Duel in the Sun Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Duel in the Sun Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 21, 2017

After creating a moviegoing phenomenon with 1939’s “Gone with the Wind,” producer David O. Selznick understandably craved a return to such cultural domination. It took him seven years, but Selznick reunited with epic filmmaking for “Duel in the Sun,” an adaptation of novel by Niven Busch, getting him out of the south and into the west, finding a cowboy tale that brimming with volatile personalities and boiling emotions. Sadly, “Duel in the Sun” is not as patient as “Gone with the Wind” when it comes to heated confrontations and tangled relationships, with this need to revive the alchemy of the earlier effort screwing with the timing and emphasis of the new production.

Gregory Peck and Jennifer Jones star in this tale of identity and bruised seduction, which develops into a love triangle of sorts. The real star of “Duel in the Sun” is the moviemaking itself, with credited director King Vidor (who would eventually quit the production) supplying classic western touches of cowboys and American development, with the progress of an expanding nation the foundation for the story. Intimacies contrast harshly with the bigness of the endeavor, finding performances professional but often overblown, finding the ensemble working extra hard to register on film. Subtleties would do just fine, and Peck manages most of them in an atypical villainous role, keeping up his end of the effort with style. Jones is a lit stick of dynamite for most of her scenes, and while it’s too much for “Duel in the Sun,” she remains charismatic. Joseph Cotton, Lillian Gish, and Lionel Barrymore also appear in less volcanic fashion.

Duel in the Sun Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.33:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Duel in the Sun" handles satisfactorily, with a decent amount of detail coming through generally soft, glamour-minded cinematography. Facial textures aren't threatened, keeping the cowboy way with leathery men. Distances, prized highly by the production, are reasonably dimensional, with a good reach to background action. Sets and costumes are also open for examination. Colors retain Technicolor emphasis, handling western hues and ornate costumes. Skintones are fine, but it's interesting to study the coloring on Jones to achieve the "half-breed" look. Blacks aren't particularly deep, with a few scenes somewhat milky, and compression issues are spotted during encounters with limited lighting, finding posturization popping into view. Source has its share of colored speckling and some mild scratches. A few skipped frames are found at the 99:00 mark.

Duel in the Sun Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix doesn't offer the power necessary to support the epic visuals. Hiss is detected throughout the listening experience, which tends to mute dialogue exchanges, which lack precision. Voices sound a bit fuzzy at times. Scoring also suffers somewhat here, missing finer points of instrumentation. The music is loud, which is appealing, but not ideally defined.

Duel in the Sun Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historian Gaylyn Studlar.

• Interview (9:33, HD) with Cecilia, Carey, and Anthony Peck is a brief summary of Gregory Peck's headspace during the "Duel in the Sun" production, with emphasis on his relationships with producer David O. Selznick and director King Vidor. The Pecks point out production issues that didn't seem to upset Gregory, and highlight his longtime friendship with co-star Jennifer Jones, who remained close to the actor for decades. The trio also highlight their father's interest in stunt work, and the cold reception for "Duel in the Sun," with Gregory himself not all the interested in talking about the feature in his later years.

• Trailer Tags for the 1947 General Release (:17, SD), the 1954 General Release (:07, SD), and the Widescreen Release (:14, SD) are offered.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:15, SD), 60-Second Trailer (:54, SD), and 30-Second Trailer (:32, SD) are included.

Duel in the Sun Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's no denying that "Duel in the Sun" is a pretty effort, with shots intentionally mirroring "Gone with the Wind" as it achieves its own special mood of dangerous behavior and ruinous love. Kino Lorber's Roadshow Cut of the movie is also appealing, giving the epic a truly theatrical experience with a lengthy prelude (9:38), overture, and exit music. It's really the only way to appreciate the ambition of "Duel in the Sun," which doesn't make a dent dramatically, but offers plenty of cineaste delights to nearly cover for the entire film.