A PERSONAL VIEW (PARANOIA–VIEW ART)

A Place in the Sun by George Stevens

A prominent avant-garde filmmaker, Tomislav Gotovac, one of the pioneers of the European »second avant-garde«, presents in an essay his personal (»paranoic«), highly detailed view of one of his favourite films. The essay is basically a textual collage, compiled out of different types of texts. He sets out by giving basic information about the film, about George Stevens and his collaborators (William C. Mellor, William W. Hornbeck, and Franz Waxman).

The following paragraphs offer some dialogue excerpts from the film ending with several quotes by Stevens and other writers on Stevens (Maltin). Important part of the essay are analytical listings of some repetitive iconographic elements in the film (pictures of women in the film, presence of water, names of the main characters appearing written down within different scenes; constant use of public means of communication — radio, telephone, newspapers, cinemas), some sound »phonography« (the presence of numerous musical themes by Waxman; repetitive presence of radio sound in the background of many scenes, loon’s hooting, Alice’s car horn), and some insistent stylistic elements (picture dissolving, sound merging, déjà vu, shot-sequences).

The authors also gives a list of films that refer to A Place in the Sun (Gotovac calls them »film essays on A Place in the Sun«): A Man Escaped and Picpocket by Robert Bresson, and A bout de souffle by Jean-Luc Godard. Finally, in conclusion of the essay Gotovac gives a statement on the importance of Stevens.

Tomislav Gotovac