To Stay in the Sun

The Great Imaginary Film Blogathon begins today over at Silver Scenes.  A "wishful thinking" event, this blogathon gives us the chance to do whatever we can imagine with a film. We might make a movie that's never been made, shake-up the cast of a perennial favorite, even use a different director or locale.  In my case, it's about imagining a non-existent scene in my all-time favorite movie. With nearly two dozen participants, this is sure to be a fantastic blogathon. Go HERE to visit all the other entries.

As stated, my addition to this terrific blogathon is a scene I've imagined from my all-time favorite movie, 1951's A Place in the Sun. Starring October's star of the month (and one of my most beloved guys), Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, and Shelley Winters, this George Stevens film won six Academy Awards (including Best Director for Mr. Stevens) and was nominated for three more.  I absolutely love love love this movie, and no matter how many times I watch it, I always wish it had a different ending than it does.  While I'm not one for spoilers and almost never give any, because of the scene on which my story is based, I will be letting out a bit of the story.  So, if you haven't seen A Place in the Sun, be warned---there are spoilers in this post.

You can read my full synopsis and review of this fantastic movie HERE.  However, for purposes of my imaginary scene, all you need to know is that I see Montgomery Clift's character in a sympathetic light.  While some (make that most) people I know consider George Eastman as no good and rotten to the core, I don't see him that way at all.  Since we're not privy to what is actually going on in George's mind in that very pivotal scene on the lake, I've imagined what he might be thinking.  Of course, my scene---had it actually been a part of the film---would give me the different ending I so desire. When George took the stand in his murder trial and was grilled by none other than beloved Perry Mason in a prosecuting role, these events would have been recalled, proving that Alice's death really was an accident.  While many of y'all may not agree, that is okay, as it seems I often march to the beat of my own drum. So, alone on the planet or not, this is how I see George Eastman.

After a long, hot summer, the early September evening air felt chilly----downright cold even---to George Eastman as he paddled the shabby canoe on the far side of Loon Lake.  A shiver racked George's body, but it wasn’t just the setting sun’s lack of warmth which brought about the shiver.  No, it was much more than that…it was the venomous, coldblooded thoughts coursing through his mind.

Like the proverbial “life flashing before the eyes” final thoughts of a dying man, the pictures flashing through George Eastman’s mind were coming fast and furiously…instantaneously almost…one right on top of the other.  Barely three minutes had passed, but an entire summer’s worth of living had been re-lived in his mind, bringing him to his reason for being on a remote lake just as the sun was setting.

Angela…her exquisite beauty had captivated him from the moment he saw her.  Never had he seen such a stunning creature; truly, she took his breath away.  Yet she hadn’t even noticed him…hadn’t given him the time of day---at first.  God must have been looking with favor upon him, though, because the next time he saw her---at the party at his uncle’s house---she had not only noticed him, but she had talked with him…and danced with him for hours.  By the time the evening ended, George knew there could never be any other woman for him---he was completely, totally, and forever in love with Miss Angela Vickers.

They saw each other again, and to the utter shock of a poor boy such as he, Angela---in all her beauty and wealth---loved him in return.  What he had ever done to be given such a gift, he didn’t know.  All he could do was thank his lucky stars that he was given it.  With Angela by his side and in his arms, life for George promised to be pure bliss.

George’s delirious joy---and the vivid image of Angela’s stunning beauty---was immediately eclipsed by the picture of another face…one which he did not love and, in fact, had come to hate.  He had never loved Alice…not for a minute.  She had been nothing more than a kindhearted person with whom he could spend time.  God knew how lonely he was…how starved for friendship…for someone to talk to.  Moving to California to take a job at his uncle’s factory, George had expected to be welcomed into the family fold…to be a part of their social circle.  Alas, nothing could have been further from what he got.  While his uncle gave him a job at the factory---feeling obligated to, no doubt---friendship with the family was not part of the deal.  They looked at him as the poor relation, and George knew it.  He wasn’t good enough to run in their social circle, so they ignored him….tended to look right through him as if he wasn’t there.  But George was there, and he was desperately lonely.  How he longed for a friend…and Alice offered that friendship.

He had never loved Alice…he had liked her, yes, but he had never loved her, and he had never lied and told her that he did.  So how it was that they ended up in bed together, he was never sure.  Just loneliness, he guessed….loneliness which engulfed both of them.  Things had just gone too far that evening, and he ended up spending the night at her place.  Oh, how he wished he could turn the clock back and relive that night…how he wish he would have walked away from Alice’s apartment before indulging in---as his mother would have said---the sins of the flesh.  It was that one mistake…that one “should never have done it” moment…which was now coming back to haunt him…threatening to rob him of Angela and the happiness he knew with only her.

A new image moved into George’s mind….that of a baby.  He couldn’t believe his one night of passion with Alice had resulted in pregnancy.  And now she was insisting that he marry her…something he did not want to do…something he could not do.   To marry Alice would be to lose Angela forever, and he would just as soon die as be without her.  Angela was his reason for living, his sun, moon, and stars all rolled into one.  To be separated from her would be more torturous than anything he had ever known.  If only there was no baby…if there was no Alice.

No Alice…well, there was a way to remove Alice from his life, and the image of that moved into George’s mind.  He knew Alice couldn’t swim, and it was for that reason that he had come up with the plan to take her out in a canoe.  It was easy...all he had to do was capsize the canoe and Alice would drown.  He would swim to safety…back to Angela.  Alice would die on the far side of Loon Lake, and no one would ever be the wiser…no one would know that it wasn’t an accident…no one would know that George, in fact, had murdered her.

With the word “murder,” the image of his devoutly religious mother came to George’s mind.  She and his late father had devoted their entire lives to the call of God, and they had instilled a knowledge of God’s Word into their son.  Commandment Number 6, “Thou shalt not murder” filled his mind.  It was a sin to kill someone, George knew that.  But, his mind argued, no one would ever know it was murder; they would think it was an accident, and George would be in the clear.   On the heels of that thought came Jeremiah 16:17,  “I am watching them closely, and I see every sin.  They cannot hope to hide from me.”    Someone would know what he had done.  While he might be able to hide the truth from everyone else, and while he might even be able to deceive himself, he could not pull the wool over God’s eyes.  Even now, God could see the evil that was in his heart.  God would always know that he had broken the commandment against killing, and no matter where he went, no matter what he did, he would never be able to hide from God.

Brokenhearted because he knew Angela would be lost to him forever, George realized that he couldn’t go through with his plan…he could not murder Alice.  It was one thing to hide his actions from everyone else, but it was entirely another thing to hide from God.  To stay in the sun---that beautiful, warm, radiant, breathtaking place he knew with Angela---would require him to try to hide from God for the rest of his days, and he knew that such an endeavor was futile.  He would have to leave the sun in order to be able to live with himself.

The image of Angela’s beautiful, beloved face and their time spent together moved once more into George’s mind.  “Goodbye, my darling.  I will always love you” were his final thoughts before Alice stood up in the far side of the dilapidated canoe, causing it to tip precariously to one side and then capsize completely, sending them both into the dark waters of the mountain lake.  By the time George resurfaced, Alice was nowhere to be seen…

If you have never seen A Place in the Sun, I highly, highly, highly recommend it.  It is a 5-star, "love it," "can't get enough of it" film for me.  The story is meaty, intense, and thought-provoking; the acting is fantastic---both Montgomery Clift and Shelley Winters received Lead Performer Academy Award nominations for their work here (Monty is spectacular in all of his 17 films, but for me, this is the performance of his career---he is absolutely brilliant); Clift and Elizabeth Taylor are both breathtakingly beautiful; and the chemistry between them is fantastic.  Everything about this film just works perfectly.  And if you throw in my scene, well, you will get the happy ending you long for!

Revealing My All-Time Favorite Movie

After revealing my favorite ten films for each decade of the classic film era (30's through 60's), it is now time to unveil which of those films receives the coveted status of "favorite film of all-time."  Of course, you know it has to be one of the #1 films from one of those decades, right?  So, that would be...

Gone with the Wind

Now, Voyager

A Place in the Sun

or Madame X

For the past couple of years, my #1 film has been Now, Voyager, with the 1940's #2 film, Casablanca, being my second favorite movie of all-time.  Well, dear blog readers, this year has found those two films toppling a bit and my former #3 movie moving in to take over the position of all-time favorite film.  That film...my 1950's winner...is A Place in the Sun.

While the nature of favorites lists makes them always subject to change, at the present time, this fabulous romantic drama starring my beloved Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, and Shelley Winters, is my favorite movie ever.  It's one of those films I never tire of watching...it is also one of those films which I always wish had a different ending than the one it has.  Read my review of this sensational film HERE.

Now, Voyager and Casablanca are still incredibly beloved movies to me, and who knows what next year will bring.  One of them may move ahead of A Place in the Sun once more, but for now, the 1950's winner takes first place.  I'd love to hear y'all's thoughts about this most fantastic film.

A Place in the Sun (5 stars)

For the next two days, the "Gone Too Soon" blogathon will be taking place here in blogland.   A way of remembering the many stars who left this world much too soon, this great event is being hosted by Comet over Hollywood.  Since the star I am remembering during the blogathon is the fabulous Montgomery Clift, I decided now was the perfect time to re-work one of my very earliest posts (which I did before I had even one blog reader).  So, in honor of Mr. Clift...

A Place in the Sun, from 1951, is a powerful romantic drama starring Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, and Shelley Winters.  Winner of six Academy Awards and nominated for three more, this fabulous film is high on my list of all-time favorites.  In fact, it's very near the top, coming in anywhere from  #1 to #3 (depending on my mood).  I absolutely love this movie and could watch it every couple of months.  It's one of those films which I always hope has a different ending than the one it has.

Montgomery Clift is George Eastman, a rather down on his luck young man from the wrong side of the tracks. He arrives in town and at the home of his wealthy uncle, who owns a factory.  Though the uncle had told George to look him up if he ever came to town, it is quite obvious that the older man never really expected George to do that.  Feeling obligated, though, he gives his nephew a job at his factory---with the strict instruction to not fraternize with the employees.  Not really accepted by his wealthy relatives, though, George is lonely and soon finds himself spending time with factory worker Alice Tripp (Shelley Winters).

In short time, George and Alice have begun having a physical relationship, which results in pregnancy.  Although Alice hopes to have an abortion, her doctor will not perform one.  (Although the actual word "abortion" is not used, you know that's what she is after.)  George is extremely distraught at the news of Alice's pregnancy...not only because he doesn't love her...but because he has fallen in love with wealthy socialite, Angela Vickers (played by an amazingly beautiful, 19 year-old Elizabeth Taylor).

After all the loneliness and rejection he's known, George has finally found love and acceptance. But his happiness is quelled by Alice's insistence that he marry her...something he does not want to do.  So he begins to ponder a way of getting Alice out of the picture.

Does anything happen to Alice?  Does George marry her? What happens to the baby? And what about Angela and George's love for each other?  These are the questions which play out in the balance of this incredible film.

As I said, this is not a feel-good movie at all . In fact, I find it haunting...not in a scary sense, but in the fact  that every time I see it, it stays in my mind for days.  It is also a great "discussion piece"  kind of film.  I've discussed it with other classic movie fans (including my 20-ish daughter), and it is amazing how two people can look at the same thing and see things completely differently from one another.  While some people look at George as a "scum bag" who used Alice and then wanted to drop her when something better came along, I don't see him that way at all.  Instead, I see him in a sympathetic light.  (And you won't hurt my feelings if you disagree with me.)  Also, despite the snobbiness of her upper class friends and family, Angela possessed a real inner beauty, as she exhibited completely unconditional love for George.  Since real and true love isn't based upon the perfect behavior of the recipient and is offered even when the recipient screws up, Angela's love for George was real and very beautiful.

The acting in this film is brilliant!   Montgomery Clift's performance was beyond fantastic---the way the emotions played across his face and in his eyes as he struggled with his conscience was incredibly vivid.  Truly, I think this was the best performance of a career in which all the performances were spectacular.  He received a Best Actor Academy Award nomination for his work here, and I, for one, think he deserved the win that year.  (Sorry to you Humphrey Bogart/African Queen fans.)  Shelley Winters, who received a Best Actress Academy Award nomination, was amazing in her role too.  Elizabeth Taylor was perfect as well.  Not one of them could have been improved upon.

Just as an aside, I think Montgomery Clift is one of the most beautiful men I have ever seen---at least prior to his May, 1956, car accident. (After his accident, which left his face partly paralyzed, his looks were dramatically different.) He is fabulously good-looking in this movie. And while I'm not an Elizabeth Taylor fan, I think she is stunningly beautiful here. It's easy to see how she became the major star that she did.  The two of them, who were very dear friends off camera, have incredible chemistry with one another in this film.  Their passion is real and believable...and extremely sensual.

This incredibly moving drama is out on DVD, so it should be quite easy to track down.  If you like mature, meaty, thought-provoking dramas, definitely make it a point to see A Place in the Sun.

Happy viewing!!

Odds Against Tomorrow (4 stars)

Odds Against Tomorrow, from 1959, is a racially explosive crime drama directed by Robert Wise, and starring Robert Ryan and Harry Belafonte, with Shelley Winters and Ed Begley taking on supporting roles. 

Ryan, who excelled at playing cynical, angry, unlikeable men, is Earl Slater, a feisty, bigoted, unemployed ex-con.  As the film begins, Earl visits with Dave Burke (Ed Begley), a dirty cop who has done prison time.  Dave has a plan for some quick, easy cash---the robbery of a smalltown bank some 100 miles from New York---and he invites Earl to take part in the action.  After Earl realizes that the final third of their team will consist of a black man, he's not so sure he's willing to get involved; however, broke, and ashamed that he lives off the earnings of his wife (Shelley Winters), he reconsiders.

The other third of Dave's robbery team is Johnny Ingram (Harry Belafonte), a down-on-his-luck gambler, who is deeply in debt.  Johnny immediately tells Dave he doesn't want to get involved in something illegal, but when his ex-wife and little girl are threatened by the man to whom he owes money, he feels he has no other choice.

As Dave, Earl, and Johnny make their way to the little town, for what is supposed to be an easy hold-up, the tensions are high.  Earl doesn't like the idea of working with a black man, and in the end, he doesn't trust Johnny enough to give him the keys to the getaway car, an action that just may prove to have disastrous results.

Odds Against Tomorrow is an interesting, well-acted film, though I readily admit that the ending wasn't too original---it seemed to have been copied from White Heat.  Still, though, I really enjoyed the film.  Robert Ryan was great, as always.  I absolutely love him in roles like this.  Harry Belafonte, whom I have no exposure to at all, was good as well.  And there's even an opportunity to hear him sing.

The film is out on DVD, plus it's available on Net Flix instant viewing and in several parts on You Tube.  Hope you get a chance to see it.  Happy viewing!!

The Young Savages (3 stars)

The Young Savages, from 1961, is a crime-drama starring Burt Lancaster, with Dina Merrill and Shelley Winters taking on supporting roles.  It's kind of a social message movie, in that it deals with the issue of juvenile delinquency and ethnic gang violence.

Action in the film begins immediately, as three teenage gang members approach a rival gangmember and stab him to death.  Since there were several eyewitnesses to the killing, the boys are quickly apprehended by the police and taken into custody.  They claim the killing was self-defense...that the victim had pulled a knife on them.  However, since the victim was blind, their story is not believed; add to that, with the victim being Puerto Rican and the suspects being Italian, it is believed that the killing was motivated solely by ethnic hatred.

Hank Bell (Burt Lancaster) is the attorney prosecuting the case, and his idea is to go for first degree murder.  Having grown up in the Italian neighborhood of the suspects, Hank soon discovers that one of the boys is the son of his former girlfriend, Mary DiPace (Shelley Winters), and Mary is absolutely convinced that her son, Danny, did not kill anyone.  She begs Hank to look for evidence that would prove Danny's innocence.  Now Hank is between a rock and a hard place, because the victim's neighborhood expects a conviction, as does the D.A.  For Hank to discover evidence revealing Danny didn't do it would further ignite the tensions that already exist between the two gangs...but all Hank wants is the truth.

So what is the truth?  Did the blind youth really pull a knife on the three young men?  Or are they just making that story up?  Is Danny innocent?  These are the questions that play out in the balance of the film.

The Young Savages is an interesting, hard-hitting drama, which, as I said, gets the action going immediately.  There is certainly no boredom in this film, which is available on DVD, as part of the John Frankenheimer Collection.  Incidentally, just to make clear, if you read the brief synopsis of this film on TCM, you will be expecting something totally different.  The write-up says:  "DA suspects one of the delinquents he's prosecuting for murder is his son."  That is totally misleading, as there is never any indication that one of the boys is Bell's son, nor does he even suspect it.

Anyhow, happy viewing!!!

A Patch of Blue (4 stars)

A Patch of Blue, from 1965, is a bold, powerful drama starring Sidney Poitier, Shelley Winters, and Elizabeth Hartman.  Probably considered quite controversial for its time, this hard-hitting film contains both ugly, explosive scenes and incredibly beautiful, tender ones.  I found myself lightly misty-eyed by the end of the film.

Selina D'Arcy (Elizabeth Hartman) is a young woman who, since being blinded at the age of five, has lived in a world of isolation and loneliness.  Sharing a dingy, one-room apartment with her drunken grandfather (Wallace Ford) and prostitute mother, Roseanne (Shelley Winters), Selina knows no love or warmth.  She is little more than a servant to the two elders and is continually verbally abused and told how worthless and ugly she is.

Yearning for some fresh air and sunshine, Selina escapes the prison-like apartment one day, when an acquaintance is willing to escort her to the local park.  She intends to spend the day there and then be escorted back home by her grandfather later that night.  While in the park, Selina meets Gordon Ralph (Sidney Poitier), a kind and caring man who comes to her aid after she is startled by a caterpillar falling down the back of her dress.  As Gordon spends time with Selina, he realizes that not only is she blind, but she has never been taught how to function in her blindness.  His heart goes out to her, and for the first time in years, Selina has kindness and caring lavished upon her. 

Every afternoon, Selina meets up with Gordon at the park; before long, she is in love with him.  The only thing is, Gordon is a black man, and her mother has forbidden her to ever have anything to do with black people.  When Roseanne discovers Selina's relationship with Gordon, a violent, ugly scene results, and Gordon is more determined than ever to help Selina escape the ugliness and unhappiness of her home life.  Gordon, however, is getting the "stay away from the white girl" attitude from his brother.  So, what can he possibly do to help this young woman he has come to really care about?

The acting in A Patch of Blue is terrific.  Elizabeth Hartman (who I never heard of prior to this film) gives a very touching performance as the vulnerable, love-starved blind young woman.  She received a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for her work here.  Shelley Winters, who won the Best Supporting Actress Award for her role, was quite sensational.  And Sidney Poitier, always fantastic, was very solid and believable in this film.  He is becoming one of my favorite actors...I definitely want to see more of his work.

This film was actually quite bold for its time, and that is another reason I am giving it 4 stars.  While interracial romance is totally a non-issue to most all of us nowadays, in 1965, it was definitely unacceptable.  To make a movie in which a white girl falls in love with and kisses a black man had to really unsettle audiences.  I did read on Wikipedia (which means I don't know if I deem the information totally trustworthy) that when the film was released in Southern U.S. cities, the kissing scene between Poitier and Hartman was removed.  Even without the kissing scene, though, to have a white woman telling a black man she loved him in the mid 1960's was quite bold, and such boldness gives me an even greater appreciation for this film.

A Patch of Blue is a beautiful, tender story...a definite must-see film.  It's out on DVD, so it should be quite easy to track down.  Happy viewing!!

He Ran All the Way (4 stars)

Last Friday was John Garfield's day on TCM, which gave me the opportunity to catch some of the lesser-known works of one of my absolute favorite actors.  So far, I've had the opportunity to watch He Ran All the Way, a crime-drama from 1951, which also stars Shelley Winters and co-stars Wallace Ford and Selena Royle.  He Ran All the Way was Garfield's final big-screen performance, and in my opinion, he definitely went out on top...I think he was totally fabulous in this role.

Small-time crook, Nick Robey (Garfield),  is involved in a robbery gone wrong.  Although he makes off with the targeted payroll, his partner in crime is killed and a police officer is wounded by a shot from Robey's gun.  When a manhunt ensues for the second man involved in the heist, Nick's only means of escape is to melt into the crowd, so he ducks into the nearby community swimming pool, where he meets working-girl Peggy Dobbs (Shelley Winters).  Realizing that it is in his best interests to have Peggy as an ally, Nick asks if he might see her home from the pool, a request to which Peggy agrees.

Although Peggy shares an apartment with her mom, dad, and younger brother, they have all gone out for the evening, leaving Peggy and Nick alone.  Peggy is quite attracted to Nick and comes close to kissing him; however, in short order, Nick's fear of being discovered by the police begins to consume him.  By the time the remainder of the  family returns from their outing, Nick has brandished his gun and taken the Dobbs family hostage in their own home.  Though Nick allows them to carry on as normal---work, church, shopping, etc.--- with one family member always in his gun-ready presence, no one is willing to report Nick to the police.

There are a few moments when a tender, caring side of Nick pops to the surface.  As for Peggy, she appears to really care for Nick.  But are her feelings just an act?  Or does she really want to help Nick get away? 

He Ran All the Way is very similar to the 1955 Fredric March/Humphrey Bogart film Desperate Hours, in which a family is held hostage in their home.  My husband and kids actually prefer Desperate Hours to He Ran All the Way.  For me, though, I like them both equally.  They are both 4-star films for me.

Although John Garfield's performance in He Ran All the Way is stellar and perhaps one of his best, sadly this final big screen performance did not end his career on top.  As I learned from Ben Mankiewicz's informational snippet, shortly after this film was made, Garfield found himself blacklisted in Hollywood because of his refusal to provide names in the anti-Communism hearings.  The stress of the blacklist, coupled with the bad heart he'd had all his life, caused Garfield to suffer a fatal heart attack in 1952...a great talent gone too soon, at the age of 39.

I'm not sure if this film is out on DVD; however, I know it is viewable on You Tube, so you can easily catch it there.  I definitely highly recommend it.  And for those who are John Garfield fans (as I am), you won't want to miss his final big-screen performance.  Happy viewing!!