Intruder in the Dust

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Intruder in the Dust

1949

1h 29m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

93%

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44 Reviews

84%

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100+ Ratings

Lucas Beauchamp (Juano Hernandez) is a strong, proud African-American man accused of murder in small-town Mississippi in the 1940s. As the town's white residents prepare to lynch him, a teenage boy named Chick (Claude Jarman Jr.) whom Beauchamp had once saved from drowning becomes convinced of the man's innocence, and races to discover the real murderer before it's too late. This film, adapted from William Faulkner's 1948 novel, was made on location in his hometown of Oxford, Mississippi.

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Critics Consensus

Like the William Faulkner classic it's adapted from, Intruder in the Dust confronts American racism with skilled storytelling and unflinching courage.

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Mildred Martin

Philadelphia Inquirer

01/29/2021

As producer and director, Brown has maintained brilliant balance between the film's melodrama and its powerful social message.

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Marjory Adams

Boston Globe

01/29/2021

Intruder in the Dust is not only a great social document but an engrossing, thrilling story of courage and passion.

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Kate Cameron

New York Daily News

01/29/2021

3/4

While we may not like what we see on the screen, we must admit that Brown's intention in capturing the Faulkner yarn on film was a meritorious one.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Oct 26

3.5/4

An outstanding drama, and one of the most honest and nuanced social-justice pictures to emerge from Hollywood’s Golden Age.

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Donald Kirkley

Baltimore Sun

09/28/2022

Intruder in the Dust is the latest of the four fine screen studies of race problems In this country, and it is in some ways the best.

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Harold Rogers

Christian Science Monitor

08/17/2022

In this difficult role Juano Hernandez turns in a sensitive and restrained performance.

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Michael F

@Michael445 3d

I was unaware of this movie until I discovered it on HBO Max. A good cast and a good message from this well done 1949 drama.

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Andy M

@BowTangey 01/08/2023

This is the best film I never heard of, and now my favorite pre-60s black-and-white drama.

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12/03/2020

A story by Mount Faulkner put to film near the time and era it was written. Excellent.

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steve d

07/21/2020

A powerful story well told.

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Frances H

01/31/2020

In some ways this film seems to be a precursor to To Kill A Mockingbird, but then becomes a murder mystery. It is from a classic book, with a great script and cast, and is unusual for 1949 in that it treats very realistically with race relations in the South, but still of its time in its belief in ultimate justice. The revelation of just who the murderer is makes me think of a line a line spoken by Alec Guiness in Doctor Zhivago. A true movie buff will know who the murderer is from this clue alone.

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01/24/2020

A must see film. A mirror of the racial injustice that was so prevalent in the south during this time period. Juano Hernandez(Lucas) plays the elder statesman. Intelligent, Hard Working and of course framed. David Brian, (Most notably known for his stellar Film Noir work) is outstanding. The Film is dark and raw. An important film that educates as much as it entertains.

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Clarence Brown

Director

David Brian

John Gavin Stevens

Claude Jarman Jr.

Chick Mallison

Juano Hernandez

Lucas Beauchamp

Porter Hall

Nub Gowrie

Elizabeth Patterson

Miss Eunice Habersham

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Synopsis

Lucas Beauchamp (Juano Hernandez) is a strong, proud African-American man accused of murder in small-town Mississippi in the 1940s. As the town's white residents prepare to lynch him, a teenage boy named Chick (Claude Jarman Jr.) whom Beauchamp had once saved from drowning becomes convinced of the man's innocence, and races to discover the real murderer before it's too late. This film, adapted from William Faulkner's 1948 novel, was made on location in his hometown of Oxford, Mississippi.

Director: Clarence Brown
Producer: Clarence Brown
Production Co: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 10, 1949, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2012
Runtime: 1h 29m

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