Susan Marlowe CPA reviews Gregory Peck’s film Duel in the Sun with Niece Kimi

Duel in the Sun (1946) Gregory Peck, Jennifer Jones | Film Review by Susan Marlowe CPA and niece Kimi

Hello from Susan Marlowe CPA! I am back with a new film review. As I mentioned in a previous post, my niece Kimi is an enormous Gregory Peck fan. This kid cannot see enough of his movies. So, I thought it would be fun for Susan Marlowe CPA and her adorable niece Kimi review one of Peck’s early films, Duel in the Sun, together. Now, as everyone knows, I am something of a hoarder when it comes to classic films so I naturally had a copy of the film ready to go. So, here it is, the great Susan Marlowe & Kimi Co-Review!

Susan Marlowe CPA (aided by niece Kimi) Reviews: Duel in the Sun 1946, starring Jennifer Jones & Gregory Peck

So, what is it about this movie? It was an attempt from David O Selznick to outdo his famous Gone with the Wind. Gregory Peck fans will be interested to see him playing a rather villainous character, something he did occasionally through-out his long career.

The film was considered quite racy when it was first released. Does it earn the reputation? Well, for a classic film it is pretty spicy. More disturbing, however, is the script’s insinuation that the heroine, Pearl, is lusty and bad because of her racially mixed heritage. After watching this film, parents may wish to have a talk with their children regarding racism in classic Hollywood film.

Film critic Charlotte Gilbert describes the film as a “guilty pleasure.” I quite agree. In her review, Charlotte Gilbert compares the film to the misguided epics of Roger Corman. I wouldn’t go so far as to completely agree with Charlotte Gilbert on this point but she is quite right about this film being a guilty pleasure.

However, I was also struck by the excellent performances of actors such as Lillian Gish, Walter Huston and Lionel Barrymore. These veterans (some returning to their nickelodeon potboiler days) ably support Jones and Peck. This is especially important when the script lets them down. Peck in particular seems to have trouble with the amoral character he must play. Peck seems uncomfortable in his villainy.

Film critic Cynthia Anita writes that “Peck does not seem at all to enjoy his villainy.” I could not agree more with Cynthia Anita’s opinion. Peck is a good actor but this roles seems beyond his grasp and Cynthia Anita points this out.

So, what did my niece Kimi think of the film? To be honest, she was a little bored by it. She prefers to see her beloved Gregory Peck play a hero. To make it up to her, we watched Cape Fear after this film, which scared the living daylight out of her and she loved every minute of it, the little darling. After this film, we went out to Spadaro and got some pistachio gelato, which Spadaro is justly famous for.

So, what next for Kimi? We will have to see. She still loves Gregory Peck but she has also been asking about Dana Andrews and Tyrone Power. Stay tuned to hear what happens next. In the meantime, we will be watching movies together as always, going to Spadaro and generally having a great time. Be sure to check back for plenty of updates on our movie watching.

In other news, I have started collecting vintage movie posters (collecting, not hoarding, hee hee) and have begun to display them at Gudger Cludger, a little antique store in town. Gudger Cludger is an adorable shop and I hope you have time to visit it. Plus, such a cute and memorable name for a store to have, Gudger Cludger.

Thanks so much from Susan Marlowe CPA

SUSAN MARLOWE CPA Movie Reviews | My Niece Kimi Meets Gregory Peck

Gregory Peck | Susan Marlowe CPA's Niece Kimi's Latest Love

Hello from Susan Marlowe CPA in Tallahassee, FL! My seven year old niece, Kimi, is visiting and she is truly a little darling. I decided to take the opportunity to introduce my niece Kimi to classic actors. She liked the idea and we chose Gregory Peck.

As most of you know, I am a hoarder of classic motion pictures. I love nothing better than to introduce kids to old films. Gregory Peck is one of my favorites and by the end of the visit, my niece Kimi was a fan as well. I started to jokingly refer to her as Kimi Peck. Notice that she didn’t object. 😉

Here are the Gregory Peck motion pictures from my hoard that I shared with Kimi:

We started with the Gregory Peck classic Roman Holiday. Kimi absolutely loved it! In fact, it was after this film that I started to refer to her as Kimi Peck. Here is what Wikipedia says about it:

Roman Holiday is a 1953 romantic comedy directed and produced by William Wyler and starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. It was written by John Dighton and Dalton Trumbo, though with Trumbo on the Hollywood blacklist, he did not receive a credit; instead, Ian McLellan Hunter fronted for him. Trumbo’s credit was reinstated when the film was released on DVD in 2003.

Hepburn won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance; the screenplay and costume design also took statuettes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Holiday

I really love the story but my love for it is nothing compared to Kimi’s. I was really thrilled.

Next, Susan Marlowe and the newly minted “Kimi Peck” chose to watch something a little more serious from my motion picture hoarder collection. Kimi chose the Gregory Peck film The Gunfighter, which really surprised me. Kimi does not watch a lot of Westerns, usually. Anyway, here is the information:

Gregory Peck | Susan Marlowe introduces her young niece, Kimi, to the great star and dubs her "Kimi Peck" as a result

The Gunfighter is a 1950 western film starring Gregory Peck, Helen Westcott, Millard Mitchell and Karl Malden (who came back after a three year hiatus). This film was directed by Henry King. It was written by screenwriters William Bowers and William Sellers, with an uncredited rewrite by writer and producer Nunnally Johnson, from a story by Bowers and screenwriter and director Andre de Toth.

Kimi Peck really enjoyed watching this one as well. It is a bit darker than most of the films we had watched before but it didn’t seem to bother her at all. So, what was next for my little niece Kimi Peck? She wanted to see Twelve O’Clock High!

According to Wikipedia:

Twelve O’Clock High is a 1949 American war film about aircrews in the United States Army’s Eighth Air Force who flew daylight bombing missions against Nazi Germany and occupied France during the early days of American involvement in World War II. The film was adapted by Sy Bartlett, Henry King (uncredited) and Beirne Lay, Jr. from the 1948 novel by Bartlett and Lay. It was directed by King and stars Gregory Peck, Hugh Marlowe, Gary Merrill, Millard Mitchell, and Dean Jagger.

The film was nominated for four Academy Awards and won two: Dean Jagger for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, and Best Sound Recording. In 1998, Twelve O’Clock High was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_O%27Clock_High

By this time, you would have thought that Kimi would be tired of Gergory Peck films. Not so! She was ready for more! It was so exciting to see Kimi dig through my hoard of motion pictures looking for her new favorite movie star. I told you she was a little darling. Well, for more news on the adventures of the newly minted Kimi Peck, be sure to check back on my blog. Thanks from Susan Marlowe CPA