A Place in the Sun

Theodore Dreiser's novel An American Tragedy, initially adapted by Paramount Pictures and directed by Josef von Sternberg in 1931, serves as the basis for George Stevens’ drama about an impossible love triangle that inevitably ends in tragedy. The film stars Montgomery Clift, a relative newcomer with just five prior credits, alongside Elizabeth Taylor, by then a massive teenage star and a ten-year Hollywood veteran. Paramount's second version of Dreiser's harrowing story was released to commercial and critical acclaim, garnering multiple awards and nominations. Upon seeing A Place in the Sun, Charlie Chaplin called it “the greatest movie ever made about America.”