The Brave One (1956 film): Difference between revisions

The Brave One
The Brave One
	DVD cover
Directed by	Irving Rapper
Screenplay by	Harry S. Franklin; Merrill G. White
Story by	Dalton Trumbo (credited as Robert Rich)
Based on	Corrida de Toros Original Screenplay (170 pages) by Juan Duval; died before film production; uncredited [citation needed]
Produced by	Frank King
Starring	Michel Ray; Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.; Elsa Cárdenas; Carlos Navarro; Joi Lansing
Cinematography	Jack Cardiff
Edited by	Harry S Franklin and Merrill G. White
Music by	Victor Young
Production; company	King Brothers Productions
Distributed by	RKO Radio Pictures
Release date	October 26, 1956;
Running time	100 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Latest revision as of 08:03, 22 December 2024

The Brave One is a 1956 American drama film directed by Irving Rapper and starring Michel Ray, Rodolfo Hoyos Jr., and Elsa Cárdenas. It tells the story of a Mexican boy who tries to save his beloved bull Gitano from a deadly duel against a champion matador.

The Brave One was the last film to win the Academy Award for Best Story before the award was discontinued, and was nominated for two other Academy Awards: Best Film Editing and Best Sound Recording, but was not a box office or critical success.

Plot

The story is set in Mexico in the 1950s.

During a storm, a cow that has just calved is killed in the pasture. Leonardo, the young son of the cattle herder, takes the animal home, gives him the name "Gitano" and raises him lovingly.

Gitano's mother had been presented to Leonardo's father (Rafael Rosillo) as a gift from his employer (landowner Don Alejandro), in thanks to Rosillo for a great favor he had done for Don Alejandro. But, no written confirmation exists of this gift or of Rosillo's ownership. Leonardo writes to Don Alejandro to ask him for an assurance in writing that Gitano belongs to Leonardo's family.

Don Alejandro, at the time Leonardo writes, is in Europe, taking part in various car races and the letter is slow to reach him. Meanwhile, Don Alejandro's manager has all the young animals branded with Alejandro's brand, including Gitano.

Weeks pass and then to his great joy, Leonardo receives a letter from Don Alejandro with a deed of gift attached.

Years later, when Gitano turns four, Don Alejandro has a fatal accident in a race. Because he is heavily in debt, his entire estate is put up for auction. This includes Gitano because Leonardo can no longer find the deed of gift and the fact that Gitano is branded with Alejandro's brand speaks against Leonardo's ownership.

Gitano is sold and quickly sent to the bullring in Mexico City. Desperate, Leonardo makes his way to the capital to ask the new owner to release Gitano. His efforts to meet with the manager are unsuccessful. Not knowing what else to do, Leonardo goes to the Mexican president in his palace and describes his suffering. The president is so touched by the confidence the boy has that he gives him a letter endorsing the release of Gitano. When Leonardo arrives back at the arena, it is already too late: Gitano is in the arena, fighting with the famous bullfighter Fermin Rivera.

His face streaked with tears, Leonardo watches the bloody spectacle. The banderilleros have just planted their spears in Gitano's back when the matador enters the arena. The bull knows how to evade every attack of the torero. The fight is of unusual length and Gitano's condition is exceptional. The torero has been thrown on the ground twice, when suddenly the cry arises from the crowd: “Indulto!” (Pardon). More and more spectators take up the call and it swells into a hurricane. The entire stadium is transformed into a sea of spectators with white handkerchiefs who want to give life to the brave bull. Shortly before the matador is set to give the fatal blow to Gitano, the Indulto request is granted by the arena management. The matador bows to the bull and steps down. The audience is then horrified when Leonardo jumps into the ring and runs towards the wild bull. In the closing scene, Gitano recognizes in Leonardo his master and companion. Both leave the arena peacefully.

Cast

Michel Ray as Leonardo
Rodolfo Hoyos Jr. as Rafael Rosillo
Elsa Cárdenas as Maria
Carlos Navarro as Don Alejandro Videgaray

Story

The story credit was originally given to Robert Rich, a pseudonym used by Dalton Trumbo, one of the Hollywood Ten, who had been jailed for eleven months starting in 1950, then blacklisted for refusing to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. It was actually the name of the nephew of the film's producer Frank King. Initially Rich claimed authorship of the screenplay, though his uncles denied the claim.^[2]^[3]^[4] The Academy Award was reissued in Trumbo's name in 1975.

The Nassour brothers sued King Brothers for $750,000 claiming that the story was lifted from Emilio and Bull written by Paul Rader, which the Nassour Brothers had shown the Kings in 1951. The claim was settled out of court.^[5]

According to Ted Newsom's 1991 documentary, Hollywood Dinosaurs, the film is based on El Toro Estrella, "about a boy, a bull, and a dinosaur", upon which the films The Beast of Hollow Mountain and The Valley of Gwangi are based. It details the screenwriting controversy but notes that The Brave One does not include the dinosaur.

Awards

Academy Awards:^[6]
- Best Writing, Motion Picture Story (Dalton Trumbo writing under the pseudonym "Robert Rich")
- Best Film Editing – Nominated (Merrill G. White)
- Best Sound – Recording – Nominated (Buddy Myers)
Golden Globe Awards:
- Best Film Promoting International Understanding

Release

The King Brothers later sued RKO for mismanaging the distribution and sale of the film, claiming $6 million in damages.^[7]

Home media

A restored version was released in 2016 on Blu-ray.

Comic book adaptation

Dell Four Color #773 (February 1957)^[8]^[9]

References

^ "The Brave One: Detail View". American Film Institute. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
^ Alexandra Kindell; Elizabeth S. Demers Ph.D. (February 27, 2014). Encyclopedia of Populism in America: A Historical Encyclopedia [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. pp. 347–. ISBN 978-1-59884-568-6.
^ Time Inc (April 15, 1957). LIFE. Time Inc. pp. 161–. ISSN 0024-3019.
^ Matthew Bernstein (1999). Controlling Hollywood: Censorship and Regulation in the Studio Era. Rutgers University Press. pp. 215–. ISBN 978-0-8135-2707-9.
^ "King Bros. Pay Off". Variety. April 10, 1957. p. 11. Retrieved January 9, 2021 – via Archive.org.
^ "The 29th Academy Awards (1957) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
^ THOMAS M. PRYOR (November 5, 1958). "FILM GROUP FILES SUIT OF $6,030,000: King Brothers Alleges Trust Violations in 3 Releases – Doris Day in Musical". New York Times. p. 43.
^ "Dell Four Color #773". Grand Comics Database.
^ Dell Four Color #773 at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)

External links

The Brave One at IMDb
The Brave One at the TCM Movie Database
The Brave One at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films

[1] "The Brave One: Detail View". American Film Institute. Retrieved October 2, 2022.

[KindellPh.D.2014-2] Alexandra Kindell; Elizabeth S. Demers Ph.D. (February 27, 2014). Encyclopedia of Populism in America: A Historical Encyclopedia [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. pp. 347–. ISBN 978-1-59884-568-6.

[Inc1957-3] Time Inc (April 15, 1957). LIFE. Time Inc. pp. 161–. ISSN 0024-3019.

[Bernstein1999-4] Matthew Bernstein (1999). Controlling Hollywood: Censorship and Regulation in the Studio Era. Rutgers University Press. pp. 215–. ISBN 978-0-8135-2707-9.

[5] "King Bros. Pay Off". Variety. April 10, 1957. p. 11. Retrieved January 9, 2021 – via Archive.org.

[Oscars1957-6] "The 29th Academy Awards (1957) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved August 21, 2011.

[7] THOMAS M. PRYOR (November 5, 1958). "FILM GROUP FILES SUIT OF $6,030,000: King Brothers Alleges Trust Violations in 3 Releases – Doris Day in Musical". New York Times. p. 43.

[8] "Dell Four Color #773". Grand Comics Database.

[9] Dell Four Color #773 at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|1956 Movie about a Mexican boy and his beloved bull}}
-{{Infobox Film
+{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2017}}
+{{Infobox film
 | name           = The Brave One
 | image          = Braveone1957.jpg
-| image_size     =
 | caption        = DVD cover
 | director       = [[Irving Rapper]]
-| producer       = Frank King
+| producer       = [[King Brothers Productions|Frank King]]
-| writer         = [[Dalton Trumbo]]<br>[[Harry S. Franklin]]<br>[[Merrill G. White]]
+| screenplay     = Harry S. Franklin<br>[[Merrill G. White]]
+| story          = [[Dalton Trumbo]] (credited as Robert Rich)
-| narrator       =
+| based_on       = ''Corrida de Toros'' Original Screenplay (170 pages) by Juan Duval; died before film production; uncredited {{citation needed|date = February 2022}}
-| starring       = [[Michel Ray]]<br>[[Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.]]<br>[[Elsa Cárdenas]]<br>[[Carlos Navarro]]<br>[[Joi Lansing]]
+| starring       = [[Michel Ray]]<br>[[Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.]]<br>[[Elsa Cárdenas]]<br>Carlos Navarro<br>[[Joi Lansing]]
 | music          = [[Victor Young]]
 | cinematography = Jack Cardiff
-| editing        = Merrill G. White
+| editing        = Harry S Franklin and Merrill G. White
+| studio         = [[King Brothers Productions]]
-| distributor    =
-| released       = [[March 21]], [[1957]]
+| distributor    = [[RKO Radio Pictures]]
+| released       = {{Film date|1956|10|26|ref1=<ref>{{cite web | url= https://catalog.afi.com/Film/51771-THE-BRAVEONE| title=The Brave One: Detail View | publisher=American Film Institute | accessdate= October 2, 2022}}</ref>}}
-| runtime        = 100 min
-| country        = {{USA}}
+| runtime        = 100 minutes
-| language       = [[English language|English]]
+| country        = United States
+| language       = English
 | budget         =
 | gross          =
-| preceded_by    =
-| followed_by    =
-| website        =
-| amg_id         =
-| imdb_id        = 0049030
 }}
-'''''The Brave One''''' is a [[1957 in film|1957]] American [[drama film]]. The film was directed by [[Irving Rapper]], and stars [[Michel Ray]], [[Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.]], and [[Elsa Cárdenas]]. ''The Brave One'' won the 1957 [[Academy Award]] for Best Story, and was nominated for Best Film Editing and Best Sound.
+'''''The Brave One''''' is a 1956 American [[drama (film and television)|drama film]] directed by [[Irving Rapper]] and starring [[Michel Ray]], [[Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.]], and [[Elsa Cárdenas]]. It tells the story of a Mexican boy who tries to save his beloved bull Gitano from a deadly duel against a champion matador.
+''The Brave One'' was the last film to win the [[Academy Award for Best Story]] before the award was discontinued, and was nominated for two other [[Academy Awards]]: [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]] and [[Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing|Best Sound Recording]], but was not a box office or critical success.
-The writer was originally credited as Robert Rich, a pseudonym used by [[Dalton Trumbo]]. Trumbo, who was not presented with the Academy Award for best screenplay until 1975, was blacklisted as one of the [[Hollywood blacklist|Hollywood Ten]] in 1947 for allegedly being a member of the [[Communist Party USA|American Communist Party]].
+==Plot==
+The story is set in Mexico in the 1950s.
+During a storm, a cow that has just calved is killed in the pasture. Leonardo, the young son of the [[Herder|cattle herder]], takes the animal home, gives him the name "Gitano" and raises him lovingly.
+Gitano's mother had been presented to Leonardo's father (Rafael Rosillo) as a gift from his employer (landowner Don Alejandro), in thanks to Rosillo for a great favor he had done for Don Alejandro. But, no written confirmation exists of this gift or of Rosillo's ownership. Leonardo writes to Don Alejandro to ask him for an assurance in writing that Gitano belongs to Leonardo's family.
+Don Alejandro, at the time Leonardo writes, is in Europe, taking part in various car races and the letter is slow to reach him. Meanwhile, Don Alejandro's manager has all the young animals branded with Alejandro's brand, including Gitano.
+Weeks pass and then to his great joy, Leonardo receives a letter from Don Alejandro with a deed of gift attached.
+Years later, when Gitano turns four, Don Alejandro has a fatal accident in a race. Because he is heavily in debt, his entire estate is put up for auction. This includes Gitano because Leonardo can no longer find the deed of gift and the fact that Gitano is branded with Alejandro's brand speaks against Leonardo's ownership.
+Gitano is sold and quickly sent to the bullring in Mexico City. Desperate, Leonardo makes his way to the capital to ask the new owner to release Gitano. His efforts to meet with the manager are unsuccessful. Not knowing what else to do, Leonardo goes to the Mexican president in his palace and describes his suffering. The president is so touched by the confidence the boy has that he gives him a letter endorsing the release of Gitano. When Leonardo arrives back at the arena, it is already too late: Gitano is in the arena, fighting with the famous [[bullfighter]] Fermin Rivera.
+His face streaked with tears, Leonardo watches the bloody spectacle. The banderilleros have just planted their spears in Gitano's back when the matador enters the arena. The bull knows how to evade every attack of the torero. The fight is of unusual length and Gitano's condition is exceptional. The torero has been thrown on the ground twice, when suddenly the cry arises from the crowd: “Indulto!” (Pardon). More and more spectators take up the call and it swells into a hurricane. The entire stadium is transformed into a sea of spectators with white handkerchiefs who want to give life to the brave bull. Shortly before the matador is set to give the fatal blow to Gitano, the ''Indulto'' request is granted by the arena management. The matador bows to the bull and steps down. The audience is then horrified when Leonardo jumps into the ring and runs towards the wild bull. In the closing scene, Gitano recognizes in Leonardo his master and companion. Both leave the arena peacefully.
+==Cast==
+* [[Michel Ray]] as Leonardo
+* [[Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.]] as Rafael Rosillo
+* [[Elsa Cárdenas]] as Maria
+* [[Carlos Navarro (Mexican actor)|Carlos Navarro]] as Don Alejandro Videgaray
+==Story==
+The story credit was originally given to Robert Rich, a pseudonym used by [[Dalton Trumbo]], one of the [[Hollywood Ten]], who had been jailed for eleven months starting in 1950, then [[blacklist]]ed for refusing to testify before the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]]. It was actually the name of the nephew of the film's producer [[King Brothers Productions|Frank King]]. Initially Rich claimed authorship of the screenplay, though his uncles denied the claim.<ref name="KindellPh.D.2014">{{cite book|author1=Alexandra Kindell|author2=Elizabeth S. Demers Ph.D.|title=Encyclopedia of Populism in America: A Historical Encyclopedia &#91;2 volumes&#93;|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g46dAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA347|date=February 27, 2014|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-59884-568-6|pages=347–}}</ref><ref name="Inc1957">{{cite book|author=Time Inc|title=LIFE|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XEoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA161|date=April 15, 1957|publisher=Time Inc|pages=161–|issn=0024-3019}}</ref><ref name="Bernstein1999">{{cite book|author=Matthew Bernstein|title=Controlling Hollywood: Censorship and Regulation in the Studio Era|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SZICVpl_R3UC&pg=PA215|year=1999|publisher=Rutgers University Press|isbn=978-0-8135-2707-9|pages=215–}}</ref> The Academy Award was reissued in Trumbo's name in 1975.
+The [[Edward Nassour|Nassour brothers]] sued King Brothers for $750,000 claiming that the story was lifted from ''Emilio and Bull'' written by Paul Rader, which the Nassour Brothers had shown the Kings in 1951. The claim was settled out of court.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=King Bros. Pay Off|date=April 10, 1957|page=11|url=https://archive.org/stream/variety206-1957-04#page/n110/mode/1up|accessdate=January 9, 2021|via=[[Archive.org]]}}</ref>
+According to Ted Newsom's 1991 documentary, ''Hollywood Dinosaurs'', the film is based on ''El Toro Estrella'', "about a boy, a bull, and a dinosaur", upon which the films ''[[The Beast of Hollow Mountain]]'' and  ''[[The Valley of Gwangi]]'' are based.  It details the screenwriting controversy but notes that ''The Brave One'' does not include the dinosaur.
 ==Awards==
+*'''[[Academy Awards]]''':<ref name="Oscars1957">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1957 |title=The 29th Academy Awards (1957) Nominees and Winners |accessdate=August 21, 2011|work=oscars.org}}</ref>
-*'''[[Academy Awards]]''':
-**'''Best Writing, Motion Picture Story''' ([[Dalton Trumbo]])
+**'''Best Writing, Motion Picture Story''' ([[Dalton Trumbo]] writing under the pseudonym "Robert Rich")
-**Best Film Editing (Merrill G. White)
+**Best Film Editing – Nominated (Merrill G. White)
-**Best Sound - Recording (Buddy Myers)
+**Best Sound – Recording – Nominated ([[Buddy Myers]])
 *'''[[Golden Globe Awards]]''':
 **Best Film Promoting International Understanding
+==Release==
+The King Brothers later sued RKO for mismanaging the distribution and sale of the film, claiming $6 million in damages.<ref>{{Cite news|title=FILM GROUP FILES SUIT OF $6,030,000: King Brothers Alleges Trust Violations in 3 Releases – Doris Day in Musical|author=THOMAS M. PRYOR|date=November 5, 1958|work=New York Times|page=43}}</ref>
+==Home media==
+A restored version was released in 2016 on Blu-ray.
+==Comic book adaptation==
+* [[Dell Comics|Dell]] [[Four Color]] #773 (February 1957)<ref>{{gcdb issue|id=13666|title=Dell Four Color #773}}</ref><ref>{{comicbookdb|type=issue|id=313473|title=Dell Four Color #773}}</ref>
+==See also==
+* [[List of American films of 1956]]
+==References==
+{{reflist}}
 ==External links==
-* {{imdb title|id=0049030|title=The Brave One}}
+* {{IMDb title|id=0049030|title=The Brave One}}
+* {{TCMDb title|id=69591|title=The Brave One}}
+* {{AFI film|51771}}
+{{Irving Rapper}}
-{{DEFAULTSORT:Brave One, The}}
+{{Dalton Trumbo}}
-[[Category:1957 films]]
-[[Category:American films]]
-[[Category:English-language films]]
-[[Category:Drama films]]
-[[Category:Family films]]
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Brave One, The}}
-{{1950s-drama-film-stub}}
+[[Category:1956 drama films]]
+[[Category:1956 films]]
+[[Category:1950s English-language films]]
+[[Category:Films scored by Victor Young]]
+[[Category:Films set in Mexico]]
+[[Category:Films directed by Irving Rapper]]
+[[Category:Films that won the Academy Award for Best Story]]
+[[Category:Films with screenplays by Dalton Trumbo]]
+[[Category:Hispanic and Latino American drama films]]
+[[Category:Bullfighting films]]
+[[Category:RKO Pictures films]]
+[[Category:CinemaScope films]]
+[[Category:Films adapted into comics]]
+[[Category:1950s American films]]

v t e Dalton Trumbo
Screenplays	Road Gang (1936) Love Begins at 20 (1936) Devil's Playground (1937) Fugitives for a Night (1938) A Man to Remember (1938) Five Came Back (1939) Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence (1939) The Flying Irishman (1939) Curtain Call (1940) A Bill of Divorcement (1940) Kitty Foyle (1940) The Lone Wolf Strikes (1940) We Who Are Young (1940) You Belong to Me (1941) The Remarkable Andrew (1942) Tender Comrade (1944) A Guy Named Joe (1944) Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944) Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945) Gun Crazy (1950) He Ran All the Way (1951) Rocketship X-M (1951) The Prowler (1951) Roman Holiday (1953) Carnival Story (1954) They Were So Young (1954) The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955) The Boss (1956) The Brave One (1956) The Deerslayer (1957) The Green-Eyed Blonde (1957) From the Earth to the Moon (1958) Cowboy (1958) Spartacus (1960) Exodus (1960) The Last Sunset (1961) Town Without Pity (1961) Lonely Are the Brave (1962) The Sandpiper (1965) Hawaii (1966) The Fixer (1968) The Horsemen (1971) F.T.A. (1972) Executive Action (1973) Papillon (1973) Ishi: The Last of His Tribe (1978)
Screenplay/Directed	Johnny Got His Gun (1971)
Novels	Eclipse (1935) Johnny Got His Gun (1939) Night of the Aurochs (1979)
Adaptations	Roman Holiday (1987)
Portrayals	The Hollywood Ten (1950 documentary) Hollywood on Trial (1976 documentary) Trumbo (2007 documentary) Trumbo (2015 film)
Related	Christopher Trumbo (son) Hollywood blacklist Cortes (unproduced miniseries, based on Trumbo's screenplay Montezuma)