Lonely are the Brave

"Life can never cage a man like this!"

1962 1h 47m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 175

Western

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A fiercely independent cowboy arranges to have himself locked up in jail in order to then escape with an old friend who has been sentenced to the penitentiary.

“Life can never cage a man like this!”

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Cast

Kirk Douglas
John W. "Jack" Burns
Gena Rowlands
Jerry Bondi
Walter Matthau
Sheriff Morey Johnson
Michael Kane
Paul Bondi
Carroll O'Connor
Hinton
William Schallert
Harry
George Kennedy
Deputy Sheriff Gutierrez
Karl Swenson
Rev. Hoskins

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Miller
Writers: Dalton Trumbo
Languages: Spanish, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

64 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Miller, shot by Philip H. Lathrop. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Leon Barsha shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kirk Douglas and Gena Rowlands and Walter Matthau carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Life can never cage a man like this!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0056195 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Miller directs. Philip H. Lathrop behind the camera. Jerry Goldsmith scores. Leon Barsha cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Spanish, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

164 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, English.
3Directed by David Miller, shot by Philip H. Lathrop. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Leon Barsha shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Kirk Douglas and Gena Rowlands and Walter Matthau carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Life can never cage a man like this!".
8IMDB entry: tt0056195 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 18 themes, including "helicopter", "sheriff", "based on novel or book", "escape".
10Released under 10 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Philip H. Lathrop
Original score: Jerry Goldsmith
Editing: Leon Barsha
Makeup / hair: Larry Germain
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Lonely are the Brave (1962)

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David Miller

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2017-05-18
★ 9/10
I don't need cards to figure out who I am, I already know. Lonely Are The Brave is directed by David Miller and adapted for the screen by Dalton Trumbo from the novel "The Brave Cowboy" written by Edward Abbey. It stars Kirk Douglas, Gena Rowlands, Walter Matthau & George Kennedy. Cinematography is from Phillip H. Lathrop and Jerry Goldsmith scores the music in what was his first major studio work. John (Jack) W. Burns is an old school cowboy who refuses to adapt to the new world he finds himself in. Modern technology is alien to him and he would rather perpetually roam with his horse Whiskey than ever contemplate getting in a car or a jet. Upon learning that his dear friend Paul (Michael Kane) is in jail, it's not long before Jack himself finds he's in jail after a barroom fight…..and then promptly sets about breaking Paul and himself out. Only Paul doesn't want to go, he wont jeopardise the family life waiting for him on the outside by becoming a fugitive. Jack escapes and heads for the hills on Whiskey, with the law, and all their modern technology, in hot pursuit. Officially Douglas' favourite film in his long and varied career, Lonely Are The Brave is a wonderfully elegiac picture about a man out of his time. Boosted by impeccable lead performances, a great script and gorgeous black & white photography, it's hard to believe it was met with a lukewarm response upon its release. Set in 1950s New Mexico the film elegantly tells how the frontier is vanishing; to be replaced by progress and technology. Douglas' character, a wandering cowboy, is a symbol of nostalgia, where Trumbo's screenplay offers a cautionary observation about restriction of freedom and individuality. Themes close to home with the writer with the HUAC incidents still fresh in the memory. Lonely Are The Brave could quite easily now be subtitled the Punk Rock Western. There's a number of scenes in the piece that leave indelible marks. A rip snorting fist fight between Jack and a one armed man is high powered and potent, the farewell scene between Jack and Paul's wife Jerry (Rowlands) is sexually charged and wrought with an impending finality. The whole pursuit as Jack and Whiskey scale the rocky hills, pursued by helicopter, car and a vengeful prison guard, is gripping and laced with emotion. While the finale, tho forewarned to us from early in the piece, is one of the most heart tugging moments in Western movie history. Director Miller doesn't have the CV that his work here suggests he should have; given the assured way he crafts this story. For he, along with all the others involved (must mention Goldsmith's evocative score too), has delivered a classy bit of cinema across the board. A pertinent piece about the changing world and the characters left behind in its wake. 9/10

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