MovieChat Forums > A Place in the Sun (1951) Discussion > Montgomery Clift with Shelley Winters?

Montgomery Clift with Shelley Winters?


Rather mismatched couple. I guess that's the plot of the movie though. Or at least the turnout bridging the second and third acts.

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In what ways do you perceive them as being "mismatched"?
George and Alice were both from humble backgrounds and approximately the same age. Both were reasonably attractive. They both worked for the same company in close proximity to one another. Although basically a "good girl", Alice was attainable. That's usually all that it takes.

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Montgomery Clift was a very handsome man, and seemed to eventually fit in with the upper class set in the film. Clift and Elizabeth Taylor made a gorgeous couple.

Shelley Winters was made to look plain and dumpy, and her character was socially awkward and uneducated. She was made to seem somewhat annoying as well, the director was quoted as saying that the audience was meant not to like her, according to TCM.

Winters and Clift seemed totally mismatched to me.

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You answered your own question. "Made to look plain and dumpy". Also a similar characterization as in Lolita.

Shelly was not an ugly woman. Clift was handsome but hardly the strong athletic type. I do not see it as a mismatch.

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What does being athletic have to do with anything?

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No. That's how I feel about him and Angela. The naive thing deserved better.

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Who is the 'naive thing'?

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Angela of course. She is pretty unworldly and I felt sorry for her.

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That's who I thought you meant.

I was just checking.

Would you say that Alice was more worldly than Angela?

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In a few ways.

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How is Angela more worldly? Both seemed naive to me, even George.

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It's the most overrated film in history. Everyone seems to love it, and some say it's their all time favorite. I don't see it. First it's so dated, and yes, there's the Shelley Winters issue. Actually the director George Stevens made Shelley dress down for this, and act so mousy and irritatingly, she herself hated that.
But I mean I love the actors: Monty, Liz, Ray, and Shelly. But this script was mediocre at best.

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I guess it depends on the viewer. I saw this as a kid and rewatched it recently and loved it. Of course I also recently rewatched A Hard Day's Night since I saw it as a teenager and I still find it boring and overrated.

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Read the novel ("An American Tragedy"). She is pathetic, and not quite in his league in appearance or intellect. Winters was well-cast and did a good job.

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