Reflections
on “Lonely are the Brave” (1962)
Directed
by David Miller
Script
by Dalton Trumbo
(from
“The Brave Cowboy” by Edward Abbey)
Starring
Kirk Douglas, Gena Rowlands, Walter Matthau and Michael Kane
This is a deceptively
straightforward tale of pursuit in which the very nature, framework and
direction of our constantly expanding, increasingly complex and, perhaps, ever less
compassionate society, are examined.
The main character is
Jack Burns, an itinerant cowhand who objects to any infringement of his right
to wander where he chooses and to any regulation he considers unreasonable and
which impinges on the lifestyle he has chosen. Other characters are explored to
some degree but they remain largely secondary in that their principal purpose is
to shed light on or draw comparison to Jack Burns. That said, Sheriff Morey
Johnson, unlike several of his robotic or seemingly dim-witted colleagues,
offers an interesting juxtaposition to Burns’ calm and individually anarchic
attitude in that while he enforces the laws to which Burns objects, he displays
sympathy, understanding and humanity in his dealings with others, thus making for
a more interesting and less unequivocal clash, and even adding a touch of pathos
to the proceedings.
From the outset, our view
of Jack Burns is one of a man of modest means at peace with himself and at one
with nature. As he relaxes in the company of his frisky but friendly young
horse, Whiskey, his reverie is disturbed by the noise of military jets flying
high overhead. This image gently and rather poetically introduces us to one of the
main themes of the piece – the conflict and contrast between the old and the new,
or working with nature and attempted technological mastery of it. The fact these
are military jets may also have served as a reminder of the influence of the
military in society at that time.
Shortly after this
introduction, we see Jack, astride Whiskey, try to cross a tremendously busy
highway, a short journey that almost ends in disaster. Once again, this invites
comparison between the relative simplicity of the old and the complexity of the
new, with Jack and Whiskey’s old-fashioned, close and co-dependent partnership
almost losing out to the fevered, relentless and ruthless modern traffic as
Jack insists on going in the direction he has chosen in spite of the obvious
danger and threat.
These scenes give us
essential information about Jack’s determined yet modestly content character
while also providing a broader comparison between the relatively calm and
gentle world as it was, and the noisy, pressurised and mechanical world as it
is. This is a theme that will be revisited, and we will return to the image of
the highway at the end of the film.
After a considerable
absence during which he has exercised his freedom to go where he wished and
found transient work as a cowhand to earn his living, Jack pitches up at the
home of his friends Jerry and Paul and receives a warm welcome from Jerry. When
he discovers that Paul is in jail because he offered help to some illegal
immigrants, Jack leaves half his money for Jerry and hatches a plan to get himself
arrested in order to see and assist his friend. Values, friendship and
self-respect appear to be more important to Jack than financial gain or personal
ambition and security.
It becomes clear in the
course of conversations with Jerry and Paul that Jack is a man who dislikes
boundaries and laws that interfere with his view of natural order and justice. He
is happy to lead a simple life and show respect and consideration to others if
these qualities are reciprocated. However, it may be that as society has grown
and developed, and as members of it have become increasingly self-absorbed and
callous, they have distanced themselves from natural justice and have had to
impose extensive rules to try to ensure order and fairness, rules Jack sometimes
finds questionable. For example, he admires Paul’s attempts to lend a helping
hand to illegal immigrants because he does not recognise such a categorisation,
saying we are all human beings and implying we should all be humane, sympathetic
and helpful to one another.
He sees and reluctantly
accepts Jerry and Paul’s argument that Paul’s capacity for defiance is impaired
by family commitments and responsibilities, but Jack is unburdened by such
restrictions. He sets about manipulating situations and rules to his own ends
in order to get himself arrested and then refuses to accept legal and physical constraints
by breaking out of jail. He does all this out of loyalty and devotion to his
friend but also because he feels rules and laws may not always serve the ends
of natural fairness and justice, leading to personal doubt over their authority.
While in jail, Jack
provokes the ire of a deputy sheriff as he advises against allowing anger and
negativity to dominate the officer’s outlook. This officer abuses his position
and authority to exercise dominance, covering, as we shall learn, fear and personal
cowardice, and he takes revenge by beating Jack but Jack remains unbowed – he has
been beaten physically but not spiritually. He rather calmly accepts his fate,
offers no complaint and sets about his business of escaping. This episode reveals
or confirms an inner strength and conviction in Jack. He expects trouble from
others but he displays tolerance and understanding as he accepts their
decisions and actions but he is quite undeterred from his path to personal
freedom and independence. It seems that each person must follow his or her own existential
path.
As Jack and Whiskey climb
a mountain, beyond which lie Mexico and freedom, there is a series of pursuits
and confrontations which underline the contrast between the old and the new, or
nature and technology. The terrain is ill-suited to four-wheeled vehicles so
Sheriff Johnson calls in a helicopter which all concerned rather smugly assume
will bring Jack’s escape bid to an end. However, Jack cleverly manages to bring
down the helicopter without overly endangering the pilots’ lives, emphasising
his self-control and humanity, in contrast to the increasingly desperate and often
undisciplined efforts of the authorities to catch him. Jack even shows
restraint and self-discipline when he outwits Gutierrez, the officer who beat
him in jail, leaving him unconscious but not seriously wounded when Gutierrez
tries to capture him.
Jack limits himself to
self-defence. He does not carry the fight to his pursuers as he merely seeks to
exercise his freedom to go where he wants and do as he pleases, so long as
no-one else is harmed. However, he is somewhat hampered in his efforts by
Whiskey and her difficulties in climbing the steep mountainside. At one point
he considers leaving her behind but his sense of loyalty and partnership
overwhelm him. Just as Whiskey has helped him get this far, he feels he must
help Whiskey get even farther. Again, this contrasts markedly with the cold
technological efficiency (or inefficiency) of his pursuers.
Toward the end of the
film, Jack and Whiskey once more arrive at a busy highway which they must cross
in symbolic darkness, suggesting lack of clarity and hope, if they are to gain
their freedom. The road itself may be viewed as a symbol of time and change and
the heart-breaking collision between Whiskey and a noisy, speedy and
stress-inducing truck may represent the clash between Jack’s old world and the
new order of things.
When Whiskey is put out
of her misery, Jack is traumatised. He is physically injured but more
importantly, he has lost the tender and caring partnership he had formed with
his horse and, by extension, with nature itself, and he is stunned and disorientated.
The old, represented by Jack’s hat, is being swept away in doom-laden darkness and a flood of relentless rain and change while in the last shot, Jack is carried off to hospital for treatment and, perhaps, rehabilitation.
In an act of compassion
that gives us hope for humanity, Sheriff Johnson decides not to delve into the
identity of this injured and traumatised cowboy, perhaps because he knows that
the cowboy has lost everything that was of value to him.
Sheriff Johnson appears
to be a reasonable and professional man who shows understanding and patience
and we can’t help but feel he and Jack share certain traits and would get along
perfectly well together. The essential difference between Jack and Johnson is
that while Jack questions society’s rules, Johnson sees purpose in the rules he
upholds, and uses them as a means of protecting people. It should be noted that
Johnson and his assistant are also used quite effectively for comic relief.
Kirk Douglas stated he
was drawn to make this film, which he proclaimed to be his favourite of all the
films he made, because he was fascinated by issues and conflicts surrounding the
place of the individual in society, an interest he pursued the following year
when he played McMurphy in “One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest” on Broadway.
With a literate script,
engaging direction and winning performances, this absorbing and touching film
explores themes of conformity, individuality, principle, friendship, loyalty,
freedom and the sense of no longer fitting in society or the time in which one
lives, themes also usefully explored by Sam Peckinpah in his series of westerns.
Although “Lonely are the
Brave” is well regarded and appears in a few lists of “cult classics”, it
appears to have largely and undeservedly disappeared from sight – a real shame
as it remains a most rewarding and worthwhile modern western, and certainly
merits inclusion in lists of most-appreciated films.
My thanks for taking the
time to read this article. I hope you found it of some value.
Stuart Fernie (stuartfernie@yahoo.co.uk)
