Thoughts on A Place in the Sun (1951)
What’s in a name? George, the protagonist of George Stevens’ A Place in the Sun, is a member
of the Eastman family but is certainly not representative of their social class. He strives to move up the corporate ladder, and the film’s narrative develops as he does—both as the rich man he hopes to become and the poor man he already is. Stevens’ film is deliberately slow paced, carefully examining the nuances in George’s gradual transformation from a factory worker to a respectable member of high society. Stevens’ direction infuses the story with the atmosphere of a noir but the sensibilities of a romance, which picks up once George gets involved with Alice, a fellow factory worker, and Angela, a member of the prosperous Vickers family.
The love triangle that transpires is essential to understanding George’s character, and by extension, the film’s thematic concerns. The two women represent the central dichotomy in Goerge’s self-image; his internal divide between being the poor survivor he once was, and the classy, desirable husband of Angela Vickers and thriving member of the Eastman family. George’s eventual plot to murder Alice so he can take up with Angela and the Vickers establishes his moral corruption--and the pity he takes on her once the opportunity presents itself reveals a tinge of the sympathetic man he once was that still rests within him.
George’s inevitable demise after Alice’s accidental death highlights the potential consequences of hopeless idealism; the moral bankruptcy that comes with chasing wealth and power. Stevens’ film emphasizes the corrosive effects of capitalism through a very human story about a man who loses his humanity only to regain it once its too late.
of the Eastman family but is certainly not representative of their social class. He strives to move up the corporate ladder, and the film’s narrative develops as he does—both as the rich man he hopes to become and the poor man he already is. Stevens’ film is deliberately slow paced, carefully examining the nuances in George’s gradual transformation from a factory worker to a respectable member of high society. Stevens’ direction infuses the story with the atmosphere of a noir but the sensibilities of a romance, which picks up once George gets involved with Alice, a fellow factory worker, and Angela, a member of the prosperous Vickers family.
The love triangle that transpires is essential to understanding George’s character, and by extension, the film’s thematic concerns. The two women represent the central dichotomy in Goerge’s self-image; his internal divide between being the poor survivor he once was, and the classy, desirable husband of Angela Vickers and thriving member of the Eastman family. George’s eventual plot to murder Alice so he can take up with Angela and the Vickers establishes his moral corruption--and the pity he takes on her once the opportunity presents itself reveals a tinge of the sympathetic man he once was that still rests within him.
George’s inevitable demise after Alice’s accidental death highlights the potential consequences of hopeless idealism; the moral bankruptcy that comes with chasing wealth and power. Stevens’ film emphasizes the corrosive effects of capitalism through a very human story about a man who loses his humanity only to regain it once its too late.