The Brave One (1956)

Director:

Irving Rapper

Writers (WGA):

Dalton Trumbo (story) (front Robert Rich) and
Harry S. Franklin (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

14 March 1957 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Family

Plot:

A young Mexican boy tirelessly tries to save his pet bull from death at the hands of a celebrated matador.

Plot Keywords:

Number In Title

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Michel Ray	...	Leonardo
Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.	...	Rafael Rosillo
Elsa Cárdenas	...	Maria
Carlos Navarro	...	Don Alejandro
Joi Lansing	...	Marion Randall
Fermín Rivera
Jorge Treviño	...	Salvador
Carlos Fernández	...	Manuel

Runtime:

USA:100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound System) (35 mm magnetic prints) | Mono (35 mm optical prints)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | UK:U (1957) (cut) | Finland:S | Sweden:15

Company:

King Brothers Productions

Trivia:

After "The Brave One' won the Oscar for Best Screenplay, independent producer Edward Nassour sued its producers the King Brothers over plagiarism. It seems the script for "The Brave One' bore an uncanny resemblance to that for "Ring Around Saturn," a stop-motion animation feature Nassour had been working on with a script written by Paul Rader. The King Brothers settled the dispute by paying out to Nassour the sum of $750,000 in an out-of-court settlement. It turned out that blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo had written the script for "The Brave One" using the pseudonym of Robert Rich.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Trumbo (2007)

A delight in sight and sound...

"The Brave One" is about a peasant boy who runs away to Mexico City to save his brave bull, Gitano... Irving Rapper directed the beautiful simple story of Leonardo and his attachment to his pet bull with understanding...

"The Brave One" has an authentic look in the bullring, on ranches and in Mexican streets...

"The Brave One" has humor: When Gitano, becoming a remarkable bull with a fine physical construction, proves his spirit to Carlos Navarro's red car...

"The Brave One" has strange attachment: The charge of the noble bull against a ferocious jaguar to protect Leonardo's life...

"The Brave One" has determination: In front of the Monument of Mexican President Benito Juarez, the persisting and exhausted boy got a great idea to go and meet the President, the only authority that could save his bull...

"The Brave One" has bravery: Gitano offered to the public a magnificent spectacle of skill, grace and courage...

"The Brave One" has suspense: When the 'moment of truth' is at hand, the little Leonardo, all anguished, couldn't see Gitano in front of his 'Hour of Truth.'

"The Brave One" has a terrific climax: Clamorous screams from the public are heard stronger and stronger... Handkerchiefs are moving in the air with a petition to the president of the bullring...

The film covers many highlights as the weaning and branding of the bulls and how they are tested in the open fields; la Fiesta Brava filling resplendently in the gold and pink brocades of Mexico, mixing with the elegance of swirling capes; the father of Leonardo (Rodolfo Hoyos) trying to make Leonardo understand that the pet bull is born to die in the ring—the reason of his life...

With a tremendous score and an outstanding color photography of exceptional beauty, Jack Cardiff realized the most beautiful and expressive scenery of the Mexican landscapes... His movie had the flavor of the bullfight game and its devotees and hangers-on...

As a little boy, I loved everything about this passionate film superbly directed and acted... Such emotion as I remember seeing it for the first time with my dear parents and brothers a long time ago in Beirut, Lebanon...