Duel in the Sun (1946)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

King Vidor

Writers:

Niven Busch (novel)
Oliver H.P. Garrett (adaptation)

Release Date:

8 December 1948 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Western

Tagline:

Emotions . . . As Violent As The Wind-Swept Prairie !

Plot:

Beautiful half-breed Pearl Chavez becomes the ward of her dead father's first love and finds herself torn between her sons, one good and the other bad.

Plot Keywords:

Shooting | Half Breed | Texas | Desert | Loss Of Father

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Jennifer Jones	...	Pearl Chavez
Joseph Cotten	...	Jesse McCanles
Gregory Peck	...	Lewton 'Lewt' McCanles
Lionel Barrymore	...	Sen. Jackson McCanles
Herbert Marshall	...	Scott Chavez
Lillian Gish	...	Laura Belle McCanles
Walter Huston	...	The Sinkiller
Charles Bickford	...	Sam Pierce
Harry Carey	...	Lem Smoot
Joan Tetzel	...	Helen Langford
Tilly Losch	...	Mrs. Chavez
Butterfly McQueen	...	Vashti
Scott McKay	...	Sid
Otto Kruger	...	Mr. Langford
Sidney Blackmer	...	The Lover

Also Known As:

King Vidor's Duel in the Sun (UK) (complete title) (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

USA:144 min (roadshow version) | USA:129 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Iceland:12 | USA:Approved (PCA #11649) | West Germany:16 (nf) | Finland:K-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (video rating) (1986) | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Company:

Vanguard Films

Trivia:

Jennifer Jones scraped and cut herself quite badly during the scene where she crawls over the rocks and dirt.

Quotes:

Laura Belle McCanles: [to Pearl] Neither your father nor I found happiness in this world, and I'm afraid neither will you.

Movie Connections:

Featured in A Conversation with Gregory Peck (1999)

Soundtrack:

I've Been Working on the Railroad

More Drama Than Western

For those who prefer soap operas instead of horse operas, this western might be for you. If you prefer the normal action-packed western you'll still might enjoy this if you have the patience to go past the first hour. The second half of the this far more interesting.

Jennifer Jones, who became famous playing some wholesome roles in the '40s, was the definition of "sultry" in this movie. She really demonstrates the weakness of the flesh that human beings deal with many times. She wants to be good, but succumbs quickly to temptations almost every time.

Gregory Peck also plays against type, playing an arrogant pig in this movie. It was the first time I had ever seen him play the bad guy, and it looked strange. Lionel Barrymore also shines as the bigoted tyrant-type father. Who was the "good guy?" Joseph Cotten, who almost always gives a good performance as the other actors just named. Add Herbert Marshall, Lillian Gish, Walter Huston and Charles Bickford and you have some cast!

Some of the cinematography is nice, too, reminiscent of film noirs with the shadows and light and a number of night scenes.

Yet, despite all these positive things going for it, it is not a film I would watch many times because it drags in spots and is too long (app. 2 hours, 20 minutes). It also gave a cheap shot to the traveling lay preacher in here, but that's nothing new in films.

All in all, not one of my favorites. I guess I would rather see Jones and Peck play "good guys."