The Bold and the Brave

I hadn't seen this since childhood; the moving climax stuck in my mind long after the ballad sung over the credits faded from memory. The crap game is somewhat replicated a few years later in the memorable Mickey Rooney-starring episode of COMBAT!: "Silver Service". Mickey brings the same self-effacing, self-sacrificing ebullience to the role of Harry White as he does to Dooley in The BOLD AND THE BRAVE... Louis Morgan says, on his blog: ''Mickey Rooney is an actor who is commonly derided by modern viewers for his Rooney mannerisms, and tendency to overact his parts. I must personally I have no animosity toward Rooney. Firstly he showed in The Human Comedy he is capable of giving a moving performance, secondly I personally never had a problem with his Rooneyisms. This is not to say that I do not understand people who do hold this animosity, Rooney certainly is an actor that if he rubs you the wrong way he probably really rubs you the wrong way. He simply does not annoy me in that way, although it most certainly is true that his performances tend to be better when they are further away from a typical Rooney performance than closer.''

Highest recommendation!

I recently viewed this movie after not seeing it in several decades. It had always stuck out in my memory as one of the best of the 1950s war movies.

The writing was excellent, a great story of men in war, the brave, the bold, the fallen, the fallen women, and the pious men. The crux of the plot concerns a religious zealot that disdains alcohol, women and gambling, yet feels no empathy at blowing away the enemy. God and Country I guess. As the story progresses, he feels betrayed by his comrades.

The problem I had, was that during the first half of the movie, the acting seemed stiff and all but Rooney seemed to be over-acting...to the point of parody. Then about half way thru, things pick up and so does the acting. I wonder, since Rooney is "un-credited" as one of the directors, perhaps he stepped in to pull this one out of the fire.

The crap game is legendary, and the final action is quite good. The ballad sung over the opening credits and at the conclusion are an added bonus.

While not quite as good as "Attack"(1956) or "The Steel Helmet"(1951) this is still fun 50s war stuff.

The main problem with The Bold and the Brave is that the main character isn't likable. Don Taylor, whom you probably know as Buckley in Father of the Bride, stars as a righteous, pious soldier stationed in Italy. The other featured soldiers are Wendell Corey and Mickey Rooney, but when they get together to play a prank on their pal, it gets out of hand. They pay an Italian prostitute, Nicole Maurey, to act innocent and seduce Don.

There are some steamy scenes between the two, but since there are other 1950s movies that also have steamy scenes, you don't have to rent this one. It's not that great of a war movie, and the characters aren't compelling. Mickey is obsessed with gambling, chasing women, and talking big to impress Wendell, whom he thinks is a top dog. Wendell isn't really a top dog, and inconsistently disrespects then defends Nicole. Don is the worst of all. He's rude, stubborn, and righteous, and when he finds out he's been betrayed, he's unforgivably unforgiving. I'm not sure if he's supposed to be a sympathetic character or not, but since he's the lead, it's not very much fun to watch him when he never redeems himself.

After a fallow period during the early fifties Mickey Rooney established himself as a fine straight actor, a position consolidated in this otherwise very ordinary war film set in Italy in 1944 to which Rooney not only contributed the title song but collected an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

The best performance is as usual provided by Wendall Corey with his regular quiet authority. Don Taylor - soon to give up acting in favour of directing - is strictly speaking the star as a Holy Joe who's heart is broken by a brunette Nichole Maurey pretending to be an Italian as a local girl with whom he shares a glass of buttermilk before it all ends in tears.

I remember seeing this at a drive-in back when it first came out with my cousin's family in Rochester. This is one of those films that really sticks with you. At the time however some of the more adult themes of the film went completely over my head.

The Bold And The Brave focuses on three soldiers in the Italian campaign. Wendell Corey plays an amiable drifter type who in civilian life was a lawyer, but never practiced much law as he was married to a rich woman. He's not sure if he has the right stuff.

Corey's best pal is Mickey Rooney who got an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He's a cheerful extrovert who lives for his off duty moments. He's got a marvelous scene cleaning out the company in a crap game. In the end though, that truly does him in.

Both are commanded by Don Taylor who is their uptight model GI Joe sergeant. In war he's great, but has some issues in his personal life. They call him preacher and it's suggested ever so gently that he's been celibate. Corey tries to fix him up with Nicole Maurey who also gives a great performance as a girl who does what she can to survive the war.

The Bold And The Brave has for some reason been lost for years. Hopefully it will be broadcast and a new generation can appreciate a fine underrated classic.