The Brave One (1956 film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Brave One |
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DVD cover
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| Directed by | Irving Rapper |
| Produced by | Frank King |
| Screenplay by | Harry S. Franklin Merrill G. White |
| Story by | Dalton Trumbo (credited as Robert Rich) |
| Starring | Michel Ray Rodolfo Hoyos Jr. Elsa Cárdenas Carlos Navarro Joi Lansing |
| Music by | Victor Young |
| Cinematography | Jack Cardiff |
| Editing by | Harry S Franklin and Merrill G. White |
| Studio | King Brothers Productions |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
| Release date(s) | October 26, 1956 |
| Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Brave One is a movie from 1956. It is a drama directed by Irving Rapper. The main actors are Michel Ray, Rodolfo Hoyos Jr., and Elsa Cárdenas. The story is about a young Mexican boy who wants to save his favorite bull, Gitano. Gitano is set to fight a famous bullfighter, and the boy wants to stop it.
The Brave One was the last movie to win the Academy Award for Best Story. This award was stopped after 1956. The film was also nominated for two other Academy Awards: Best Film Editing and Best Sound Recording. However, the movie was not very popular or successful when it first came out.
Contents
The Story of Gitano
This movie takes place in Mexico during the 1950s.
During a big storm, a cow that just had a baby calf dies. Leonardo, a young boy whose father is a cattle herder, finds the calf. He takes the little animal home and names him "Gitano." Leonardo raises Gitano with a lot of love and care.
Gitano's mother was a gift to Leonardo's father, Rafael Rosillo. She was given to him by his boss, Don Alejandro, as a thank you for a big favor. But there was no written paper to prove that Gitano's mother, or Gitano, belonged to Leonardo's family. So, Leonardo writes a letter to Don Alejandro. He asks for a written paper to show that Gitano is truly his family's bull.
At the time Leonardo writes, Don Alejandro is in Europe. He is busy taking part in car races. Because of this, the letter takes a long time to reach him. While Don Alejandro is away, his manager brands all the young animals with Don Alejandro's mark. This includes Gitano.
Weeks go by, and then Leonardo finally gets a letter from Don Alejandro. To Leonardo's great joy, the letter includes a paper that says Gitano is a gift to his family.
Years later, Gitano turns four years old. Sadly, Don Alejandro has a bad accident in a race and dies. He owed a lot of money, so all his property is sold to pay his debts. This includes Gitano. Leonardo cannot find the gift paper, and Gitano has Don Alejandro's brand on him. This makes it look like Gitano belongs to Don Alejandro's estate, not Leonardo.
Gitano is sold and quickly sent to the bullring in Mexico City. Leonardo is very sad and desperate. He travels to the capital city to ask the new owner to let Gitano go. But he cannot get a meeting with the manager. Not knowing what else to do, Leonardo goes to the Mexican president's palace. He tells the president his sad story. The president is very touched by the boy's trust. He gives Leonardo a letter asking for Gitano to be set free.
When Leonardo gets back to the arena, it is too late. Gitano is already in the ring, fighting with the famous bullfighter Fermin Rivera.
Leonardo watches the fight with tears on his face. The banderilleros have already placed their spears in Gitano's back. Then the matador comes into the arena. The bull is very smart and avoids every attack from the bullfighter. The fight goes on for a very long time, and Gitano is incredibly strong. The bullfighter is even thrown to the ground twice.
Suddenly, the crowd starts to shout, “Indulto!” This means "Pardon!" More and more people join in, and the shout grows very loud. The whole stadium becomes a sea of people waving white handkerchiefs. They want to save the brave bull's life. Just before the matador is about to give the final blow to Gitano, the arena management agrees to the "Indulto" request. The matador bows to the bull and leaves the ring.
Then, the audience is shocked when Leonardo jumps into the ring. He runs towards the wild bull. In the last part of the movie, Gitano recognizes Leonardo as his owner and friend. Both of them calmly leave the arena together.
Main Actors
- Michel Ray as Leonardo
- Rodolfo Hoyos Jr. as Rafael Rosillo
- Elsa Cárdenas as Maria
- Carlos Navarro as Don Alejandro Videgaray
Behind the Story
The person who wrote the story for the movie was first listed as Robert Rich. This was a fake name, also called a pseudonym. The real writer was Dalton Trumbo. He was part of a group called the Hollywood Ten. These were people in Hollywood who were not allowed to work because they refused to answer questions from a government committee. Trumbo was even put in jail for a while. Robert Rich was actually the name of the movie producer's nephew. At first, the nephew said he wrote the story, but his uncles said he didn't. In 1975, the Academy Award for the story was officially given to Dalton Trumbo.
There was also a lawsuit about the story. The Nassour brothers sued King Brothers, saying the movie's story was taken from their own story called Emilio and Bull. They settled the case outside of court.
A documentary from 1991, Hollywood Dinosaurs, said that The Brave One is based on a story called El Toro Estrella. This story was about "a boy, a bull, and a dinosaur." Other movies like The Beast of Hollow Mountain and The Valley of Gwangi were also based on parts of this story. However, The Brave One does not have a dinosaur in it.
Awards Won
- Academy Awards:
- Best Writing, Motion Picture Story (Dalton Trumbo writing under the pseudonym "Robert Rich")
- Best Film Editing – Nominated (Merrill G. White)
- Best Sound – Recording – Nominated (Buddy Myers)
- Golden Globe Awards:
- Best Film Promoting International Understanding
Home Video Release
A new, improved version of the movie was released in 2016 on Blu-ray.
Comic Book Version
- Dell Four Color #773 (February 1957)
See also
In Spanish: The Brave One (película de 1956) para niños
