Duel in the Sun (1946)

My Review

“Duel in the Sun” is a superior horse opera about a half Native American girl who moves in with her white relatives. As they are second cousins, things like romantic situations, sexual tension, and racial prejudice come to the surface, with the heavy drama proceeding from there. Director King Vidor (“Stella Dallas” 1937) and screenwriter David O. Selznick put together an excellent psychological western drama with good production values and marvelous performances.

The cast includes Jennifer Jones in the lead role, Lillian Gish as her cousin, Lionel Barrymore as Gish’s Senator hubby, Joseph Cotton and Gregory Peck as their sons, Walter Huston, Charles Bickford, Harry Carey, Herbert Marshall, Butterfly McQueen, Charles Dingle, Otto Kruger, Sidney Blackmer, and Orson Welles as the Narrator. “Duel in the Sun” was the highest grossing film of 1946 for producer David O. Selznick and Vanguard Films. Jones and Gish were nominated for Oscars, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. It was filmed in Arizona and Southern California.