Lonely Are the Brave - Kirk Douglas Gene Rowlands

(aka 'The Last Hero')

Directed by David Miller
USA 1962

Academy Award winner Kirk Douglas ignites the screen with one of his most personal roles as a cowboy on a collision course with the modern world in Lonely are the Brave. After landing himself in jail trying to break out his friend, Jack Burns (Douglas) finds himself alone and on the run from the law. Leading the manhunt is Sheriff Morey Johnson (Walter Matthau), who must bring Burns to justice despite his own sympathy for the fugitive. Co-starring Gena Rowlands, George Kennedy and Carroll O’Connor, Lonely are the Brave is an unforgettable portrait of a lawless man defying life in an orderly world.

***

Dalton Trumbo wrote this elegy to the western. Kirk Douglas gives one of his finest performances as an out-of-place cowboy in the modern west--almost like a time traveller. The theme of the film is eloquently set up by the opening of the film in which we see Douglas reclining beneath a clear and spacious western sky. The peace and quiet is suddenly disrupted by the sound of a jet plane passing overhead. This brings a wry smile to the old cowboy's face. He rides his horse into Albuquerque to visit friends Kane and Rowlands. Rowlands tells him that her husband has been jailed for helping Mexicans enter the US illegally. Douglas starts a brawl in a saloon to get put into jail; there Douglas offers his friend Kane help in breaking out, but Kane tells Douglas that he wants to serve his brief time, intends to play out his hand with the law, and refuses to become a fugitive. Douglas is hurt but undaunted. He breaks out himself and heads for the hills, pursued by the compassionate technocratic sheriff Matthau and a posse.

Excerpt from TV Guide located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: May 24th, 1962

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DVD Review: Universal - Region 1 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Universal Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime	1:47:08
Video	2.35:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 8.24 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles	English (SDH), French, Spanish, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Universal Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 2.35:1 Edition Details: • Lonely are the Brave - a Tribute (19:12) • The Music of Lonely are the Brave (9:45) DVD Release Date: July 7th, 2009 Keep Case Chapters: 18

Comments:

Pretty darn solid SD transfer from Universal - above-average actually. The dual-layered, progressive and anamorphic transfer exhibits good contrast and grayscale. It's tight with minimal noise and very clean. This is part of the 'Universal Backlot Series' - described as 'an ongoing collection of rare gems, overlooked, ground breaking work and films of historical and cultural importance - many for the first time ever on DVD' (although this has had both French and Spanish PAL DVD editions previously released.) Besides a very small touch of sepia or green infiltration I have no complaints with this image - I can't imagine Lonely are the Brave looking much better in this format.

Audio is an unremarkable 2.0 channel but very clean and I expect this also has had some beneficial work with no untoward pops or hiss noted. Dialogue is crystal clear and the score sounds resonant and uplifting. There are optional subtitles in English (SDH), French or Spanish.

Supplements include 2 new featurettes. Lonely are the Brave - a Tribute runs 20-minutes and has Kirk Douglas, his son Michael and director Steven Spielberg giving interesting input on Trumbo and how it is both Douglas' favorite of the father's films. The Music of Lonely are the Brave runs just shy of 10-minutes and is, more or less, a nice tribute to Jerry Goldsmith hosted by Robert Townson.

Beyond a great western - this is a masterpiece film. It's so wonderful to find these classics that strike such a strong cord of humanity and individualistic spirit. As far as I am concerned this is a steal at less than $15 and is a must-own DVD. Caught at the exact right time - Kirk Douglas is perfect in this. I'm excited to see more from the 'Universal Backlot Series'. Lonely are the Brave has our highest recommendation.