Lonely are the Brave (Universal Backlot Series)
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Movie Reviews of Lonely are the Brave (Universal Backlot Series)
Movie Review: A truly memorable film. The best work of an acting icon
Summary: 4 Stars
When I first saw this film not long after it was released I did not fully appreciate it for what it was,namely some of the best work of an acting icon probably better know for his Spartacus role who went on to play many roles which should have won him many oscars but for various reasons did not.Kirk to my mind will always be fondly thought of for that one groundbreaking role namely Spartacus and I would like to think he can live with that,such was the impact of the film, its raw reality and sheer scope. In every respect a movie to be proud of since it was Kirks baby so to speak from the outset and Douglas will always be gauged rightly or wrongly on that offering. However in the the totality of this actors body of work Spartacus is but one of many fine potrayals which should have reaped him many more accolades than what we see.Douglas is the last of his breed and a living reminder of those years of huge epics which would be impossible to film today such would be the cost. His body of work is such that you could find something worth watching in almost all the decades in which this man has lived. Kirk was never dated in that sense. The word Hollywood icon is such a cliche and hackneyed to the inth degree.This man was the personfication of the Hollywood icon. It is no wonder Douglas counts this movie as one of his favourites it was certainly a favourite of mine and continues to be both for the fine acting on Kirks part and the storyline that so aptly lends itself to the sensitive portrayal so ably presented by Kirk. This to my mind is the memorable aspect, a somewhat simple part played by a master who understands the underlying message of the film and brings it out in spades in his portayal. A masterpiece which in Kirks broad body of work is saying something indeed.Movie Review: K Douglas best film
Summary: 4 Stars
Just to quell the mountain gods and the wrath of other reviewers... at its highest point Sandia Crest, 10,678 feet, the highest point in New Mexico I think is Wheeler Peak, at a modest 13,141 feet near Taos, NM. If you driver further north into the San Juan range you start getting into the 14ers...
The film completely captures the loss of a lifestyle in a world that is trying to modernize from the days of the wild west, and the folklore of the cowboy. In my opinion Mr. Douglas captures the reality that a man was made to be a hunter,wild and free and be on the range, and yet that man has a gentle side that can only given to a woman he loves.
Here is a link to an interview with Kirk Douglas;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onzqlL3rey8
so I first saw this movie in 1979 in a HS film critique class, and have always had affection for it, and finally it is going to be released on DVD. I saw an interview with Kirk Douglas on Turner Classic Movies, and he made comment that this was one of his favorites to make. I am a native to Albq, which to me has always been a cowtown with an attitude as it tries to be metropolitan I have frequented the trails that the movie was filmed on and it is great to see that you can still hike the La Luz trail, and, if you printed out snap shots of the majestic views in the film you could literally stand where they shot the film from. The other amazing thing is that since you have a National Forest dominating the Eastside of Albq. you are only moments from being 'lost' in the wilderness.
Movie Review: An ALL STAR CAST. An interesting film.
Summary: 3 Stars
I'm going to give this film three stars because thus far noone else has given the film simply three stars. My rating
will be the 75 on this film. Of the ratings, 65 are 5 stars, 8 are 4 stars and one is a 1 star rating. I'm going to go straight up the middle with my rating at 3 stars.
I give this movie 3 stars for the following reasons. First, I doubt seriously that I saw all of the film. I watched
this film on the AMC channel and there were constant commercials. The commercials were a constant nuisance. Second, I give the film 3 stars only because it was fairly predictable in its outcome. I didn't think Kirk Douglas would succeed in the end. Still the movie was quite entertaining. I especially loved seeing all of the familiar actors.
First George Kennedy was a policeman, a role he has played many times. The unbelieveable part of Kennedy's role was to try to make him Spanish. When I first saw Kennedy at the jail I can't recall that he acted or talked at all with a Spanish accent, but later in the film he was trying to be Spanish and with an accent. Second, it was very cool to see Walter Matthau as a sheriff. He played that part well. Another familiar face was of Carrol O' Connor who portrayed a trucker hauling as he called it "privies", or bathroom furnishing. I knew that O' Connor would be back to play a promiinent part in the film because he kept appearing in the film for some apparrent reason. In any other film he might have appearred once as a driver stopping for lunch and then leaving for the next town. And finally, Bill Bixby was in the film as a co-pilot in a helicopter.
The film consists of the Douglas character getting into a bar fight and going to the jail. The jail was full up so they were going to let him go so Douglas slugged it out with the police to be thrown into jail. In jail he was to see someone he knew, perhaps his friend or his brother. I'm not really sure who the guy was but Douglas had come to bust him out. Douglas smuggled two hacksaw blades into the cell inside of his boot. Douglas cut the bar and made it back to his friends girlfriend where he had left his horse. Douglas fled into the mountains on horseback to evade the police. Douglas was trying to get to Mexico. In the end Douglas and his horse are hit by O' Connor's truck. The horse is shot and Douglas is sent to the hospital.
I agree with "L Spain" who gave the movie 1 star. Douglas was an anti-hero, arrogant, lawbreaking, wild, and he brought the tragic end upon himself. All I am saying is that Douglas' character shouldn't be embraced as some sort of hero. The movie is trying to portray the old world clashing with the new world. Douglas was a throwback, a cowboy, a man who roamed the hills and plains on horseback cutting fences when he came upon them.
The film is interesting and entertaining but I don't think it quite sold the character of Douglas. Douglas does a fine job of acting but he cannot redeem the character of an arrogant and selfish man who merely wanted to live his life by his own rules.
The final shot of the film has Douglas's cowboy hat in the highway as rain falls. That shot tells you everything. At least the shot didn't include a car running over the cowboy hat. Other ways the conflict of machinery versus man were developed included the horse vs. the jeep, chewing tobbacco vs. chewing gum, the commitment of the guy in jail to his girlfriend, and Douglas's lack of commitment to anyone. I'm sure there is probably more to movie but as I said, my viewing was interrupted with commercials and it may have been edited as well.
All in all Douglas played the typical western tough guy, but in this picture he is not out in the old west but playing in the America as it was in 1962. I know that at one point Douglas was near Tulsa, Oklahoma because there was a sign. Anyway, this is a film that is well worth watching.