"Acting Surprisingly Brilliant"

"A Place in the Sun" is based on the Theodore Dreiser novel "An American Tragedy." a dramatic story with overtones reflecting on the social set-up of the American scene during the 1920's. Always a superb novel for en adaptation to the screen, and if the producer had had the guts to remain in the 20's and retain all the social implications of the novel, this "A Place in the Sun" would have been an excellent film. All we getf however, is a realistic love story (there are a few attempts at something deeper, but they are very half-hearted) that Hollywood has produced before.

Let me give a few examples of this regrettable "watering down." In the novel George (the name has been changed) was the son of a couple of poor Preachers for God who spent more than half of their time working themselves up into passions of piety than they did looking after the body or soul of their son. First watering: Apart from a few glances the producers never let us see George's early life, so when he gets to the higher and wider life (socially) we never see the full strength of his social dilemma. Second watering: Ambitious George's reception at the Eastman residence is far from hostile whereas in the novel it is, which causes his ambition for a higher social status to become even more tense. So, in the novel when confronted with a pregnant factory worker on his bands, George "murders" her because nothing must hinder his social climbing. The "murder" that is committed by the George of the novel was what has been described as a "biological accident" or a crime of the nation. Can one say that of the "murder" by the film's principal? No! Love for Angela is the main motive here.

And, finally, for the last "watering down": Angela has a last passionate scene with George before he departs, declaring her love. This was impossible in the book, because an affair with a working girl was almost worse than the crime itself. But it in good to see that the moral question of willing or committing an act of murder is retained and bravely dealt with.

Thus, "A Place in the Sun" is not an "American tragedy." Perhaps, the producers have overcome any difficulties of American propaganda by bringing the story forward to a time when there is less class distinction; but I wish they had stayed back in the twenties where they could have made a greater job of this film.

Producer Stevens has not been entirely successful, but I can say without hesitation that Director Stevens is the best director of the year. He has given us a film that has moments of great beauty, intellectual excitement, and technical audacity. His technical virtuosity never replaces sincerity and a real passion for the subject, and, according to an American friend. Stevens' picture of American life—even to the love-habits and the trial scene—is the most faithful and penetrating he has seen. But what impresses me most is Stevens' use of the camera for emotional power. The most successful device is the connection of events isolated in narrative and time by long-lingering dissolves, a device which emphasises the emotional unity and symbolical retention of the sequences. Long-shots are frequently used, with actors facing away from the camera, which remains stationary throughout the scene, like someone eavesdropping. George's birthday party with Alice, and Alice's interview with the doctor, when she is seeking an abortion, are fine examples of this technique. The finest piece of the cinema is the "murder" sequence where both the slow dissolve and long shot devices are used. Glimpses of the events of the day and evening are bound together to the beat of mood-music and everything adds up to a great suspense uncommon in films. But there is much in this picture that Is unusual. Barking dogs during telephone conversations, for example. Also an effective use of contemporary popular music (my American friend says the piece was not "Mona Lisa," but one prior and similar to it) of the "40's to show the universality of the young couple's love. However, I did not care for the huge close-ups which seemed to show more of the sebaceous glands than anything else. And for me, the trial scene did not ring true, especially the magnificent leap into a rowboat by the crippled prosecutor.

The acting, to be quite frank, is surprisingly brilliant. Top place goes to Shelley Winters as the lonesome factory worker, her scene with the doctor being the finest acting I've seen since "Streetcar." Montgomery Clift as the weak, confused, and ambitious youth is almost as good as Miss Winters and better than his performance in "The Heiress." If it weren't for Brando in "Streetcar," Clift would get my prize for the best actor of the year. Elizabeth Taylor succeeds in conveying real passion and love in difficult sequences.

A lot of artistry and talent have been spent on a film that could have been great but for its lack of faithfulness to the social realism of Dreiser's novel. But shall we give it the rare privilege of calling it an almost great love story with a unique moral twist? "A Place in the Sun" has some watery patches, but it is very well worth seeing.

"The African Queen

We get sun and water, gin and water, and all the rest of it too when we go adventuring In Africa with Bogart and Hepburn in "The African Queen." I haven't read C. S. Forester's novel, but a learned friend tells me that it had a happy ending and that really it is nothing but a good-natured fairy tale. A very disappointing subject for Director John Huston who with "Key Largo," "Red Badge of Courage" and "Treasure of Sierra Madre" has built up a reputatation as an intelligent tackier of solid stuff about conflicts of passions and wills. But on second thoughts a director is entitled to a light diversion, a holiday in Africa, once in a while, because after all a good comedy is just as much a work of art as any tragedy. That's providing, of course, that the director temporarily forgets his old style.

But Huston doesn't. It's not much to his credit that until just before the end I wasn't quite suite whether I was watching a high-adventure fantasy or a grimly-realistle story of conflicts. Because in fact we get two distinct types of treatment; at times there is a careful attention to-detail (with musical re-inforcements) so that we almost experience the hardships of "The African Queen's" crew; but at other times the mood becomes hilarious, with realism thrown overboard when there's plenty of room for it. I mean, if you are going to have the stuff you may as well be consistent and use it Every Time it's necessary. If you want a fairy tale don't use it at all. (Of course, realism does not exclude humour.)

But we must give credit where credit is due. Huston handles the local landscape and animals well and there's none of this "grafted documentary" appearance that we've seen too often lately. And from his players he extracts brilliant performances. (I've used that adjective a lot but I think I'm justified.) It's hard to choose between Bogart's gin-swilling ruffian and Katherine Hepburn's prim stifflace.