MovieChat Forums > Duel in the Sun (1947) Discussion > Lewt at the end?? (spoilers)

Lewt at the end?? (spoilers)

posted 19 years ago by agoreski
12 replies | jump to latest

Couldn't quite understand the message we were getting with the ending. Lewt in his final moments turns into this symapathetic caring man towards Pearl?? Why and how since jsut moments prior he was hoping she was dead from his gunfire. This movie moves with soo many ups and downs in direction of the two characters that I rarely get the message for this flick. All in all I was very disapointed with this Western, I did not think it was horrible though but could only score it 5/10 overall. Jones was very uncinvincing, I was more disappointed with the ending than anything else. (Pro's) The cinematography was great, the performance by Peck was well done (yet his character was confusing at the end) and Cotten gave a good performance. Not worth watching again.

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] wowcharlie3 18 years ago

I think that's what it was dubbed.

[–] kiddglock 18 years ago

It's nickname was "Lust in the Dust", not "Lust in the Sun".

There are no more friendly civilians, sir.

[–] OneGettingOlderAndBetter 19 years ago

Among reflections on duel in the sun, I've found some literature about one Mulvey (in the words of another author) that says that the tale of Pear is a classic patriarchal (?) narrative melodrama of a woman caught between conflicting desires, corresponding to the oscillation between passive femininity [matrimony] or regressive masculinity ([sadism-all men are dogs, come here, I got a leather bun for you]- or fetishism [Gotta save them poor little angels, where's my rosary]), in her case the two brothers not being regulars options between symbolic repression (law) of the straight guy and wilder but more personal representative(good and right) but here they signify the different aspects of the heroine [redundant] above mentioned (passive-regressive). [a variation over the Oedipus story.]
"As such, there is no real way out for femininity -- there is the romance of the rebellious last stand against patriarchy (the rebellious being Lewt), or a periodic masculinity followed by repression".(When Pearl punishes Lewt, they die.) (see www.arasite.org)

I had surmised that Lewt's crying after his executioner was maybe a way of applying the rules of Hays code; as when applied to a Chicago bandit, to have him exposing himself as a coward in the last shots in order not to glorify banditism.
But in Duel, bleating Lewt holds his gun, so it does not applies...

And I have also found this one : “typically melodramatic end, the dying tough guy finally gets to admit his love for Pearl -- she feminises him and gets him to feel emotions, as in the classic melodrama. United they die.”

My opinion is both Pearl and Lewt played games, being each other’s victim, agressor, than savior in the end… Being puppets in the hand of fate – or omnipotent senator- which enables them to evacuate the stress of emotions and feelings.

(I hope I got it right, for anglish is not my mother tongue and psychostuff not much my favorite dish :)

I can't say I won't have another look at it though I didn't liked the end at all. There are too many things in it to get it all in one wiewing.
em

[–] winonaforever2 19 years ago

That's the whole point of the movie, Pearl is in love with Lewt, she's attracted by his cockiness, masculinity and indomitability(don't know if this word exists) but on the other hand she despises him for all what she's done to her and his brother. She realizes that she has to kill him, but at the same time by doing so she'll be killing the man she loves. Pearl doesn't have a place to go, Laura Belle is dead, and Lewt's brother is marrying someone else,so she can only fullfill her desire once and for all, without thinking what'll happen later. At the beginning she wants to kill him, but after she's shot him, she goes to comfort him, only to be shot too. I guess the movie portrays a love-hate relationship, people who hate each other and yet they have to be together. and it's very well done.I think Jennifer's portrayal was quite good, she's convincing trying to forget about Lewt, trying to take him out of her mind, despite all the harm that he's doing. It's not the usual love story, but that's what makes this film so great and it shows also how far can somebody go for love. It also has an excellent cinematography, music and cast.I've seen it many times and it's one of my favourites.

[–] OneGettingOlderAndBetter 18 years ago

The change might also be a substitute for the part of the original story that has been removed of the picture : Lewt, turns into a highway man (historical fact, according to wikipédia !) when his father money supply gets short because of the recession that follows a disastrous winter, before getting almost saintly mourned by the very ones that once barked for his blood. The Sinkiller performs an eulogy in which he states that the truly evil boy is due to tell an interested St Peter how he robbed a train – after a regular toasting, Lew(cifer)t shall end in heaven… Eschatology is mixed with eschaia when the preacher insist on the culture that is brought to the frontiersmen by the train.

After that piece of antique scapegoat business, The Senator –who raided jail to rescue his favorite son who was about to get lynched with his true love and first mate Pearl whom helped him stopping the train and who’ll get over it thanks to councilor Jesse curbing his justice ideals according to their mutual interests- gets melancholic, his wife stops being an alcoholic and coddles him, as they are no longer on opposite sides. Gilman, Lewt’s younger brother, gets a happy businessman, almost owning the ranch, and his younger brother Ruck goes on being a little giant with a bird brain.

A “grown-up” 19 years old Pearl, who mutely executed her former lover, gets married to a big nosed Jesse (a very lousy Jesus, who used to patronize prostitutes but got “better” and who think he might kill both his concubine and his brother whenever he finds them together as he discovers that Pearl is gone to meet Lewt on the outlaw’s request, before he goes after her). They move to Oklahoma, in the very place 16 years old Lewt was sent by his father -just after 12 years old Pearl arrived to Spanish Bit- getting wounded in a fight out of a gambling place and where he turned “bad” (baby alone in Babylon !) : the former Indian Territory.
(Demeter, Aphrodite and Arthémis might be tempted to sue …)
Em

[–] wowcharlie3 18 years ago

I think everyone is very good in the picture.

[–] kiddglock 18 years ago

Pearl loves both Cotton and Peck. It is the typical good boy vs. bad boy scenario. Peck does an excellent job of the cocky, menacing Lewt who is also highly sexy. Cotton plays the straight man and is brave enough to portray Jesse as effeminate and weak. So Pearl has to choose between being good and choosing Jesse or being bad and going for Lewt.

There is a good bit of racism here too for Lewt isn't about to go whole-hog for Pearl as firstoff, he doesn't want to be tied down and secondly, she is of a different race-possibly why Jesse wasn't all over her more.

So Lewt probably loved Pearl and it didn't matter whether he showed it in the end or not, as they were both dead.

How many 1940's movies do you see where the chick takes down the bad guy? Good, groundbreaking movie, that was flawed, just like every other movie. 7/10

There are no more friendly civilians, sir.

[–] Bussssss69 18 years ago

I simply loved the movie
hugs bus

[–] mattie0218 18 years ago

I agree!!!!!!

It's a great movie!!!!!!!

Gregory Peck is gorgeous!!!!!!

[–] mattie0218 18 years ago

I have watched this movie since I was eight years old. I am now 55. My mom always said that this movie represented her and my father. They LOVED/HATED each other. But LOVE over ranked HATE. I, myself, really enjoy this movie every time I see it. LOVE conquers all!!!!!!

[–] shadycady 18 years ago

I love this movie too. Pearl also realizes that Lewt is going to kill any man who shows her any kind of attention. Lewt killed her fiance Pierce, and he shot his own brother,Jesse, even though he was going to take care of Pearl and have her live with him and his wife. Lewt didn't want to be with her, but he didn't want any other man to have her either. He didn't want to be tied down in a relationship, but his hot and cold attitude toward Pearl drove her to the point to shoot him at the end because every time she turned her attentions toward another man he would be killed. She knew there was too much danger in Lewt, and he was always breaking her heart. Therefore, she decided that Lewt was better off out of their lives.

Mommy to two little monsters