The 1946 film Duel in the Sun, described by its composer Dimitri Tiomkin as “a romantic, flamboyant picture,” has undergone a restoration process, a joint effort between The Film Foundation; Cineric, Inc.; and Audio Mechanics.
The restoration is of the three-strip Technicolor version of the film. It premiered in May at the Cannes Film Festival where it was introduced by Martin Scorsese.
After Cannes, the restoration’s broadcast debut on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) was on May 27th, after which it could be seen on Watch TCM and TCM On Demand.
Duel in the Sun, CD cover
Previously in 2017, Tadlow Music and Prometheus Records teamed to record and release a new digital recording of Tiomkin’s score from the film produced David O. Selznick, starring Gregory Peck and Jennifer Jones, with Lionel Barrymore, Joseph Cotton, Lilian Gish, and Walter Huston.
VIDEO: Duel in the Sun Main Title with Fanfare (courtesy Tadlow Music)
This premiere recording by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Nic Raine features the complete 100-minute score with an additional “Concert Suite.”
Arthur Fiedler publicity portrait, inscribed by the conductor: “To Dimitri Tiomkin in greatest admiration for the score of Duel in the Sun, Cordially, Arthur Fiedler,” July 18, 1946.
The original motion picture soundtrack was recorded for the RCA Victor Company by the Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall in Boston. With only ten tracks on four 78 rpm 10-inch discs it was the most soundtrack films of that era could hope for.
A dozen years later in his autobiography, Tiomkin reminisced about collaborating with Selznick. The producer asked the composer for music themes that would depict “Sentimental love,” “Old memories,” “Jealousy,” “Flirtation,” and “Conflict,” and notably music for an “Orgiastic” scene. After the third attempt at creating the latter the composer and producer agreed to disagree on how making love should be scored in musical terms.
Other films with music scores by Tiomkin restored by The Film Foundation include The Road Back (1937/1939), restored to James Whale’s original director’s cut and premiered at the Berlinale, 2016; Friendly Persuasion (1956); and Rio Bravo (1959).
Sources
Please Don’t Hate Me by Dimitri Tiomkin and Prosper Buranelli (Doubleday, 1959)