Monday, July 28, 2014

Movie of the Day – July 28: A Place In The Sun

Doomed Love.  You have to be in the mood for doomed young love.  A time when every emotion is amplified, every breath is sensual and every feelings is the most intense of your life.  When you are ready to visit that, A Place In The Sun is the movie to see.
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Montgomery Clift is a handsome young man from the wrong side of the tracks.  He visits a distance relative and gets a low level job in his factory.  During this time, he falls for Shelly Winters.  A nice, plain jane of a co-worker.  They settled into what is, for Clift, a workable, pleasant dated relationship.  And for Shelly is the great love of her life.  The asymmetric interest is no problem.  Until.
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Until…  Clift’s boss , the rich uncle, happy with his work, brings him closer into his home.  There he meets a society girl, Elizabeth Taylor, and falls desperately in love.  Desperate is the right word.
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Clift has already broken the prime rule of work (don’t get involved with the girls) – and he now has a love sick (and pregnant) Shelly Winters on his hands.
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Things don’t get better.
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It is amazingly shot in black and white, and Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift never looked better.  This movie, unfortunately, seemed to consign Shelly Winters to a roles where she wasn’t the glamorous woman anymore. All three, Taylor, Clift and Winters, went on to bigger roles, more accolades and many many awards.  But this movie was the first that showed me what all the fuss was about.  I get how men fell for Elizabeth Taylor (and Montgomery Clift – who was both sexy and pretty in this role).  Women saw Monty as the bad boy with a heart – following it where it leads.  Which, if you see or saw the movie – provides the shock of what happens.  And no, it is 1951, so nothing gory and no rape.
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Watch and relive what your first crush – your soul saving love of your life – what it was like.