The Brave One

This is the story of a young Mexican peasant boy who comes across a cow that is dying beneath a fallen tree branch and saves the calf she is birthing; a strong bond is established between the boy and the calf, a bond that persists as the calf turns into an aggressive bull that is being groomed for the the bullring. This bellicose beast is referred to as being "brave" in this film.

Ownership of the bull is a subject of debate throughout the film and at one point the boy gains an audience with the Mexican President to try to resolve the issue. Outside of the story being utterly preposterous, I had no problem with it.

This was filmed in Mexico in CinemaScope using highly saturated colors. There are some beautiful scenes of rural Mexico as well as a tour of Mexico City. The sweeping score by Victor Young invites grand emotion, but it stuck me as too exuberant, in the style of many scores of 1950s movies. The acting is uniformly wooden.

The highlights of the film are the captivating, and extended, bull fighting scenes. No matter what your opinion is of this controversial sport, it will be hard for you not to recognize its appeal based on these scenes. When an American visitor to Mexico expresses her dismay about the sport, her Mexican host notes that boxing and fox hunting are accepted, so why not bullfighting? He goes on to say that Mexicans know that death is never very far away, but that Americans are outraged by pain and, as for death, they may pass a law against it at any time.

What attracted me to this movie was seeing that it is based on an Oscar-winning story by Dalton Trumbo. The movie credits the story to one "Robert Rich," who was a front for Trumbo during the period of his being blacklisted during the McCarthy era (when Trumbo appeared before a Congressional committee and was threatened with a Contempt of Congress citation for not answering questions, he told the committee that that would be appropriate, since he had nothing but contempt for them). After having seen other movies with strong themes based on Trumbo screenplays, such as "Lonely are the Brave," "Papillon," and "Spartacus," I was looking forward to this film, but it does not live up to the quality of those. I was puzzled as to how Trumbo could have lapsed into such sentimentality, but then it occurred to me that he must have identified with the bull who defied attempts to be constrained and ultimately prevailed, just as Trumbo himself.

This stands out from most child and animal pet movies. So realistic. Great acting from all. Feels genuinely Mexican. Well written story. The colour is vibrant and the version uploaded on YouTube is sharp and good quality. An enjoyable film for the whole family as it can be appreciated by any age group. I understand there was a lot of controversy behind the scenes but what underhanded things happened did not stop it being a worthwhile movie. Just a shame that reviewers have to write 800 characters to make the review acceptable. I think shorter reviews are equally as valid. Don't you think? I do.

The Brave One was beautifully crafted in 1957 by blacklisted author Robert Rich and immediately established itself as a superb classic. The tale is of a small Mexican boy and his enduring love for his courageous pet bull. Set in Mexico, a boy discovers a cow has been killed after delivering and orphaning a male offspring. Naming the calf Gitano, The boy become it's friend and caretaker. Realizing the boy's loneliness, the parents encourage the bond, but fail to emphasis the eventual fate of the animal. Throughout the Calf's life the boy's love inexorably growing unaware of his parent's financial responsibility to the bull's true owner. By the time the animal has grown to market size and becomes a cash commodity, the boy's parents are torn between their son's love and their duty to the Patrone. Using subterfuge, the parents separate the two. Returning from a fool's errand, the boy discovers his best friend and lifetime companion has been sold for the purpose of bull fighting and its eventual destruction. Despite the frantic warnings of his parents that it's too late to save the animal, the small boy adroitly played by Michel Rey, sets off to save his courageous friend from certain death. The boy visits everyone from the Patrone to the Governnor of Mexico in a vain attempt to alter the fate of his pet. The film culminates with the boy's magnificent bravery before an arena filled with spectators. True love for any animal has never had a more poignant test of love and courage. For any viewer with a human heart, this tear-wrenching film will leave you joyfully weeping. ****

When I read the summary for "The Brave One", I wasn't eager to watch the film. After all, it sounded like a sappy movie targeted towards kids. Boy, was I wrong!

The story surprised me in many ways. Instead of making it in Hollywood, filming it in black & white, and having all sorts of negative or paternalistic Mexican stereotypes, the story managed to have none of these. Instead, it's obvious someone at RKO really cared about the project and a lot of love and attention was given in order to make this more than just another Hollywood film.

Soon after the story begins, a cow is injured and is dying. But fortunately, her baby survives and is raised by Leonardo (Michel Ray). The boy loves that little calf and over time they become inseparable. Unfortunately, the bull is also destined for the bull ring one day and much of the story shows the boy's efforts to save his beloved Gitano.

While the story might sound sappy, it was very well executed. I also appreciate that the Mexican people are shown in a very good light...like real people, not stereotypes. The story also ended wonderfully...and you'll need to have some Kleenex nearby just in case. Well worth seeing, but also NOT a film for young kids...or, better yet, see the movie with them. This is because the bullfighting scenes, while sanitized, are still pretty gory and disturbing.

The King Brothers commissioned this screenplay from blacklisted Dalton Trumbo and, in 1957, it earned an Oscar for Best Story. A claim that the story, "Emilio and Bull" by Paul Rader, submitted to the Kings in 1951, was the basis for the script was settled out of court. Perhaps, inspiration was provided by Albert Lamorisse's magnificent French short "White Mane" (1953), another story of a small boy, who develops a rapport with a big animal, that adults also claim for commercial purposes. But this Technicolor, Cinemascope feature film, set in Mexico, with a score by Victor Young, received much more attention and praise. It is a pleasure to visit Mexico City in 1956, to see the handsome old cars and enter the ring with the bullfighters. Director Irving Rapper gets good performances from all, including the bull and Trumbo handles the rising suspense masterfully.