Intruder in the Dust (film)
Intruder in the Dust is a 1949 crime drama film produced and directed by Clarence Brown and starring David Brian, Claude Jarman Jr. and Juano Hernandez. The film is based on the 1948 novel Intruder in the Dust by William Faulkner.
| Intruder in the Dust | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Clarence Brown |
| Screenplay by | Ben Maddow |
| Based on | Intruder in the Dust 1948 novel by William Faulkner |
| Produced by | Clarence Brown |
| Starring | David Brian Claude Jarman Jr. Juano Hernández |
| Cinematography | Robert Surtees |
| Edited by | Robert Kern |
| Music by | Adolph Deutsch |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
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Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $988,000[1][2] |
| Box office | $837,000[1] |
Plot
The film closely follows the plot line of the Faulkner novel. It tells the story of Lucas Beauchamp, (pronounced 'Bee-cham'), a respectable and independent black man, who is unjustly accused of the murder of white man Vincent Gowrie. Through the help of two teenage boys, the town lawyer and an elderly lady, he is able to prove his innocence.
Cast
- David Brian as John Gavin Stevens
- Claude Jarman Jr. as Chick Mallison
- Juano Hernandez as Lucas Beauchamp
- Porter Hall as Nub Gowrie
- Elizabeth Patterson as Miss Eunice Habersham
- Will Geer as Sheriff Hampton
- Charles Kemper as Crawford Gowrie
- David Clarke as Vinson Gowrie
- Elzie Emanuel as Aleck
- Lela Bliss as Mrs. Mallison
- Harry Hayden as Mr. Mallison
- Harry Antrim as Mr. Tubbs, prison warder
- Dan White as Will Legate, gunman
- Gene Roper as son of country store owner
Reception
According to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer records the film earned $643,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $194,000 elsewhere, for a worldwide box office of $837,000.[1][2]
In 1950, David Brian and Juano Hernandez were respectively nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Most Promising Newcomer – Male at the 7th Golden Globe Awards.[3] The film was listed as one of the ten best of the year by The New York Times. Faulkner said of the film: "I'm not much of a moviegoer, but I did see that one. I thought it was a fine job. That Juano Hernandez is a fine actor--and man, too."[4]
More than 50 years later, in 2001, film historian Donald Bogle wrote that Intruder in the Dust broke new ground in the cinematic portrayal of blacks, and Hernandez's "performance and extraordinary presence still rank above that of almost any other black actor to appear in an American movie."[5] The film has been praised by Ralph Ellison and the New York Times.[6]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 93% from 41 reviews.[7]
See also
References
- The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
- Scott Eyman, Lion of Hollywood: The Life and Legend of Louis B. Mayer, Robson, 2005 p 431
- "Early Black Cinema", True West Magazine, August 2005, p. 22
- "Faulkner's Home, Family and Heritage Were Genesis of Yoknapatawpha County". The New York Times. 7 July 1962. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
- Bogle, Donald (2001). Toms, coons, mulattoes, mammies, and bucks: an interpretive history of Blacks in American films (Fourth ed.). London: Continuum. ISBN 0-8264-1267-X.
- Dargis, Manohla; Scott, A. O. (February 1, 2018). "28 Days, 28 Films for Black History Month" – via NYTimes.com.
- "Intruder in the Dust (1949)" – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
External links
- Intruder in the Dust at AllMovie
- Intruder in the Dust at IMDb
- Intruder in the Dust at the TCM Movie Database
- Intruder in the Dust at the American Film Institute Catalog