Lonely Are The Brave (Jørn Lande Album)
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''Lonely Are the Brave'' is a 1962 American black and white
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
film adaptation of the
Edward Abbey Edward Paul Abbey (January 29, 1927 – March 14, 1989) was an American author and essayist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues, criticism of public land policies, and anarchist political views. His best-known works include the nov ...
novel '' The Brave Cowboy'' directed by David Miller from a screenplay by
Dalton Trumbo James Dalton Trumbo (December 9, 1905 – September 10, 1976) was an American screenwriter who scripted many award-winning films, including ''Roman Holiday'' (1953), '' Exodus'', ''Spartacus'' (both 1960), and '' Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' (194 ...
and starring
Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. ...
,
Gena Rowlands Virginia Cathryn "Gena" Rowlands (; June 19, 1930 – August 14, 2024) was an American actress, whose career in film, stage, and television spanned nearly seven decades. She was a four-time Emmy, Emmy Award and two-time Golden Globe winner, and ...
and
Walter Matthau Walter John Matthau ( Matthow; ; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, known for his "hangdog face" and for playing world-weary characters. He starred in 10 films alongside his real-life friend Jack Lemmon, including '' The Od ...
. Kirk Douglas plays
cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...
Jack Burns,
Gena Rowlands Virginia Cathryn "Gena" Rowlands (; June 19, 1930 – August 14, 2024) was an American actress, whose career in film, stage, and television spanned nearly seven decades. She was a four-time Emmy, Emmy Award and two-time Golden Globe winner, and ...
portrays his best friend's wife, and
Walter Matthau Walter John Matthau ( Matthow; ; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, known for his "hangdog face" and for playing world-weary characters. He starred in 10 films alongside his real-life friend Jack Lemmon, including '' The Od ...
appears as a
sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...
who sympathizes with Burns but must do his job and chase him down. The picture also features an early score by composer
Jerry Goldsmith Jerrald King Goldsmith (February 10, 1929July 21, 2004) was an American composer, conductor and orchestrator with a career in film and television scoring that spanned nearly 50 years and over 200 productions, between 1954 and 2003. He was consid ...
. Douglas repeatedly said that this was his favorite film of his own work.Brian Cad
"Lonely Are the Brave" (TCM article)
/ref>


Plot

John W. "Jack" Burns works as a roaming ranch hand with his horse Whiskey. He carries no identification, and has no home address because he just sleeps wherever he finds a place. One day as Burns crosses a highway into town, his horse has a difficult time crossing the road, scared by the traffic. Once over the highway, they visit Jerry, the wife of old friend Paul Bondi, who has been jailed for giving aid to illegal immigrants. Jack dislikes a society that restricts a man on what he can or cannot do. To break Bondi out of jail, Burns decides to get himself arrested. After a barroom fight against a one-armed man, in which he too must use only one arm, Burns is arrested. When the police let him go, he deliberately punches a cop to get put in jail. Bondi is initially pleased to see him and Burns defends Bondi from the attention of bullying Deputy Sheriff Gutierrez. At night, the inmates saw through one of the jail's bars using two hacksaw blades that Burns had hidden in one of his boots. Gutierrez summons Burns in the middle of the night and beats him. Burns loses a tooth which he pockets. He cannot get Bondi to escape with him as Bondi has accepted his two-year sentence; his family mean he has too much at stake to risk becoming a fugitive which carries a five-year term. Burns breaks out by himself, returning to Bondi's house, where he picks up his horse and some food from Jerry. They talk about what might have been and he acknowledges he could never have loved her like Bondi does; he never wanted to settle down. He asks for a kiss to give him the energy to reach the mountains and they kiss. After the jailbreak, the sheriff learns that Burns served in the military during the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
, including seven months in a disciplinary training center for striking a superior officer. He also received a
Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...
and a Distinguished Service Cross for his valor during battle. This gives the sherif some sympathy for Burns. Burns heads for the mountains, with the goal of crossing the border into
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. The police mount an extensive search, with Sheriff Johnson and Deputy Sheriff Harry searching in a
jeep Jeep is an American automobile brand, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with other assets, from its previous owner, American Motors Co ...
. A military
helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...
is brought in, when the Air Force ask to be allowed to give their pilots some search 'practice'. The aircrew locate Burns and relay his location to the sheriff. Whiskey is repeatedly spooked by the helicopter, which continues to hover, so Burns shoots the tail rudder, causing the pilot to crash land. The pilots are OK but their general is angry at the cost to the military of the crashed helicopter and says so over the radio to the Sherriff who cuts him off. Deputy Gutierrez is on foot chasing Burns. He sees the horse on a corner and raises his gun, telling Burns to show himself, but Burns is behind him, and knocks him over. He then throws away Gutierrez's weapons and leaves his tooth in Gutierrez's pocket. Burns continues to head up the mountain with Whiskey. Surrounded on three sides, Burns finally surmounts the crest of the
Sandia Mountains The Sandia Mountains (Tiwa language, Southern Tiwa: ''Posu gai hoo-oo'', Keres language, Keres: ''Tsepe,'' Navajo language, Navajo: ''Dził Nááyisí''; Tewa language, Tewa: ''O:ku:p’į'', Taos language, Northern Tiwa: ''Kep’íanenemą''; J ...
and escapes into a broad stand of heavy timber, with the lawmen shooting after them. Burns is shot through the ankle. The sheriff believes him to have escaped. Burns tries to cross Highway 66 in
Tijeras Canyon Tijeras Canyon (sometimes also referred to as Tijeras Pass) is a prominent canyon in the central part of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It separates the Sandia Mountains subrange to the north from the Manzano Mountains subrange (specifically the l ...
during a heavy rainstorm, but Whiskey is spooked and blinded by the lights. A truck driver strikes Burns and Whiskey and throws them to the side of the road. Burns is conscious and the horse is neighing in distress. The sheriff arrives and, when asked by the state police if Burns is the man who he has been looking for, says he cannot confidently identify him because he has never seen the man up close. Whiskey is shot (put down), and a shocked Burns is taken away in an ambulance.


Cast

*
Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. ...
as John W. "Jack" Burns *
Gena Rowlands Virginia Cathryn "Gena" Rowlands (; June 19, 1930 – August 14, 2024) was an American actress, whose career in film, stage, and television spanned nearly seven decades. She was a four-time Emmy, Emmy Award and two-time Golden Globe winner, and ...
as Jerry Bondi *
Walter Matthau Walter John Matthau ( Matthow; ; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, known for his "hangdog face" and for playing world-weary characters. He starred in 10 films alongside his real-life friend Jack Lemmon, including '' The Od ...
as Sheriff Morey Johnson * Michael Kane as Paul Bondi *
Carroll O'Connor John Carroll O'Connor (August2, 1924– June21, 2001) was an American actor whose television career spanned over four decades. He found widespread fame as Archie Bunker (for which he won four Emmy Awards), the main character in the CBS televis ...
as Truck Driver *
William Schallert William Joseph Schallert (July 6, 1922 – May 8, 2016) was an American character actor who appeared in dozens of television shows and films over a career spanning more than 60 years. He is known for his roles on ''Richard Diamond, Private ...
as Harry (Johnson's deputy) *
George Kennedy George Harris Kennedy Jr. (February 18, 1925 – February 28, 2016) was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 film and television productions. He played "Dragline" in ''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), winning the Academy Award for Best Supp ...
as Gutierrez (sadistic deputy) *
Karl Swenson Karl Swenson (July 23, 1908 – October 8, 1978) was an American theatre, radio, film, and television actor. Early in his career, he was credited as Peter Wayne.
as Rev. Hoskins (prison inmate) * Bill Mims as First Deputy Arraigning Burns *
Martin Garralaga Martín Garralaga (10 November 1894 – 12 June 1981) was a Spanish actor who worked in Hollywood from the 1930s through the 1960s. He was married to opera singer and actress Rosa Rey. Biography Garralaga first came to the United States wh ...
as Old Man * Lalo Ríos as Prisoner *
Bill Bixby Wilfred Bailey Everett Bixby III (January 22, 1934 – November 21, 1993) was an American actor and television director. His career spanned more than three decades, including appearances on stage, in films, and on television series. He is known ...
as Helicopter Pilot (uncredited) *
George Keymas George Keymas (November 18, 1925 – January 17, 2008) was an American film and television actor.Martin p.68 Career Keymas graduated from Springfield (Ohio) High School. Keymas began his Hollywood career in 1950, mainly in Westerns. His first ...
as Deputy (uncredited) *
Harry Lauter Herman Arthur "Harry" Lauter (June 19, 1914 – October 30, 1990)
as Deputy in Canyon (uncredited) * Bill Raisch as One Arm (uncredited) * Dan Sheridan as Deputy Glynn (uncredited)


Cast notes

*
Bill Bixby Wilfred Bailey Everett Bixby III (January 22, 1934 – November 21, 1993) was an American actor and television director. His career spanned more than three decades, including appearances on stage, in films, and on television series. He is known ...
has a small part as an airman in a helicopter, his first film appearance. *It is one of the first film appearances of
Carroll O'Connor John Carroll O'Connor (August2, 1924– June21, 2001) was an American actor whose television career spanned over four decades. He found widespread fame as Archie Bunker (for which he won four Emmy Awards), the main character in the CBS televis ...
. * Bill Raisch is the one-armed man who fights with Douglas in a barroom brawl. The following year, Raisch began appearing with
David Janssen David Janssen (born David Harold Meyer; March 27, 1931 – February 13, 1980) was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Richard Kimble in the television series '' The Fugitive'' (1963–1967). Janssen a ...
in the TV series '' The Fugitive''.


Production

''Lonely Are the Brave'' was filmed after Kirk Douglas read
Edward Abbey Edward Paul Abbey (January 29, 1927 – March 14, 1989) was an American author and essayist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues, criticism of public land policies, and anarchist political views. His best-known works include the nov ...
's novel '' The Brave Cowboy'' and convinced
Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
to produce it with him in the starring role:
It happens to be a point of view I love. This is what attracted me to the story – the difficulty of being an individual today.
Douglas assembled the cast and crew through his production company Joel Productions, recruiting ex-blacklisted writer
Dalton Trumbo James Dalton Trumbo (December 9, 1905 – September 10, 1976) was an American screenwriter who scripted many award-winning films, including ''Roman Holiday'' (1953), '' Exodus'', ''Spartacus'' (both 1960), and '' Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' (194 ...
, who had written ''
Spartacus Spartacus (; ) was a Thracians, Thracian gladiator (Thraex) who was one of the Slavery in ancient Rome, escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major Slave rebellion, slave uprising against the Roman Republic. Historical accounts o ...
'' two years before, to write the screenplay. The movie was filmed in and around
Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...
,
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
: the
Sandia Mountains The Sandia Mountains (Tiwa language, Southern Tiwa: ''Posu gai hoo-oo'', Keres language, Keres: ''Tsepe,'' Navajo language, Navajo: ''Dził Nááyisí''; Tewa language, Tewa: ''O:ku:p’į'', Taos language, Northern Tiwa: ''Kep’íanenemą''; J ...
, the
Manzano Mountains The Manzano Mountains are a small mountain range in the central part of the U.S. state of New Mexico. They are oriented north–south and are 30 miles long. The center of the range lies due east of the town of Belen. The name "Manzano" is Sp ...
, the
Tijeras Canyon Tijeras Canyon (sometimes also referred to as Tijeras Pass) is a prominent canyon in the central part of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It separates the Sandia Mountains subrange to the north from the Manzano Mountains subrange (specifically the l ...
and
Kirtland Air Force Base Kirtland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base. It is located in the southeast quadrant of the Albuquerque, New Mexico, urban area, adjacent to the Albuquerque International Sunport. The base was named for the early Army aviator C ...
. The working title for the film was ''The Last Hero'',TC
Overview
/ref> but the release title of the film was a matter of contention between the studio and Douglas, who wanted to call it ''The Brave Cowboy'', after the novel. Douglas wanted the film to open in art houses and build an audience, but Universal chose to market the film as a Western, titling it ''Lonely Are the Brave'' and widely distributing it without any particular support. Despite this, the film gained a cult following and is often listed as one of the best Westerns ever made. Miller directed the picture with a reverent and eloquent feeling for the landscape, complementing the story arc of a lone and principled individual tested by tragedy, and the drive of his fiercely independent conscience. ''Lonely Are the Brave'' premiered in
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
,
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, on May 24, 1962. President
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
watched the movie in the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
in November 1962. In his memoir ''Conversations with Kennedy,''
Ben Bradlee Benjamin Crowninshield Bradlee (, 1921 – , 2014) was an American journalist who served as managing editor and later as executive editor of ''The Washington Post'', from 1965 to 1991. He became a public figure when the ''Post'' joined ''The ...
wrote, " Jackie read off the list of what was available, and the President selected the one
ilm Ilm or ILM may refer to: Acronyms * Identity Lifecycle Manager, a Microsoft Server Product * '' I Love Money,'' a TV show on VH1 * Independent Loading Mechanism, a mounting system for CPU sockets * Industrial Light & Magic, an American motion p ...
we had all unanimously voted against, a brutal, sadistic little Western called ''Lonely Are the Brave''."


Soundtrack

The score to ''Lonely Are the Brave'' was composed by
Jerry Goldsmith Jerrald King Goldsmith (February 10, 1929July 21, 2004) was an American composer, conductor and orchestrator with a career in film and television scoring that spanned nearly 50 years and over 200 productions, between 1954 and 2003. He was consid ...
. Goldsmith's involvement in the picture was the result of a recommendation by veteran composer
Alfred Newman Alfred Newman (March 17, 1900 – February 17, 1970) was an American composer, arranger, and conductor of film music. From his start as a music prodigy, he came to be regarded as a respected figure in the history of film music. He won nine Acad ...
, who had been impressed with Goldsmith's score on the television show '' Thriller'', and recommended Goldsmith to the head of
Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
's music department, despite having never met him.


Reception

On the review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film has a 93% "fresh" rating, based on 14 reviews. Kirk Douglas was nominated for a 1963
BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...
as "Best Foreign Actor" for his work in ''Lonely Are the Brave'', and placed third in the
Laurel Awards The Laurel Awards were American cinema awards that honored films, actors, actresses, producers, directors, and composers. This award was created by the ''Motion Picture Exhibitor'' magazine, and ran from 1948 to 1971 (with the exception of 196 ...
for "Top Action Performance". The
Motion Picture Sound Editors Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE) is an American professional society of motion picture sound editors founded in 1953. The society's goals are to educate others about and increase the recognition of the sound and music editors, show the arti ...
gave the film a "Golden Reel Award" for "Best Sound Editing" ( Waldon O. Watson, Frank H. Wilkinson, James R. Alexander, James Curtis, Arthur B. Smith), in a tie with ''
Mutiny on the Bounty The mutiny on the ''Bounty'' occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, seized control of the ship, , from their captain, Lieutenant (navy), Lieutenant William Bli ...
''. The film is recognized by
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...
in these lists: * 2008:
AFI's 10 Top 10 AFI's 10 Top 10 honors the ten greatest American films in ten classic film genres. Presented by the American Film Institute (AFI), the lists were unveiled on a television special broadcast by CBS on June 17, 2008. In the special, various actors ...
: ** Nominated Western Film


Quotes

* ''Jerry Bondi'' (Gena Rowlands): "Believe you me, if it didn't take men to make babies I wouldn't have anything to do with any of you!"TC
Quotes
/ref> * ''Jack Burns'' (Kirk Douglas): "Know what a loner is? He's a born cripple. He's a cripple because the only person he can live with is himself. It's his life, the way he wants to live. It's all for him. A guy like that, he'd kill a woman like you. Because he couldn't love you, not the way you are loved."IMD
Quotes
/ref> * ''Jack Burns'': "A westerner likes open country. That means he's got to hate fences. And the more fences there are, the more he hates them." ''Jerry Bondi'': "I've never heard such nonsense in my life." ''Jack Burns'': "It's true, though. Have you ever noticed how many fences there're getting to be? And the signs they got on them: no hunting, no hiking, no admission, no trespassing, private property, closed area, start moving, go away, get lost, drop dead! Do you know what I mean?" * ''Jack Burns'': "I don't need dentificationcards to figure out who I am, I already know." This line was used by the fugitive sailor in ''
The Death Ship ''The Death Ship'' (German title: ''Das Totenschiff'') is a novel by the pseudonymous author known as B. Traven. Originally published in German in 1926, and in English in 1934, it was Traven's first major success and is still the author's secon ...
'', the 1926 novel by B. Traven.


References


External links

* * * * {{Dalton Trumbo 1962 films 1962 Western (genre) films American black-and-white films American Western (genre) films Bryna Productions films 1960s English-language films Films based on American novels Films based on Western (genre) novels Films directed by David Miller Films produced by Kirk Douglas Films scored by Jerry Goldsmith Films set in New Mexico Films shot in New Mexico Contemporary Western films Films with screenplays by Dalton Trumbo Universal Pictures films Revisionist Western (genre) films 1960s American films English-language Western (genre) films