George Stevens

“George Stevens could do anything,” said veteran Hollywood producer Pandro S. Berman, “break your heart or make you laugh.”
Winner of two Best Director Oscars—for A Place in the Sun (1951) and Giant (1956)—Stevens excelled in a range of genres, gave luster to some of Hollywood’s brightest stars and was revered by his peers. Yet his work has been largely neglected by critics and scholars.
This career retrospective highlights Stevens’ achievements, particularly in his sweeping “American Dream” trilogy (A Place in the Sun, Shane (1953) and Giant). His recurrent themes and characteristic style reveal a progressive attitude towards women’s experiences and highlight the continued relevance of his films today.

Neil Sinyard is an emeritus professor of film studies at the University of Hull in the United Kingdom. He is the author of 25 books on film, including studies of directors such as William Wyler, Fred Zinnemann, Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock and Steven Spielberg.

Neil Sinyard
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 222
Bibliographic Info: filmography, discography, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2019
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7775-3
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3660-3
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments ix
Chronology 1
Introduction: Hollywood Giant 5
One • The RKO Period, 1935–1940 11
Two • Men in Chaos, 1941–1943 57
Three • From World War to Cold War, 1943–1948 90
Four • Interlude, 1948–1951 93
Five • The American Dream, 1951–1956 116
Six • The Final Years, 1959–1969 177
Conclusion: Anything Else? 193
Filmography 195
Discography 203
Bibliography 205
Index 209