Skip to content
HOLLYWOOD METRICS
HomeAboutCraftNewsAnalyticsScriptsBooksPricingAPIMCP
Catalog/Crime/Intruder in the Dust
Intruder in the Dust poster
A
Excellent
MASTER SCORE 82.3 / 100
1949·Crime / Drama / Mystery·1h 27m

INTRUDER IN THE DUST

“It's Sensational!”

Rural Mississippi in the 1940s: Lucas Beauchamp, a local black man with a reputation of not kowtowing to whites, is found standing over the body of a dead white man, holding a pistol that has recently been fired. Quickly arrested for murder and jailed, Beauchamp insists he's innocent and asks the town's most prominent lawyer, Gavin Stevens, to defend him, but Stevens refuses. When a local boy whom Beauchamp has helped in the past and who believes him to be innocent hears talk of a mob taking Beauchamp out of jail and lynching him, he pleads with Stevens to defend Beauchamp at trial and prove his innocence.

Above the Line
Clarence Brown·DirectorBen Maddow·ScreenplayWilliam Faulkner·NovelRobert Surtees·Director of PhotographyAdolph Deutsch·Original Music ComposerRobert Kern·Editor
Cast
David Brian·John Gavin StevensClaude Jarman Jr.·Chick MallisonJuano Hernández·Lucas BeauchampPorter Hall·Nub GowrieElizabeth Patterson·Miss Eunice HabershamCharles Kemper·Crawford GowrieWill Geer·Sheriff HamptonDavid Clarke·Vinson GowrieElzie Emanuel·AleckLela Bliss·Mrs. Mallison
Full Crew
(19 credits)
Directing· 4
Clarence Brown·DirectorCarl Roup·Second Assistant DirectorSid Sidman·Assistant DirectorMarvin Stuart·Assistant Director
Writing· 2
Ben Maddow·ScreenplayWilliam Faulkner·Novel
Camera· 4
Robert Surtees·Director of PhotographyJohn Schmitz·Camera OperatorHarry Stradling Jr.·Assistant CameraAlbert Hunter·Grip
Editing· 1
Robert Kern·Editor
Sound & Music· 2
Adolph Deutsch·Original Music ComposerDouglas Shearer·Sound Recordist
Art & Design· 4
Randall Duell·Art DirectionCedric Gibbons·Art DirectionEdwin B. Willis·Set DecorationJack Dawn·Makeup Artist
Production· 2
Clarence Brown·ProducerJay Marchant·Production Manager
By the Numbers
82.3
OF 100
Master Score
7.6
OF 10
IMDb
93%
CRITICS
Rotten Tomatoes
—
Worldwide Gross
0
Oscar Wins
Where to Watch

THE AVAILABILITY MAP

The canonical record of where this film lives across the streaming map.

Provider Index In Progress

Streaming, rental, and purchase availability for this title is being ingested from the TMDB watch-providers feed and will appear here once the next catalog refresh runs. Until then, the canonical source links below remain the fastest route.

Find on TMDB
Poster DNA

THE VISUAL DECONSTRUCTION

A bespoke vision agent's reading of the design language behind Intruder in the Dust's key art.

Dominant Palette
3 colors
#4678B9
#A66A42
#E8B259
Mood
Tense, Apprehensive
Composition
Centered
Era
1940s
Visual Style
Illustrated

“The movie poster features three people in the foreground against a blue backdrop. Above them, the title "INTRUDER IN THE DUST" is written in large, orange lette”

Key Elements
TitleShadowManWomanBoyHat
Atmosphere
Muted
Color Mood
Mixed
Setting
Abstract
Design Score
7/10
More Like This

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Neighboring films in the catalog's similarity graph.

Keep Going

THREE WAYS DEEPER

Auteur
AUT
MORE BY CLARENCE BROWN

Every catalog entry where Clarence Brown is credited as director.

Open
Family
GEN
MORE CRIME

Top-ranked films inside crime, sorted by master score.

Open
Era
DEC
MORE FROM THE 1940S

The best films of the 1940s, ranked across every available metric.

Open
View on IMDbView on TMDBCatalog
HOLLYWOOD METRICS

The definitive mathematical oracle for cinematic success and creative script intelligence.

74,000+ Films100 Years1.1M+ Reviews
PRODUCT
  • Dashboard
  • Pricing
  • Script Analysis
  • Watch the Demo
  • The Red List
  • News
  • Analytics
  • API
  • MCP Connector
COMPANY
  • About
  • Track Record
  • Trust & Script Privacy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
CONNECT
  • ▶YouTube
  • ◉Instagram
  • ♪TikTok
  • @Threads
  • fFacebook
Get Started Free →
© 2026 Hollywood Metrics. All rights reserved.Powered by bespoke agents and autonomous agentic workflows