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Duel
in the Sun (1946)
In King Vidor's over-the-top epic Technicolored western:
- the arrival of orphaned half-breed Pearl Chavez
(Jennifer Jones, producer David O. Selznick's wife) at Spanish
Bit, the ranch of her deceased father's second cousin and old sweetheart
Laura Belle (Lillian Gish) - she was met by one of Laura Belle's
two sons Jesse McCanles (Joseph Cotten)
- all of the scenes of the sexy and sultry Pearl with
dangerous brother Lewt McCanles (Gregory Peck) - when he first met
her, he barged into her room and grabbed her for a kiss; she protested: "I
hate you, I hate you" to which he replied: "Now don't you
pretend nobody ever did that before."
- after riding bareback with the wild-living Lewt,
he spied on her when she took a provocative nude swim at the sump
- Pearl's prayer session with the hellfire preacher
and traveling minister Mr. Jubal Crabbe (Walter Huston), known as
the Sin Killer, who was provide guidance for Pearl to behave herself
and be a 'good girl' - he advised: "Pearl, you're curved in
the flesh of temptation. Resistance is gonna be a darn sight harder
for you than for females protected by the shape of sows. Yes siree,
bob. You gotta sweeten yourself with prayer. Pray till you sweat,
and you'll save yourself from eternal hell-fire. You understand me
girl?"
- the spectacular scene of the gathering of ranchers
and cowhands at the cattle baron's Spanish Bit ranch to resist the
encroachment of the railroads (the Iron Horse), led by Sen. McCanles
(Lionel Barrymore)
- the notorious 'rape' scene: Lewt grabbed and kissed
Pearl, and she acquiesced, as a flash of lightning and sound of thunder
boomed; they slowly sank out of the camera's view to the bed below.
(The highly-charged 'rape' scene, as it was called, was severely
edited - instead of Pearl trying to get away from Lewt, she gave
in to his advances, but not without some resistance. In the next
scene, Lewt had three long scratch marks on his left cheek.)
- after Lewt refused to marry Pearl, she had a short
relationship with older rancher Sam Pierce (Charles Bickford), but
he was gunned down in a saloon by Lewt; when he came back to her,
he told her: "Of all the ornery females. One minute you're yammerin'
'cause I don't love ya enough. And when I go out and show ya how
much I do, you're wantin' to plug me. You're my girl, honey...Anybody
who was my girl is still my girl. That's the kind of guy I am, you
know, loyal....There ain't nobody gonna take my girl. Nobody. Same
little tigercat" - she couldn't resist him and collapsed in
his arms
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The 'Rape' Scene
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Continued Passion Between Them as Lovers
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- then, in the so-called "degradation" scene,
Lewt again rejected Pearl's love and rejected her request to join
him in Mexico - he left her rejected and alone, writhing and whimpering
on the floor
- the memorable deathbed scene when dying wife Laura
Belle was told of her husband Senator McCanles' past indiscretion
- he jealously assumed she was involved in a passionate relationship
with Scott Chavez, Pearl's father; he admitted that he crazily pursued
her and was thrown off his horse, and thereby became a cripple, confined
to a wheelchair for the rest of his life; a few moments later, she
collapsed in front of him and fell onto the floor - dead
The Final Shootout Between Lewt and Pearl -
"Lust in the Dust"
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- the infamous, bloody "lust in the dust" and "duel
in the sun" final shootout scene between Pearl and Lewt as
they died in each other's arms ("little bob-cat!")
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Jesse McCanles with Pearl Chavez
Lewt McCanles with Pearl - A Demanding Kiss
Pearl at the Sump
Pearl With Sin Killer
The Gathering to Resist the Railroads
The "Degradation" Scene
Sen. McCanles' Confession and Laura's Deathbed Scene
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