George Stevens
George Stevens
RANKED:
5. The More the Merrier (1943)
Centering on a romance between a landlady and her tenant during the Washington D.C. housing crisis in the middle of the second World War, 1943's "The More the Merrier" signaled an end to an era for both director George Stevens and lead actress Jean Arthur. The two made the film to complete their contract in full to Columbia Pictures. After making this comedy, Stevens traveled to North Africa with the U.S. Army's combat photography unit and after his return, would never make another comedy again. As for Jean Arthur, who is the one who got this whole production off the ground, her contract with Columbia was concluded and she would go on to only make 4 more films until her retirement in 1953 after teaming up one last time with George Stevens to make his iconic "Shane."
4. Shane (1953)
George Stevens' classic Western "Shane" became nationally beloved upon its release in 1953, particularly the film's emotional ending. The film tells the story of Shane, a rogue gunslinger who takes a job as a ranch hand for a Wyoming family in 1889. When a ruthless cattle baron hires henchman to harass the family off of their land, Shane takes it upon himself to protect the family. Although the film didn't exactly break any box office records, its influence on other works in the Western genre was palpable. Not only this, it had a great influence on American popular culture in the 1950s and the final forlonging screams of the titular characters' name is often referenced as one of cinema's greatest quotes.
3. Swing Time (1936)
As George Stevens' career in Hollywood was just starting to begin, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers' collaboration was coming to a close. 1936's "Swing Time" was the sixth of the ten films starring the iconic dancing duo, however it was the last great commercial standout. In fact, it is this and "Top Hat" from the year prior that cements Astaire and Rogers icon status. There are scenes, images, and dances from "Swing Time" that live on in the halls of film history to this day. Perhaps the zenith of their collaboration, "Swing Time" spares no expense and is considered the best dancing the duo ever put onto the film screen.
2. A Place in the Sun (1951)
With 1951's "A Place in the Sun," George Stevens was able to get his second wind as a Hollywood studio director, which ignited perhaps his greatest artistic period. "A Place in the Sun," adapted from a 1925 novel about a real-life murder, stars Montgomery Clift as a man desperate to attain the usher echelons of wealth and comfort through his attempts to romance Elizabeth Taylor's Angela, a young socialite. In order to secure his arrangement, he must first murder his pregnant fiancé. The film is a dark and uncomfortable reflection of the American Dream and the moral collapse of attaining a higher economic class. It was also reflective of the 'noir' trend in Hollywood at the time, as it paralleled the themes regarding the corruption of one's soul to maintain themselves in a modern American landscape.
1. Giant (1956)
Everything about George Stevens's 1956 film "Giant" is larger than life: its title, its stars, its setting, its runtime, and its scope. Centering on a couple trying to start a family on a West Texas 500,000 acre cattle ranch, "Giant" spends its runtime guiding the viewer through an entire lifespan of its characters. Despite being a film set in and about Texas, its main themes and ideas are about America itself, especially its lofty ambitions at the time of the film's release. Everything about "Giant's" central characters are larger-than-life, along with their aspirations. However, as the characters realize through the journey of their lives, their grand schemes and big ideas must be compromised by the changing landscape that time ushers in. As much as one would like to control what happens to them, you cannot change the oncoming tides of time. Life is just too 'giant' to try and grasp only for yourself.
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