening paragraphs, but I’ll reinforce it here. It’s a powerful movie and I would be shocked if someone could sit through it and be completely unmoved. There are two other films from this year that I absolutely love. The first is John Huston’s The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. This is another movie that examines a well-intentioned man’s descent toward madness and Humphrey Bogart is great in the role. The other film comes from Great Britain and is Carol Reed’s The Fallen Idol. While The Third Man is Reed’s most acclaimed movie, The Fallen Idol remains my personal favorite. It contains one of the great child performances I have ever seen from Bobby Henrey and manages to make very common situations feel unbelievably suspenseful.

Other films from this year that I really like but were not really close to dethroning Red River are: Raw Deal (Anthony Mann), The Search (Fred Zinnemann), and Key Largo (John Huston).