Gregory Peck and The Bravados

[mrsl]

Never saw this one before, so I put up with the AMC commercials and was really glad I did.

Peck was in his absolute PRIME in this one. Not a wrinkle, not a blemish on his face, not a grey hair, slim and athletic looking, yum, yum, yum. Oh . . . the movie. . . . Yeah. . . . He's chasing these 4 guys who raped and murdered his wife. As it progresses, you learn he has a little girl who a neighbor is watching for him while he hunts. Joan Collins is an old girlfriend who pops up and reclaims her previous status. He finds 3 of the 4 guys, and at the end, of course finds the fourth. I can't comment on the outcome, but I can say Greg was a good enough actor that I wish someone like John Ford had directed because this director had him talking too much. If you recall 12 O'Clock High, Mockingbird, or On the Beach, you know that visually Greg can hold a scene with no words uttered. This is a good man who has done some things he would never condone in other circumstances. It was a good chase and mete punishment film until the last 15 minutes where it just falls apart and the writers become lazy.

On the whole it's a good cowboy movie, and worth catching, hopefully on a commercial free venue. The ending forbids any further scrutiny.

Anne

[ken123]

Excellent post Mrsl - Henry King was the director for this film and 12 O' Clock High and " The Gunfighter ", one of the best non John Ford directed Westerns of all time. Where's the DVD. For looking only I prefer to look at the very non - winkled Joan Collins.

[MikeBSG]

Another interesting point about "The Bravados" is that the actress who played "Look" in "The Searchers" has a good supporting role here. I was stunned to see her in another movie.

[MissGoddess]

I have liked The Bravados ever since I was a young girl and saw it frequently on TV. I used dream of being Joan's character and falling in love with a man like Gregory Peck. It was awesome to me, to see his relentless rage to get those guys---I'd never seen anything like it. It's my favorite of his westerns, after The Big Country.

P.S. Ken, I think it is on dvd.

[movieman1957]

It is on DVD. I was lucky enough to win a prize in a Programming Challenge and I picked a copy of this movie.

[ken123]

Miss Goddess - Thank you for your wonderful post. I have both of these Gregory Peck Westerns on DVD, alone with " Yellow Sky ", not if only
" The Gunfighter " would get a DVD too, with a commentary.

[Mr. Arkadin]

I like The Bravados as well. Anne, as a fan of Peck have you seen Keys of the Kingdom (1944)? It's not a western, but I think Peck gives one of his best performances in it.

[mrsl]

Mr Arkardin:

Even as a fallen catholic, I can't help but admire The Keys of the Kingdom! The amazing thing about it is, this was only Greg's second movie! He had played in that war film where he was a czech guerilla, and he was the star of that, but he was surrounded with a lot of other people. In 'Keys' he was on his own in so many scenes, yet he carried them all off with aplomb. Amazing again to be a star throughout your entire career. Oddly enough, he was nominated for best actor but lost, then years later he did Audrey Hepburn a favor by insisting her name be equal to his in billing in Roman Holiday, and she was then nominated.

Gregory Peck, John Wayne, and Robert Mitchum are three actors who all had the ability to appear on scene, and command attention. A lot could be going on in the scene, but when they walk in, you eyes are riveted to them alone. You can jokingly talk about the women also in the scenes, and I don't blame you guys for that, but watch the three of them in films like The Longest Day, or MacArthur, in an all men scene - you're watching one of them, not anyone else onscreen.

Anne