"Suddenly Last Summer"(1959) - Creepy, confusing and not quite there.....Watching this film as a pre-teen on late night television, I was left feeling like I wasn't getting something...It couldn't mean what I thought it might mean? Plus, there was awkwardness in the performances - which was odd for several of my favorite actors. The editing was strange and the performances seemed stilted, as if everyone was stepping carefully on their own lines.
Watching much later as an adult, I still had the same feeling. No one was really saying anything as they stumbled around being uncomfortable. Montgomery Clift is the only one who appears sedate and translucent in his scenes. His character is the calm sense of reason while everyone around him has secrets. Unfortunately, the flashbacks aren't dreamy enough and take up too much screen time, the editing is a little rough and the voice over 'tells' the story instead of the film 'showing' what happened.
"A Place in The Sun" (1951) - Delightfully trashy and over dramatic, this film brings the expertise of Director George Stevens (Guanga Din, Giant) and the naive temperance of Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor and newcomer Shirley Shrift (now calling herself Shelley Winters) into small scenes full of human drama. Focused so much in their own worlds, as young people often do, these three become a sad, lonely, uncertain triangle. Emotion fills the screen. So much fun to watch every so often, it never looses its intriguing features of showing off these talents and creating a terrific movie.
The real life attraction and love
between Monty and Liz
is palpable in every scene they share.
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