IMDb > Duel in the Sun (1946)
Duel in the Sun
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Duel in the Sun (1946) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.0/10   2,611 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Niven Busch (novel)
Oliver H.P. Garrett (adaptation)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Duel in the Sun on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 December 1948 (Sweden) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Emotions . . . As Violent As The Wind-Swept Prairie ! more
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. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. more
NewsDesk:
Ten Directors Share Fond Memories of the Lacma
 (From Cinematical. 3 September 2009, 9:03 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Overproduced Western Epic Is A Guilty Pleasure! more (71 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
King Vidor's Duel in the Sun (UK) (complete title) (USA) (complete title)
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Runtime:
USA:144 min (roadshow version) | USA:129 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
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:
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
David O. Selznick reportedly spent $2,000,000.00, an unheard of sum in 1946, on the promotion of this film. more
Quotes:
Pearl Chavez: Trash, trash, trash, trash, trash... more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in O ziliarogatos (1956) more
Soundtrack:
Cowboy's Dream (My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean) more

FAQ

How does the movie end?
Why was Jesse banished from Spanish Bit?
How old was Jennifer Jones when she made this movie?
more
34 out of 49 people found the following comment useful.
Overproduced Western Epic Is A Guilty Pleasure!, 25 March 2001
Author: Neil Doyle from U.S.A.

Everything about 'Duel in the Sun' is overripe: the music, the photography (those red sunsets a la GWTW), the strong emotions and the climactic duel on a blazing desert sun by the two mismatched lovers. Indeed, the excesses are almost operatic in proportion--and yet, a viewer can get caught up in this sprawling western rightly termed "Lust in the Dust" by some reviewers. The rampant sensuality of the steamy scenes between Peck and Jones are emphasized by Dimitri Tiomkin's luscious background score which becomes blistering and intense for the climactic shootout. Overproduced, overacted, overwritten--it still entertains and makes us appreciate the genius of David O. Selznick whose hand on all of the material is quite evident. Jennifer Jones was nominated for her tempestuous Pearl Chavez (but lost to Olivia de Havilland for 'To Each His Own'). Lillian Gish deserved her Oscar nomination. And last but not least, let's not forget Walter Huston, who gives the most realistic and enjoyable performance in the entire film as The Sin Killer--a wickedly funny portrayal. Weakest aspect of the film is Gregory Peck's easygoing villain--his whole performance strikes a false note and is not the least bit convincing. He and Joseph Cotten should have switched their roles--Cotten always made a more believable villain than Peck. Selznick obviously was striving to make a western on the level of GWTW--even including Butterfly McQueen for comic relief. All in all, fun to watch if you don't take any of it seriously. Not exactly a work of art--but definitely worth watching. And, oh, that ripe technicolor!

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Nice use of the Rubayait of Omar Khayam..... BoomerMovieFan
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Song during spanish dance scene? yah870
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