Editing George Stevens (section)

===1951–1956: The ''American Trilogy''===
====''A Place in the Sun''====
{{Main|A Place in the Sun (1951 film)}} 
Stevens had first read [[Theodore Dreiser]]'s 1925 novel ''[[An American Tragedy]]'' during its first year of publication. He reread the novel in 1945 and approached Paramount Pictures, which had produced a [[An American Tragedy (film)|1931 filmed version]], about a new adaptation. [[Barney Balaban]], president of Paramount, declined believing an adaptation would not be popular with audiences and due to Dreiser's alleged Communist affiliation.<ref>{{harvnb|Moss|2004|p=143}}, {{harvnb|Cronin|2004|p=69}}</ref> Paramount also found potential copyright infringement with [[Patrick Kearney (playwright)|Patrick Kearney]]'s play adaptation of Dreiser's novel. Frustrated, Stevens filed a lawsuit accusing Paramount violating his studio contract. In 1949, Paramount relented and Stevens advanced the project into development, in which he hired [[Michael Wilson (writer)|Michael Wilson]] to write the script. Wilson submitted a first draft by April 1949, and [[Harry Brown (writer)|Harry Brown]] was hired for rewrites.{{sfn|Moss|2004|pp=151–156}} 

Inspired by a 1909 murder trial, the film tells of an unmarried pregnant woman who is murdered by her boyfriend after he falls in love with a wealthy socialite—albeit with the characters renamed. [[Montgomery Clift]], [[Elizabeth Taylor]], and [[Shelley Winters]] were cast in the lead roles, and filming began on October 4, 1949 on the Paramount backlot and then moved to [[Lake Tahoe]], [[Nevada]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1949/09/30/archives/novel-by-dreiser-will-be-refilmed-an-american-tragedy-listed-for.html |title=Novel By Dreiser Will Be Refilmed |work=The New York Times |page=29 |date=September 30, 1949 |access-date=April 22, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250505183247/https://www.nytimes.com/1949/09/30/archives/novel-by-dreiser-will-be-refilmed-an-american-tragedy-listed-for.html |archive-date=May 5, 2025 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live}}</ref> As customary, Stevens meticulously filmed multiple takes with the actors stretching over several hours. Winters explained in her memoir, "Stevens would print the first take, then spend the next three hours minutely rehearsing the scene, then film it again."{{sfn|Winters|1980|p=276}} After several title suggestions, Ivan Moffat selected the title ''A Place in the Sun'', which had been based on [[Weltpolitik|a phrase]] used by German Foreign Secretary [[Bernhard von Bülow]].{{sfn|Moss|2004|p=165}} 

After nineteen months in post-production, ''A Place in the Sun'' premiered at the Fine Arts Theatre in Los Angeles, and received nationwide critical acclaim.{{sfn|Moss|2004|pp=165–166}} [[A. H. Weiler]] of ''The New York Times'' applauded the performances of the cast and believed the film was "a work of beauty, tenderness, power and insight."<ref>{{cite news |last=Weiler |first=A. H. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/08/29/archives/the-screen-dreiser-novel-makes-moving-film-a-place-in-the-sun-based.html |title=The Screen: Dreiser Novel Makes Moving Picture |work=The New York Times |page=20 |date=August 29, 1951 |access-date=April 22, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221121223042/https://www.nytimes.com/1951/08/29/archives/the-screen-dreiser-novel-makes-moving-film-a-place-in-the-sun-based.html |archive-date=November 21, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> ''Variety'' also applauded: "Stevens has obviously given tremendous thought to every nuance of his own direction to get credibility, movement and all the touches that contribute to making a good film a fine art form."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Golden |first=Herb |url=https://archive.org/details/variety183-1951-07/page/n191/mode/1up |title=Film Reviews: A Place in the Sun |magazine=Variety |page=6 |date=July 18, 1951 |access-date=April 22, 2025 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> By January 1952, ''A Place in the Sun'' had earned $3.5 million in box office rentals in the United States and Canada.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Top Grossers of 1951|url=https://archive.org/stream/variety185-1952-01#page/n69/mode/2up/|magazine=Variety|page=70|date=January 2, 1952|access-date=April 22, 2025}}</ref> The film won six Academy Awards, including Stevens who was awarded the [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director Oscar]]. 

While editing ''A Place in the Sun'', Stevens accepted an offer to direct ''[[Something to Live For (film)|Something to Live For]]'' (1952). The script had been written by [[Dwight Taylor (writer)|Dwight Taylor]], which was partially based on his actress mother [[Laurette Taylor]] and her struggle with alcoholism. [[Joan Fontaine]] portrays her onscreen equivalent, Jenny Carey, who finds an intimate connection with Alan Miller ([[Ray Milland]]), a former alcoholic who is a married man with two children and a pregnant wife. Shooting began in May 1950, but the film was shelved after a preview in August 1951. The film was released in March 1952 to poor critical and audience reception.<ref>{{harvnb|Moss|2004|p=175}}; {{harvnb|Sinyard|2019|p=103}}</ref>  

====''Shane''====
{{Main|Shane (film)}} 
{{Quote box|width=25em|quote="As time went on, however, I kept feeling I should do a picture about [[World War II|the war]]—all the other guys had done or were doing pictures about their war experiences, [John] Ford, [John] Huston, Wyler, and so on. And here I was avoiding the subject. Until I found ''Shane''—it was a Western, but it was really my war picture. The cattlemen against the ranchers, the gunfighter, the wide-eyed little boy, it was pretty clear to ''me'' what it was about."|source=—Stevens, 1974{{sfn|Cronin|2004|p=116}}}}

During the fall of 1949, Paramount had purchased the film rights to the Western novel ''[[Shane (novel)|Shane]]'' by [[Jack Schaefer]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Paramount Gets Option on Novel: to Enact Title Role|first=Thomas F.|last=Brady|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 1, 1950|access-date=April 22, 2025|page=42|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/03/01/archives/paramount-gets-option-on-novel-to-enact-title-role.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250120094928/https://www.nytimes.com/1950/03/01/archives/paramount-gets-option-on-novel-to-enact-title-role.html|archive-date=January 20, 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Henry Ginsberg]], Paramount's head of production, then sent a memo to Stevens, asking if he was interested in directing ''Shane'' as a possible [[Alan Ladd]] vehicle.{{sfn|Moss|2004|pp=177–178}} Stevens's son [[George Stevens Jr.|George Jr.]] has claimed he read the novel at age 17, and successfully convinced his father by telling him what "a really good story" it was.<ref name=":3" /><ref name="ShaneDirectorTookontheWestern">{{cite news |last=Christiansen |first=Richard |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2000/08/13/shane-director-took-on-the-western-and-won/ |title='Shane' Director Took on the Western and Won |work=Chicago Tribune |date=August 13, 2000 |access-date=April 22, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519190835/https://www.chicagotribune.com/2000/08/13/shane-director-took-on-the-western-and-won/ |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |url-status=live |url-access=limited}}</ref>

Montgomery Clift was Stevens's first choice for the title character while [[William Holden]] was intended for Joe Starrett. However, both actors dropped out thus Stevens picked Alan Ladd after looking at a list of Paramount's contract players. [[Van Heflin]] was cast as Joe Starrett, and Jean Arthur portrayed Starrett's wife Marion. The role of their son Joey was given to child actor [[Brandon deWilde]], whose perspective the film draws from.<ref>{{harvnb|Moss|2004|p=191}}, {{harvnb|Oller|1997|p=198}}</ref> 

''Shane'' (1953) follows the title gunfighter as he protects a family of homesteaders against antagonistic cattle ranchers.{{sfn|Moss|2004|p=178}} To ensure historical authenticity, Stevens hired [[Joe De Yong]] as a consultant. Because De Yong was deaf and mute, he illustrated scenic etchings and improved the colloquialism. Principal photography began in July 1951 near [[Jackson Hole]], [[Wyoming]] and ended on October 19 after filming the interior scenes on a soundstage. Stevens spent fifteen months editing the film.{{sfn|Moss|2004|pp=190–193}} Alarmed that Stevens had went over budget, Paramount considered selling the film to RKO Pictures but the deal fell through.{{sfn|Oller|1997|p=200}} 

''Shane'' premiered at the Radio City Music Hall on April 23, 1953. For the premiere, Paramount projected the film, which had been shot in the [[Academy ratio]] (1.37:1), in a widescreen 1.66:1 aspect ratio.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/variety190-1953-04/page/n98/mode/1up?q=shane |title=Par's Widescreen 'Shane' Plans |magazine=Variety |pages=3, 22 |date=April 8, 1953 |access-date=April 22, 2025 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> By January 1954, the film had earned $8 million in box office rentals in the United States and Canada.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/variety193-1954-01/page/n300/mode/1up |title=Top Grossers of 1953 |page=10 |magazine=Variety |date=January 13, 1954 |access-date=April 22, 2025 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> At the [[26th Academy Awards|1954 Academy Awards]], the film earned five nominations including for Best Picture, but lost to [[Fred Zinneman]]'s ''[[From Here to Eternity]]'' (1953). [[Loyal Griggs]] won for [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography – Color]].{{sfn|Oller|1997|p=202}} 

====''Giant''====
{{Main|Giant (1956 film)}} 
In February 1952, as he was editing ''Shane'', Stevens formed an independent production company, Giant Productions. Despite disagreements over ''A Place in the Sun'' (1951), he selected Henry Ginsberg as his creative partner. Meanwhile, [[Edna Ferber]]'s novel ''Giant'' had been first serialized in ''[[Ladies' Home Journal]]'' before [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] published it in the fall of 1952. In December 1952, they made Ferber an offer to acquire the film rights.<ref>{{harvnb|Moss|2004|pp=205–206}}; {{harvnb|Gilbert|2024|p=196}}</ref> Spurred by the success of ''Shane'', negotiations between Stevens and [[Warner Bros.]] were completed on July 29, 1953.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/07/30/archives/stevens-to-make-giant-at-warners-studio-acquires-third-ferber-novel.html |title=Stevens To Make 'Giant' at Warners |work=The New York Times |page=20 |date=July 30, 1953 |access-date=April 22, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250505183916/https://www.nytimes.com/1953/07/30/archives/stevens-to-make-giant-at-warners-studio-acquires-third-ferber-novel.html |archive-date=May 5, 2025 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live}}</ref> By November 1953, Giant Productions acquired the film rights. In December, the contract was finalized, in which it had been stipulated Warner Bros. would produce and distribute the film. Stevens, Ferber and Ginsberg however would take no upfront salary but would share 50 percent of the profits after the studio had recouped its production and distribution costs.<ref>{{harvnb|Moss|2004|p=207}}, {{harvnb|Gilbert|2024|p=200}}</ref> 

[[File:George Stevens at Giant premiere.jpg|thumb|250px|Left to right: [[George Stevens Jr.]], his father, George Stevens, and composer [[Dimitri Tiomkin]] at the premiere of ''Giant'', October 11, 1956]]

Stevens hired Ivan Moffat and Fred Guiol to write preliminary treatments and eventually a 350-paged first draft screenplay was written. According to Stevens, he presented the draft to Ferber in New York. While she complimented the draft, Ferber insisted on the script's fidelity to her novel. On June 20, 1954, Ferber flew out to Los Angeles and volunteered to write unsalaried on the script adaptation. After eleven weeks, she submitted her draft on August 8, which Stevens regarded as more of a treatment bereft in visuals.<ref>{{harvnb|Moss|2004|pp=209–212}}, {{harvnb|Gilbert|2024|pp=212–222}}</ref> Stevens and the screenwriters resumed their own collaboration and pared the script down to 240 pages.{{sfn|Cronin|2004|p=104}} 

An extensive casting search for the three main leads—Jordan "Bick" Benedict, Leslie Lynnton Benedict, and Jett Rink—eventually settled on [[Rock Hudson]], [[Elizabeth Taylor]], and [[James Dean]]. Interior filming began on May 1955 on the Warner Bros. studio backlot. The production next moved to [[Keswick, Virginia]] for the exterior scenes set in Maryland. On June 4, they relocated to [[Marfa, Texas]] for the duration of the production.{{sfn|Moss|2004|p=217}} In addition with Stevens's preference for extensive coverage, the initial 72-day filming shoot fell behind schedule due to Taylor's illness bouts and Dean's frequent tardiness to the set.{{sfn|Moss|2004|pp=216–220}} On September 30, Dean was killed in a car crash near [[Cholame, California]] on [[California State Route 41|Route 41]]. Dean had completed his scenes, though his dialogue tracks were considered inaudible. Stevens hired [[Nick Adams (actor, born 1931)|Nick Adams]] to reloop Dean's lines. By mid-October 1955, principal photography was finished.{{sfn|Gilbert|2024|pp=307–308}} 

''Giant'' premiered at the [[Roxy Theatre (New York City)|Roxy Theatre]] in New York on October 11, 1956. It earned $12 million in box office rentals. James Powers of ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' called the film "a monumental drama as big and inspiring as the locale for which it is named, Texas. Giant in size, giant in ambition, giant in the human emotions that are generated by the massive forces of nature and human development that make up the peculiarly American sub-nation, Texas, this picture readily takes its place with the handful of screen epics."<ref>{{cite news |last=Powers |first=James |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/giant-review-1956-film-936178/ |title='Giant': THR's 1956 Review |work=The Hollywood Reporter |orig-date=November 24, 1956 |date=October 11, 2016 |access-date=April 22, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305215602/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/giant-review-1956-film-936178/ |archive-date=March 5, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> At the [[29th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]], the film received ten nominations, though it lost Best Picture to ''[[Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)|Around the World in 80 Days]]'' (1956). Stevens nevertheless won his second Best Director Oscar.{{sfn|Gilbert|2024|pp=338–339}} He was also the recipient of the year's [[Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film|Screen Directors Guild Award for Best Feature Film]].<ref name="StevensDGA">{{cite news |last=Pryor |first=Thomas M. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1957/02/04/archives/6-directors-cited-at-screen-dinner-george-stevens-receives-top.html |title=6 Directors Cited at Screen Dinner |work=The New York Times |page=15 |date=February 4, 1957 |access-date=April 22, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250505184332/https://www.nytimes.com/1957/02/04/archives/6-directors-cited-at-screen-dinner-george-stevens-receives-top.html |archive-date=May 5, 2025 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:George_Stevens_with_Oscar_for_Giant.jpg|thumb|right|225px|Stevens with his Oscar for directing ''[[Giant (1956 film)|Giant]]'', 1957]]

The films—''A Place in the Sun'', ''Shane'', and ''Giant''—have retrospectively been described as Stevens's ''American Trilogy''.{{sfn|Cronin|2004|p=x}} Biographer Neil Sinyard described the films as "deeply American stories, infused with a unique sense of landscape and character that make up the personality of the country [...] At the core of each one is an outsider striving for assimilation and the promise  that the country offers and whose aspirations become tantalizing close to fulfilment, but whose ultimate dream of success and happiness will elude his grasp."{{sfn|Sinyard|2019|p=116}}