I think the 1952 Oscars should have been a two-pronged race between Streetcar and A Place In the Sun with the latter winning top honors because it is the all around superior film, which also happens to stand up best against the test of time.ĭirected by the great, if underappreciated George Stevens, A Place in the Sun is a powerful social drama with universal themes that remain relevant to varying degrees – outsiders searching for the American Dream at all costs, social inequality, class distinctions and such controversial topics as pre-marital sex, abortion and the death penalty. I much prefer Gene Kelly dancing in New York – or a barn for that matter – than in Paris.
While I enjoy An American in Paris it is not even close to my favorite musical. I would have given the honor to the movie that received nine nods, Stevens’ A Place in the Sun.
But, I would have chosen neither of those as Best Motion Picture that year. Paris received eight whereas Elia Kazan’s brilliantly acted, A Streetcar Named Desire got twelve. It was Minnelli’s An American in Paris that took home the Oscar for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) despite the fact it didn’t receive the most nominations. The nominees for Best Motion Picture in 1952 for film achievements in 1951 were Vincente Minnelli’s An American in Paris, Anatole Litvak’s Decision Before Dawn, George Stevens’ A Place in the Sun, Mervyn LeRoy’s Quo Vadis, and Elia Kazan’s A Streetcar Named Desire.
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