A Place in the Sun

A Place in the Sun is a 1951 dramatic film directed by George Stevens and which starred Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor and Shelley Winters.  It was nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning six:  Best Director (Stevens), Best Screenplay (Michael Wilson and Harry Brown), Best Cinematography (William C. Mellor), Best Costume Design (Edith Head), Best Film Editing (William Hornbeck) and Best Scoring (Franz Waxman).

A Place in the Sun is based on the 1925 novel An American Tragedy written by Theodore Dreiser.  I read it recently, noticing certain differences with the movie I've seen multiple times.

George Eastman in the movie (Clift)/Clyde Griffiths in the book, the poor nephew of a rich industrialist, arrives in town following a chance encounter with his rich uncle while working as a bellhop in a Chicago hotel. The elder Eastman invites George to visit him if and when he ever comes to town, and the ambitious young man takes advantage of the offer. 

Despite George's family relationship to the Eastmans, they regard him as something of an outsider (ignoring him socially), but his uncle nevertheless offers him an entry-level job at his factory. George, uncomplaining, hopes to impress his uncle with his hard work and earn his way up. 

While working in the factory, George (lonely and looking for affection) starts dating and engaging in unprotected sex with fellow factory worker Alice Tripp in the movie (Winters)/Roberta Alden in the book, in defiance of the workplace rules. Alice is a poor and inexperienced girl who is dazzled by George and slow to believe that his Eastman name brings him no advantages.

George finally meets "society girl" Angela Vickers in the movie (Taylor)/Sondra Finchley in the book, whom he has admired from afar since shortly after arriving in town, and they quickly fall in love. Being Angela's escort thrusts George into the intoxicating and care-free lifestyle of high society that his rich Eastman kin had denied him. 

When Alice announces that she is pregnant and makes it clear she expects George to marry her, he puts her off, spending more and more of his time with Angela and his new well-heeled friends. An attempt to procure an abortion for Alice fails, and she renews her insistence on marriage. 

George is invited to join Angela at the Vickers holiday lake house over Labor Day and excuses himself to Alice, saying that the visit will advance his career and accrue to the benefit of the coming child.

Meanwhile, Alice finds a picture in the newspaper of George and Angela boating with friends, and realizes that George lied to her about his intentions for wanting to go to the lake. George appears to be on the verge of finally advancing into the business and social realm that he has long sought. 

However, Alice phones the house and tells George she is at the nearby bus station.   If he does not come to get her, she will come to where he is and expose him. 

Visibly shaken, George announces his mother is ill and that he must leave. The next morning, George and Alice drive to City Hall to get married but they find it closed for Labor Day. George is relieved.

Remembering a story he read in the newspaper about a drowned couple, and knowing that Alice cannot swim, George suggests spending the day at the nearby lake.  Alice agrees.

When they get to the lake, George pulls the car's choke to feign its being out of gas in order to hide the car in the woods. He acts nervously when he rents a boat from a man who seems to deduce that George gave him a false name.  

While they are out on the lake, Alice talks about her dreams concerning their happy future together with their child. As George apparently takes pity on her, Alice tries to stand up in the boat to approach him, causing it to capsize.  Alice drowns.

George swims to shore, behaves suspiciously when he comes across campers on his way back to the car, and eventually drives to where his society friends are. There, he tries to relax, but is increasingly tense. 

George says nothing to anyone about having been on the lake or about what happened there. Meanwhile, Alice's body is discovered and her death is treated as a murder almost from the first moment, while an abundant amount of evidence and witness reports stack up against George.

George is arrested and charged with Alice's murder. George's furtive actions before and after Alice's death condemn him. His denials are futile, and he is found guilty of murder and sentenced to death in the electric chair.

The name of the book is An American Tragedy because what led to the deaths of both Alice and George was so avoidable.  If such circumstances would happen today, they wouldn't have died.

Why?  First, neither wanted the pregnancy.  Years ago, condoms were not readily available.  I remember in the 1960s, I had to ask a pharmacist for one.  Today they are openly displayed on pharmacy shelves with a variety of brands and styles.

Furthermore, abortion is legal and available, at least in places like Michigan (movie) and New York State (book).  

Second, as a result of the Miranda ruling, a suspect can refuse to answer questions from the police without the presence of an attorney.  George was forced by the local prosecutor to answers questions the answers to which damaged his case.

Finally, the stigma of an unmarried pregnant woman is gone.  Think of Bridget Moynahan, an American actress and model.  She had a child with Tom Brady, the star American football player, without being married to him.  In fact, he subsequently married another woman, Gisele Bundchen, the Brazilian super model, with whom he had two other children.