Lonely are the Brave (1962)

This review is part of Legends of Western Cinema week.

This Western has been part of my life since I was young.  It is a powerful movie, and one I love deeply... but I can't watch it very often because it breaks my heart.

**SPOILERS FOLLOW**

This is a modern Western, set in the year it was filmed, but still very much a Western, even with cars and helicopters.

The basic plot:  Jack Burns (Kirk Douglas), rides into a New Mexico town to try to help his best friend, Paul (Michael Kane), who's been jailed for helping illegal immigrants and faces two years in prison.  Burns may live in current day, but he's an old-fashioned cowboy, doesn't have a home, doesn't have ID or a driver's license.  He's a simple man of the Old West, out of his time, out of his place.  The world has gone and changed, and is full of fences and laws and cars and airplanes and chaos masquerading as civilized order.

He gets deliberately arrested to join his friend in jail, to convince him to then break jail with him.  But Paul has changed and accepted the modern world, and he intends to serve out his two-year sentence.  He has a wife and a son, and if he breaks out of jail, they'll all be on the run, forever.  He doesn't want that.  So Burns breaks out alone and busts for the Mexico border on his horse, Whiskey, with the New Mexico law in hot pursuit.

I'm a sucker for movies about characters lost and outdated as time, progress, and civilization steamroll right over them and their ways.  Maybe because that's how I've always felt.  Some of my favorite Westerns are all set in the early 1900's, and incorporate this theme:  Big Jake, The Professionals, The Wild Bunch.  And Lonely are the Brave.

This movie is quiet, introspective, but still has plenty of action.  It's Jack Burns' movie.  Well, Jack Burns and his horse, because the young and skittish, beautiful, flaxen-maned Whisky is a main character herself, and as important as Jack.  He talks constantly to her, she acts up in return and has more personality than quite a few actors I can think of.  This is Kirk Douglas at his finest.  He's always made a great cowboy, and how he brings Jack Burns alive is the center of this tale.  It's my favorite role of his.

There are so many scenes that are amazing.  The opening, where we see a open-aired camp, Burns lying on his bedroll, sipping coffee, Whisky in the background... when he hears engines and looks up in the sky to see three jets leaving contrails over the New Mexico sky.  His look as he watches their intrusion says it all.  The movie is full of those contrasts: Burns and his horse and open country against highways and jail and the modern world.

There's some dialogue in the first half of this movie I always liked, that always sums up the difference between Burns cowboy perspective, and the modern world taking over:

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.  D'you ever notice how many fences there're getting to be? And the signs they got on them: no hunting, no hiking, no admission, no trespass, private property, closed area, start moving, go away, get lost, drop dead!  And they got those fences that say this side's jail, or that side's a street, or here's Arizona and that's Nevada, or this is us, that's Mexico.  The one between here and Mexico is the fence that got Paul into trouble.  He just naturally didn't see the use of it, so he acted as if it wasn't there. So when people sneaked across it, he just felt they were still people so he helped them."
Jerri:  "Jack, I'm going to tell you something. The world that you and Paul live in doesn't exist.  Maybe it never did. Out there is the real world.  And it's got real borders and real fences, real laws and real trouble. And either you go by the rules, or you lose.  You lose everything."
Burns:  "You always keep something."

The scene when he looks in on Paul's sleeping son, marvels at him, at what he will never have.  Not a word spoken, just watching Burns react to the young boy, to family life.

Every scene between him and Jerri (Gena Rowlands) is outstanding.  They sparkle and shine when they're together.  I love how obvious their history is in how they act towards each other.  How they take care of each other, how they talk about Paul and life, how they can really talk with each other.  And their goodbye scene...  it nearly makes me cry every time.  It's so sweet, so poignant, so perfect.  (That cue on the album has the same effect on me as the scene in the movie).

I love how amazed and rather proud Burns is when he finally realizes that Paul won't be breaking out of jail with him, how he accepts that his friend has changed and moved into the modern world.  And how he can grin about it, even as he is now alone, a last cowboy.

My favorite scene in the movie is when Burns has a chance to escape clean... if he leaves Whiskey behind.  He starts to go, pauses and looks back at her, and she's watching him.  He starts to leave again... and he can't do it.  He can't abandon her.  He just can't, even if it means his freedom, even if he gets killed.  That makes me cry too, cuz I so get that.  I wouldn't have been able to leave her either.  Their subsequent climb up the steep mountainside not meant to be climbed by anything but a mountain goat is always harrowing.

The rest of the cast is outstanding as well, with Walter Matthau as the sheriff hunting Burns, and George Kennedy playing a nasty bully of a police officer who gets his kicks beating up prisoners.  Carroll O'Connor plays a trunk driver.

The script by Dalton Trumbo is so well done.  Perfect example of how to set up your end in the beginning, how to say so much with so few words, how to convey even more without a single word spoken.  Those contrasts between modern and old worlds, the way the police can't believe Burns has no ID, nothing.  I admire the writing so much in this film.  The black and white cinematography is perfect.  This is not a movie that would work in color.

But I also admit, I usually stop the movie five minutes from the end.  The minute it starts raining... I hit the off button.  The ending is brilliant, but hard, one of the hardest in any movie I know of.  I bawl buckets when I do decide to watch it. Rough rough rough.

And Jerry Goldsmith's score... it's in my top five scores of all time.  It is amazing by itself, and it could not be more perfect and suited in the actual movie.  Jack Burns' theme, often played on solo trumpet, is so beautiful, and so lonely and sad, and so goose-bumpy.  The beautiful variations of that theme, particularly when Burns and Whiskey sneak along trails in the mountains.  And my favorite cue, "Run for It," so tense as his options dwindle, so soaring as he and Whiskey race for the forest.

(this is the only selection of music from this film I could find)

Last thoughts:  I'm 46, same age Kirk Douglas was when he made this movie.  There's some lines he says to Jerri, about why she's lucky to be with Paul, and not him, that really resonate with me personally:

"You 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."

Yep.

Day 4- A film that makes you sad

Before 1970: Lonely are the Brave (1962). Gah! I love love love this movie -- until the last five minutes. Then I hate it, because my heart aches and breaks, and I'm sad for days afterwards. But Kirk Douglas, that absolutely gorgeous horse, Whiskey, and one of my all-time favorite Jerry Goldsmith scores make this movie awesome despite the fact that the ending kills me even when I know it's coming.


Post 1970: Er... I can't seem to think of one. I can think of plenty of movies with sad moments, but none of them leave me feeling sad afterwards. They ultimately end happy. I can think of several downright depressing movies, but that's not the same as sad. I'm sure I'm overlooking one, but after thinking on this for a few days, I still can't come up with one. Hm.

The Cisco Kid vol. 1 (1946)

Watched three Gilbert Roland Cisco Kid films from 1946: The Gay Cavalier, Beauty and the Bandit, and South of Monterey. Rather routine stories, full of predictable cliches and with bad guys conveniently spouting their plans in front of good guys hidden behind trees so we can go foil their plans without having to work too hard. There's no real tension or danger in these films, but I still found them diverting enough entertainment and enjoyed them.

Of the three, The Gay Cavalier was the best as it had the more interesting story (Cisco framed for robbing a stage coach), better action -- including a nice sword fight -- and better dialogue. And while the movies are less than stellar, Gilbert Roland makes them all watchable for me. His Cisco Kid is always calm, well dressed and hat at a rakish angle, always smoking (and putting his burning cigarette behind his ear when he needs it out of the way, yikes!), always drinking tequila with his lemon and salt, always leaning casually against something, very suave, always keeping an eye out for a pretty girl. He carries around pocketful of matching necklaces that he passes out to any woman he likes. But if they start talking marriage, he splits as fast as he can. And he rides an absolutely gorgeous palomino horse that would probably go on my "Movie Horses I wish I Owned" list. Of course, everyone else politely rides dark-colored horses, so his palomino stands out even more.


I was reading some reviews, and seems a lot of people prefer the other "cleaner" incarnations of the Cisco Kid (and there are a ton of Cisco Kid films and a tv show). I haven't seen the other versions yet, but have a feeling because this is the one I saw first, that I'll be the opposite. I'll be missing Gilbert Roland in the other versions, even if the other films have stronger stories, etc. I'm quite okay with an Old West Robin Hood who helps out the poor any way he can, but who also keeps enough of his loot to live nicely himself. Who has his vices. Makes him more human to me. Less black and white, more grey. I like that.

He has a gang; however, they don't seem to do anything, and Cisco frequently leaves them behind at times I think a little backup would be a useful thing. I mean, really. I know he's brave and more than capable, but who in their right mind thinks: "Time to go brace the villain and his henchmen in his lair... I'll just leave all my men with their guns behind." Sheesh! Honestly, I think he keeps them around just for their singing. They sing spectacularly, you see. In perfect harmony whether at a campfire or at a canter on horseback. They keep him entertained. He does at least take his right-hand man, Baby, along. Different actors play this character in these films, and I got spoiled by the one (Nacho Galindo) I saw first in Gay Cavalier. He was perfect. The replacement in the other two movies (Frank Yaconelli) lacked the "looks harmless, but has very sharp teeth" competence of the first guy. He was more the comic relief, less spontaneously dangerous.

Best scenes:

In The Gay Cavalier, he's going back to visit the lady, and he sneaks in carrying a tray of hot chocolate and cakes she had requested from the servant. When he gets to her bedroom, he finds she's singing a romantic song about the dashing caballero she just met (him). So, he takes a seat in the antechamber, tries out her hot chocolate and eats her cakes, while listening to her finish the song. Oh, and him spiking the punch at a party he's crashed cracked me up too. Scenes like this just make Cisco so interesting and not boring.

Beauty and the Bandit has the girl (same one from The Gay Cavalier) physically stripping him out of his shirt so she can go wash it for him while he stands there bemused and at a loss for words. And how come more ladies don't try this out, hmmm?


South of Monterey has a great scene with him talking to a cockroach in jail. "This room is already occupied." Snort. He finally gets wounded in this movie. Shot in the shoulder, bad enough that he barely escapes the bad guy's posse, and he even passes out. But gee, when he comes to, all bandaged up by the ladies in that film... he's well enough to punch out bad guys with that injured arm and never notice the wound again the rest of the movie. What medicinal secrets do these cinematic women have, anyway? LOL!

All in all, they were fun enough that I'll be getting Vol. 2. next.

(note: The Cisco Kid is not The Frisco Kid -- which is a 1979 movie staring Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford.)

Movie animals I wished I owned - Part 2

My mom grew up on horseback, was riding practically before she could walk, and horses were a big deal in our household. Whenever we watched Westerns -- which was constantly -- she was always pointing out the horses. Her parents worked in the movies, and she would tell us stories of how stunts were done, how horses were trained to fall on cue, etc. And more than anything I wanted horses of my own. A whole ranch, ideally. There was usually at least one horse per movie I wanted. Here are some of the standout ones I still love.

Antares, Aldebaran, Altair, and Rigel... the four horses Judah races in Ben-Hur. Of course, I also want Messala's four black horses, and his chariot. That chariot used to reside at Travel Town in LA. And when I was little, there was absolutely nothing I loved better than visiting it. The trains were great, but I wanted to see that chariot first. It was the coolest movie prop I've ever seen. When I went there a few years back, it was no longer there. Sniff. I believe they said it was moved to a museum (don't remember which one, however).

The Raisuli's dappled grey in The Wind and the Lion. Might just be my favorite horse of all time. It's certainly one of the most beautiful.

Kirk Douglas's fjord horse from The Vikings. This one goes with my love of all buckskin colored horses -- but he's just got a cooler mane! Hail Ragnar, and hail Ragnar's beard!

Kid Shelleen's horse from Cat Ballou, just because that is one cool horse.

The flying/swimming horses from Walt Disney's Fantasia, because who doesn't want a flying horse?

Movie animals I wished I owned - Part 1

I grew up with cats, and probably because of that, I never encountered a movie cat I truly wanted. I guess they never quite measured up to the ones who already owned us. But dogs... that was another story. We didn't have any of those. I didn't get my first dog until I was an adult. So, I always watched for dogs in movies.

And again this is easy... because there is actually only one movie dog who ever had my heart, the one I still want to this day. That's Dog from from my third favorite movie of all time, Big Jake.



He's a collie (apparently from the Lassie line), but he doesn't have the traditional coloring... or rather he does, but they dyed his coat dark for the movie, which is half of what made him look so cool. Sadly, because it's dyed, it also means I will never ever be able to own a collie that looks like that. Sniff.

Dog was the epitome of what a dog should be to me. Beautiful, big, playful, tireless, quiet and patient, growls a soft warning when anyone approaches, attacks or does other helpful things on command, and is faithful to the end. I adore Dog. There have been other faithful dog companions in films, but none of them affected me quite the way Dog did. Because of Dog, my favorite canines will always be big, dark, and with upright ears. That's what a dog should look like.

One of these days I still might get a collie, though I wouldn't name him Dog, LOL! Most likely, I'd name him Batjac or Jake, but, of course, names depend on personalities, so who knows. My own dog right now is a grey/white Siberian Husky named Maximus. He fulfills a few of those traits I love in Dog, but mostly he's just big, beautiful, and playful (and gets along with the cats). No quiet warning growl, alas. He's got a loud howling bark he uses if anyone's comes around. :-D

(Max... click pic to make bigger)