Lonely Are the Brave (1962)
Directed by David Miller
This ageless example of antiestablishmentarianism is based on Edward Abbey’s novel, The Brave Cowboy. In a role he hails as his favorite, Kirk Douglas shines as Jack Burns—an existential wanderer in an industrialized West. Despite being a Korean War hero, Burns vehemently refuses to carry an ID or succumb to reason. Refusing to concede his loss of individuality to a plasticized world, he remains the last of his kind. Atop his sportive horse, Whisky, Burns rides into his old town, almost immediately gets into a fight (with a one-armed man, no less) and thrown into jail. This act is deliberate; Burns wanted to find his old friend in jail, only to escape soon after. In one of his earliest roles, Walter Matthau plays the empathetic sheriff chasing Burns; his independence eroded by the system long ago, too. Samantha Vacca (Mar 4, 4:30pm, 7pm, 9:15pm at BAM’s “Black & White ‘Scope: American Cinema”)