There's no denying George Stevens was a man of immense talent - his skills and dedication are all over this melodrama, with its lovingly constructed scenes, beautifully composed and full of interesting touches.
There's also no denying that every now and then you can't help mutter to yourself "get on with it". It's a simple story, sort of a classic film noir plot only where the femme fetale is quite nice -Montgomery Clift is a poor boy who luckily happens to be the nephew of a rich man, who gives him a dead end job at a factory, but just as he's about to get his heart's desire (a great promotion and Elizabeth Taylor), the girl he was banging to kill time (Shelley Winters) gets pregnant.
Some writers have said they can't find what Clift sees in Winters; I don't see that as a problem - the guy has a dull job, she's there and available - he has to have sex with something.
The lead trio of performances are excellent (with a show stopping turn from Raymond Burr as the DA - scary guy, you wouldn't want to be prosecuted by him).
Clift's nervous neuroticism was never more effective (handsome dude - but with a crook nose which we see lots of in side on profile), tormented and indecisive, all soulful torment (he comes up with such a lousy excuse for Winters' death - "I wanted to kill her but I changed my mind" - that he kind of deserves to go to the chair for that alone, even if it is the truth; I mean, what was he thinking?).
He has electric chemistry with Elizabeth Taylor, who is highly effective - she wasn't perhaps the greatest actor in the world but she works here: her beauty of course (she wears a swimsuit at times), but also the slight note of callousness (we're never sure if she genuinely loves Clift or if it's just an infatuation - the film never makes clear, which I think is at it should be). Shelley Winters is also excellent as the all too familiar sad sap - the sort of girl you only crack on to at the nightclub at two am in the morning when there's no other prospects.
The scene where she's on the boat is classic - the prospect she paints of the future for Clift ("OK so we won't have any money or any friends but we'll have each other" is such that you wouldn't blame him for chucking her in the water. Don't you love that priest at the end - "hey Monty, let's find out if do did have murder in your heart... oh, so you let her drown - well, yep that counts as murder, you're basically a killer" - just the sort of thing you need to hear before being executed.
Should also point out that even in these McCarthyism times, this film critiques capitalism - with workers shoved down the bottom of the pile, and rich Elizabeth Taylor's reputation is so important both the prosecutor and defence lawyer (Fred Clark, in a rare non comic role) agree not to mention her in court.
There's also no denying that every now and then you can't help mutter to yourself "get on with it". It's a simple story, sort of a classic film noir plot only where the femme fetale is quite nice -Montgomery Clift is a poor boy who luckily happens to be the nephew of a rich man, who gives him a dead end job at a factory, but just as he's about to get his heart's desire (a great promotion and Elizabeth Taylor), the girl he was banging to kill time (Shelley Winters) gets pregnant.
Some writers have said they can't find what Clift sees in Winters; I don't see that as a problem - the guy has a dull job, she's there and available - he has to have sex with something.
The lead trio of performances are excellent (with a show stopping turn from Raymond Burr as the DA - scary guy, you wouldn't want to be prosecuted by him).
Clift's nervous neuroticism was never more effective (handsome dude - but with a crook nose which we see lots of in side on profile), tormented and indecisive, all soulful torment (he comes up with such a lousy excuse for Winters' death - "I wanted to kill her but I changed my mind" - that he kind of deserves to go to the chair for that alone, even if it is the truth; I mean, what was he thinking?).
He has electric chemistry with Elizabeth Taylor, who is highly effective - she wasn't perhaps the greatest actor in the world but she works here: her beauty of course (she wears a swimsuit at times), but also the slight note of callousness (we're never sure if she genuinely loves Clift or if it's just an infatuation - the film never makes clear, which I think is at it should be). Shelley Winters is also excellent as the all too familiar sad sap - the sort of girl you only crack on to at the nightclub at two am in the morning when there's no other prospects.
The scene where she's on the boat is classic - the prospect she paints of the future for Clift ("OK so we won't have any money or any friends but we'll have each other" is such that you wouldn't blame him for chucking her in the water. Don't you love that priest at the end - "hey Monty, let's find out if do did have murder in your heart... oh, so you let her drown - well, yep that counts as murder, you're basically a killer" - just the sort of thing you need to hear before being executed.
Should also point out that even in these McCarthyism times, this film critiques capitalism - with workers shoved down the bottom of the pile, and rich Elizabeth Taylor's reputation is so important both the prosecutor and defence lawyer (Fred Clark, in a rare non comic role) agree not to mention her in court.
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