Start of loss of Prohibition?

Since the 1920s, antics of artistes from Hollywood have been frowned upon by the rest of America. They were blamed for the decadence of society moral then. The conservative part of the community thought that it was time to hold the rein on what the society should be exposed. Hays Code is one of the predecessors of the present film rating system. In previous rating system, almost everything is a taboo - uttering the word Jesus in a negative light to first night scenes!
Over the years, societal values changed. Succumbing to external pressures in the form of liberal European outlook on various subjects, the morality code had to be relaxed.
In the era of Golden Era of Hollywood, many directors pushed their boundaries to test the waters - 'Duel in the Sun' is one such movie.
It is a 1946 western movie done in technicolor with a storyline which will raise an eyebrow even in the 21st century.
It tells the story of a Pearl Chavez (Jennifer Jones), a vivacious young mestizo (half Red Indian bred), who comes to live with her father's second cousin and old flame, Laura Belle, after he is hanged for killing his two timing wife (Pearl's mother). Pearl's father is despised by Laura's husband.
Laura's two grown sons are like day and night - the elder (Jesse, Joseph Cotton)is a mild mannered lawyer who has a soft spot for Pearl and the younger one (Lewt, a very young Gregory Peck) is a rough, hardy cowboy who pushes himself shamelessly on the easily arousable Pearl.
This cascades into a cat and mouse game of Pearl's dilemma of choosing real love and giving in to lust. After a small tiff with his father, Jesse leaves the ranch but not before catching Lewt and Pearl together in rather compromising situations.
Lewt is only interested in Pearl for pleasure of flesh with no intentions to wed her. Just to get back at Lewt, Pearl accepts a marriage proposal from a nearby rancher. The possessive Lewt guns him down and goes on the hiding.
As Laura Belles dies due to ill health, Jesse comes to visit the ranch. A duel breaks out between brothers and Jesse is seriously injured but he survives. Pearl goes out in pursuit of the outlaw Lewt in the desert bordering Mexico. Another shooting broke out between lovers, mortally wounding each other. They die in embrace after discovering that they love each other very much.

Gregory Peck

The screenplay had to altered to satisfy the moral policing beholders - a rape scene had to be downgraded to love scene, storyline tone of overt sexuality reduced and a seductive dance cut altogether.

Jennifer Jones

After always seeing Gregory Peck in calm protagonist roles, it is surprising to see in a mean villain role. This controversial movie also set havoc in Jennifer Jones and David O. Selznick's (producer) marriages. Selznick was hoping to make the movie as big as his previous production of 'Gone with the wind'. Unfortunately, with all the big budgets for advertisement, production costs as well as the sexual controversies, they only broke even!