Some serious 50s cinema - George Stevens at his most post-war, Montgomery Clift at his most moody lonely young man. This was a breakthrough for Elizabeth Taylor and also Shelley Winters - Winters is particularly superb. Taylor is pretty good too. Clift was never better as the handsome loner.
This has been called a seering indictment of capitalism. I don't think it is, not really. Maybe I'm missing something. Rather it's about aristocracy. Taylor is an aristocrat, Clift is an impoverished aristocrat, Winters is a peasant. Clift is marking time until he can get royal favour (he could always work his own way up somewhere else but he's basically trying to get a short cut by going via his uncle, yes). He's bored so he roots Winters. He falls for Taylor, a fellow aristocrat - both gorgeous. Then Winters his pregnant so Clift has to crush a peasant revolt. He can't go through with it but still gets caught.
Whatever the social commentary it is a first rate melodrama with big stars and beautiful images. You can hear the audience watching this devouring popcorn going "oh... she's making a mistake... aw, they're so pretty... if only he'd been honest... it's sad he died... but he had to."
The scenes between Taylor and Clift have remarkable heat. Fred Clark and especially Raymond Burr are excellent lawyers.
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