Duel in the Sun Movie Review
Duel in the Sun, A Passionate Adventure Movie
Tasked with writing a review of the 1947 movie Duel in the Sun, which, by the way, I have not seen, I set off to figure out what the movie was about and how it was received.
Was it a successful western movie or a dud?
Referred to as one of Gregory Peck's best movies and with descriptors like 'torrid tale of passion' and 'extravagant Technicolor epic,' I'll have to admit that Stargazer00 has me more than just a little bit curious about this movie, which is perhaps a bit beyond my regular genre of movies.
Stay tuned (or rather read on) while I share the details with you...from reviews by both professional and ordinary movie viewers to the official movie trailer to some interesting facts about the controversy surrounding Duel in the Sun.
"A spectacularly adventurous
love story of the old west."
Official Duel in the Sun Movie Trailer
Duel In The Sun Plot
In 100 words or less.
A Duel In The Sun is a passionate romance movie that is set in the wild west and full of action. The Film Daily said it was 'flawlessly cast' and it included some pretty big names including Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck, Joseph Cotten, Lionel Barrymore and Lillian Gish. The story is that of a daughter (Pearl) whose father hanged for murdering his wife. A wealthy Texan and his family adopt Pearl and she becomes trapped between love of one son and lust of the other. Definitely a movie ahead of its time.
Fast Facts About Duel In The Sun
- ACTORS: Gregory Peck, Joseph Cotten, Jennifer Jones, Lionel Barrymore, Herbert Marshall, Jennifer Jones and Lillian Gish
- DIRECTOR: King Vidor
- STUDIO: MGM
- ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: I've seen original release date as 1947 and as December 31, 1946.
- DVD Release Date: May 25, 2004
- RUN TIME: 129 minutes
- RATED: Not rated, but definitely contains mature subject matter.
- AWARDS: Nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Actress in a Supporting Role
"Moments of romance, adventure,
comedy, tenderness and heartbreak.
Moments never to be forgotten..."
Controversy Over Duel In The Sun
Duel in the Sun was a controversial movie in its day. It was known as "Lust in the Dust" because of a seductive dance scene, which was cut before the movie was released to the public. It was heavily edited in order to please the Hays Code censors and religious review boards. Rape scenes became love scenes and the sexuality of the movie was played down.
Producer David O. Selznick had initially hoped to surpass his success with . However, poor reviews, controversy about the sexual content and controversy about his relationship with the movie's female star negated the possibility of Duel in the Sun reaching the height of that movie.
Despite these controversies, Duel in the Sun was a box-office success. However, huge and unheard of costs for production ($6,000,000), advertising ($2,000,000) and expensive distribution tactics, meant that the film only broke even.
Duel In The Sun Movie Reviews
- Duel in the Sun Film Review On Wikipedia
Find out all you need to know about Duel in the Sun, a Technicolor 1946 Western film on Wikipedia. - Duel in the Sun Movie Review on AMC
Read AMC's review of A Duel In The Sun, which was also known in its time as Lust in the Dust. - Duel in the Sun Film Review on Combustible Celluloid
Combustible Celluloid's review calls a Duel In The Sun good and bad and an interesting bit of film history. - Duel in the Sun New York Times Movie Review
I love these original movie reviews in the New York Times...even when they are not enthusiastic about a movie, like this one.
Duel in the Sun Amazon Customer Reviews
The Amazon customer reviews of Duel in the Sun are enthusiastic and include words like sweeing, magnificent, corny and romantic. They talk about this movie showing a wild west that never really existed and called it just right...containing as it does lots of suds, steam and foamy froth in a hacienda named Spanish Bit. Others say it is over the top, but many love it for exactly that reason.
Duel in the Sun was released in 1947 and went on to become one of the largest grossing western movies of all time. The popular movie stars featured into this film turned it into a blockbuster and an entertaining movie.
Have you seen Duel in the Sun?
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© 2011 Treasures By Brenda
Have you seen Duel in the Sun? Are you interested?
Hadn't heard of this movie until this lens. Thanks for this!With Love and Gratitude,Jeremiah
Wonderful movie, nice Jenga lens too! Gregory Peck is perfect as always! Lensrolled to my Golden Age of Film lens. Blessed by a SquidAngel - congrats on Purple Star too.
I am sure that I have already seen this movie at some time, but after your great review I am going to have to make sure that I get it so I can watch it again.
Nice lens Brenda. I love Gregory Peck in any movie :)
I have never seen Duel in the Sun and probably will not. However, I found your review most interesting. The censorship of the movie was probably needed if there were indeed rape scenes, but I wonder if the more "sensual" scenes were comparatively much worse than the Victoria Secret's commercials splashed across our television screens today?
Great job on the lens! I'm sending it in to be considered for a Purple Star award.
I havn't but would definitely like to. I love classics and really liked Gregory Peck in a couple of movies of him that I have seen. Thanx for a well presented Lens on a cool looking movie.
I've never seen it but it sounds to me like maybe it was ahead of its time in terms of what was considered acceptable content for audiences. Not that it seems to have been harmed by the cuts made at the time. I'll look out for it!
Remarkable job reviewing this movie, Brenda. Fascinating about Selznick.
I have never heard of this before, but I think I should add it to my netflix queue now! Great addition to the Jenga stack!
Yes you've piqued my interest. I'll have to look out for it.
Great job on Duel in the Sun. I remember seeing this on TV a while ago, and I agree it's one of those classics where the leading actors are amazing and the cinematography magnificent. Pure entertainment!
I haven't, and I am. Interested, that is. Duel in the Sun certainly does sound like it was ahead of its time, but it's very interesting to learn that Selznick included what he originally did in the movie to try to out-do Gone With the Wind. I would have to think the movie would have been totally scandalous had it been released in its original form. Very interesting review, Brenda! (Thanks for including my True Grit link. Lensrolling to that lens.)
Brenda, I think you've done a great job in summing up Duel in the Sun. If I hadn't already seen it, I'd want to see it!
This sounds really interesting!
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