A Place in the Sun: The Movie That Entwined Elizabeth Taylor & Montgomery Clift
Class | Registration opens 11/12/2025 12:00 PM EDT
Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift were arguably the two most beautiful people in Hollywood’s Golden Age. They first met on the set of A Place in the Sun (1951), a film Charlie Chaplin once called “the greatest movie ever made about America.” Directed by George Stevens, the picture was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won five, including Best Director.
At just 17, a starry-eyed Elizabeth Taylor was cast opposite international heartthrob Montgomery Clift — much to his surprise, since he knew her mainly from her early Lassie films. What began as a professional pairing blossomed into one of the most remarkable and tragic friendships in Hollywood history.
- Session 1 – The Players: An introduction to Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift, Shelley Winters, director George Stevens, composer Franz Waxman and costume designer Edith Head.
- Session 2 – The Film: A full screening of A Place in the Sun (2 hours).
- Session 3 – Beyond the Screen: The enduring relationship between Monty and Liz, scene analysis, the origins of the story and group discussion.
John Peterman
After serving for 23 years as head of an elementary school in Massachusetts, John Peterman turned his attention to creating lifelong learning courses focused on history and the entertainment industry. Throughout his life, John has been a public speaker and a mid-20th-century music and film enthusiast. Over the past few years, he has offered courses at AIL, Center for the Arts, Osher at Dartmouth, New London Barn Playhouse and OLLI at UNH.