30 Years of Brilliance: 1930-1959
George Stevens is notable as a creator of classic US cinema. He was nominated five times for an Academy Award as Best Director, winning twice, and six of the movies he produced and directed were mominated for Best Picture Oscars.
Each of Stevns's films has his unique stamp. He was a craftsman with an eye for detail and the ability to create a credible world onscreen for his characters to inhabit. 'Shane' in 1953, an undisputed classic, has Alan Ladd playing the charismatic hero who leads a group of small-scale farmers against a despotic rancher. With its epic use of landscape and excellent performances all around, it remains one of the most popular of all Westerns. Another of Stevens's talents was his ability to get the best from his cast, eliciting compelling performances from some of Hollywood's greatest actors.
Perhaps Stevens developed such flair during his early apprenticeship: he was a child actor before entering films as a cameraman, and began directing comedy shorts in the early 1930's. His first significant feature was 'Alice Adams' in 1935, a comedy based on Booth Tarkington's novel about the social pretensions of small-town Americans. Later, working with established stars, Stevens showed what he could do with a witty script and excellent performers. 'Swing Time' in 1936 starred Astaire and Rogers at the height of their fame. In rapid succession he directed 'Quality Street' and 'A Damsel in Distress' in 1937 and 'Vivacious Lady' in 1938.
During World War II Stevens joined the Army Signal Corps and filmed dramatic war footage such as the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. His war experiences, however, left him in a more serious mood. 'A Place in the Sun' in 1951 starred Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in a version of Theodore Dreiser's somber novel of social realism. He followed this with 'Giant' in 1956 , starring James Dean, which won Stevens a Best director Oscar.
Stevens's meticulous working methods meant that he made fewer films. 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' in 1965, his epic version of the Gospels, was slow-moving and overly reverential, and his reputation went into decline.
