Jump to content

The Brave One (1956 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Novellasyes (talk | contribs) at 13:40, 7 October 2020 (→Plot: ce). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Brave One
DVD cover
Directed byIrving Rapper
Screenplay byHarry S. Franklin
Merrill G. White
Story byDalton Trumbo (credited as Robert Rich)
Based onCorrida de Toros Original Screenplay (170 pages) by Juan Duval; died before film production; uncredited
Produced byFrank King
StarringMichel Ray
Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.
Elsa Cárdenas
Carlos Navarro
Joi Lansing
CinematographyJack Cardiff
Edited byHarry S Franklin and Merrill G. White
Music byVictor Young
Production
company
Distributed byRKO Radio Pictures
Release date
  • October 26, 1956 (1956-10-26)[1]
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Brave One is a 1956 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.

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.

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 from 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.

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 young animal home, gives him the name "Gitano" and raises him lovingly. Leonardo's father, Rafael Rosillo, had once received Gitano's mother from his employer, the landowner Don Alejandro, as a thank you for a great help. However, there is no written confirmation of this. Leonardo therefore writes to Don Alejandro to assure him in writing that Gitano belongs to him. The landowner is currently in Europe, where he takes part in various car races. In the meantime it happens that Don Alejandro's manager has all the young animals branded by his master, including Gitano. A few weeks later, to his great joy, Leonardo received a letter from Don Alejandro with a deed of gift attached. The bull is now four years old. Then the newspapers report that Don Alejandro had a fatal accident in a race. Because he is heavily in debt, the whole legacy goes under the hammer. Gitano is also affected. Leonardo's objection turns out to be pointless because he can no longer find the deed of gift and the brand speaks against him. After just a few days, the animal is brought to the bullring in Mexico City. Desperate, the boy makes his way to the capital to ask the bullfighter boss to release Gitano. However, because Leonardo is not allowed to see the manager, he goes to the Mexican president in his palace and describes his suffering. He is so touched by the confidence the boy has in the state that he gives him a letter that practically means Gitano's release. When Leonardo arrives back at the arena, it is already too late: Gitano is already in the arena and fighting with the famous bullfighter Fermin Rivera.

With his face streaked with tears, the boy watches the bloody spectacle. The Banderilleros have just chased 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 already been thrown on the ground twice, when suddenly the cry: “Indulto!” (Pardon). More and more spectators take up the call and let it swell 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 fatal blow, the Indulto request is granted by the arena management. The matador bows to the bull and steps down. To the horror of the audience, Leonardo jumps over the gang and runs towards the wild bull. He recognizes in the boy 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

Awards

Release

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

Home video

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

Comic book adaptation

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Brave One: Detail View". American Film Institute. Retrieved June 2, 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.
  3. ^ Time Inc (April 15, 1957). LIFE. Time Inc. pp. 161–. ISSN 0024-3019.
  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. ^ "The 29th Academy Awards (1957) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "Dell Four Color #773". Grand Comics Database.
  8. ^ Dell Four Color #773 at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=The_Brave_One_(1956_film)&oldid=982328258"