A Place in the Sun

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Loosely based on the 1925 novel (and subsequent stage play) An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser, A Place in the Sun tells the story of a working-class young man (Montgomery Clift) who becomes involved with two women: one who works in his wealthy uncle's factory (Shelley Winters) and the other a beautiful socialite (Elizabeth Taylor), with eventually tragic consequences. Directed by George Stevens from a screenplay by Harry Brown and Michael Wilson, it was a critical and commercial success, winning six Academy Awards. Modern audiences have not been as impressed with the production, aside from the performances of the lead actors, finding it slow-paced and lacking in depth or social relevance.

A Place in the Sun was the first movie to be awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama, and was added to the National Film Registry in 1991.

Tropes used in A Place in the Sun include: