“LONESOME COWBOY”

By Raymond Benson

The late actor Kirk Douglas has often cited that one of his favorite pictures he ever made was Lonely are the Brave, a “western” set in its contemporary year of release (1962).

Based on Edward Abbey’s 1956 novel, The Brave Cowboy, the picture was shot on location in New Mexico and directed by David Miller, a craftsman who worked with a variety of genres and subjects (he gave us the 1952 film noir Sudden Fear and the 1941 Billy the Kid). Most significantly, the screenplay is by Dalton Trumbo, whom Douglas “rescued” from blacklist hell two years earlier by giving the writer screen credit for his work on Spartacus (and effectively ending the blacklist). It is indeed Trumbo’s script—and Douglas’ fine performance—that makes Lonely are the Brave a quality movie.

Jack Burns is a cowboy, a loner, a drifter, a man without a real home or job—it seems his only possessions are the clothes he wears and the horse he rides. He grabs cowhand work where and when he can get it. He hates having to deal with the modern world, automobiles, fences, borders, the law, and bureaucracy. One day he returns to a small border town to visit his best friend, Paul (Michael Kane) and learns that Paul is in jail for assisting illegal immigrants. Paul’s wife, Jerry (Gena Rowlands, in one of her early screen appearances) obviously has some affection for Jack and hosts him and his horse. Jack finally decides he’s going to do something about Paul being in jail, and the only way to do it is to get himself arrested in order to break Paul out from the inside. The sheriff (Walter Matthau) and his sadistic deputy (George Kennedy) set out to pursue Jack before he rides across the border to safety. And then there’s a truck driver (Carroll O’Connor) innocently driving along, to whom the movie cuts periodically throughout the story—and we wonder why… until we do know.

That’s it in a nutshell, but the power of the movie comes in its melancholy that exudes from Jack’s character and the widescreen western vistas (albeit in glorious black and white) that are as much a supporting role as the living actors. Jerry Goldsmith’s wistful score also contributes a great deal to the success of the film. This is all good stuff, making Lonely are the Brave indeed one of Kirk Douglas’ more memorable appearances.

Kino Lorber’s new high definition restoration looks terrific and comes with an audio commentary by film historians Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell. Supplements include a tribute to the film featuring interviews with Douglas, Rowlands, Michael Douglas, and Steven Spielberg, and a featurette on Jerry Goldsmith’s score. The theatrical trailer for this and other Kino Lorber releases round out the package.

Lonely are the Brave is too-often overlooked gem from the early 1960s.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON

(For Steven J. Rubin's exclusive interview with Kirk Douglas about "Lonely are the Brave", see Cinema Retro issue #40.)