Blood and Sand (1941)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Rouben Mamoulian

Writers:

Vicente Blasco Ibáñez (novel)
Jo Swerling (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 May 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sport

Tagline:

Love flamed in the shadow of death!

Plot:

Illiterate peasant Juan Gallardo rises meteorically to fame and fortune in the bullfight arena only to sow the seeds of his own fall.

Plot Keywords:

Bullfighter | Fame | Loyalty | Train | Crucifix

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Tyrone Power	...	Juan Gallardo
Linda Darnell	...	Carmen Espinosa
Rita Hayworth	...	Doña Sol des Muire
Alla Nazimova	...	Señora Augustias Gallardo (as Nazimova)
Anthony Quinn	...	Manola de Palma
J. Carrol Naish	...	Garabato
John Carradine	...	Nacional
Lynn Bari	...	Encarnacíon
Laird Cregar	...	Natalio Curro
Monty Banks	...	Antonio López (as William Montague)
Vicente Gómez	...	Guitarist (as Vicente Gomez)
George Reeves	...	Captain Pierre Lauren
Pedro de Cordoba	...	Don Jóse Álvarez (as Pedro deCordoba)
Fortunio Bonanova	...	Pedro Espinosa
Victor Kilian	...	Priest

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #7216) | Sweden:15 | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Director Rouben Mamoulian based many of the film's color schemes and designs on the works of great Spanish painters such as El Greco and Velasquez.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the scene when Doña Sol des Muire sings to Juan Gallardo on his first visit to her home, she accompanies herself on the guitar, but while she strums the fingers of her other hand never move to change chords as she plays.

Quotes:

Garabato: The bull is not the beast! Look at the crowd! That is the real beast!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Saeta

The rise and fall of Juan Gallardo.

Uneducated peasant Juan Gallardo rises to fame and fortune in the bullfight arena. From here he falls for the socially active Dona Sol, thus breaking the heart of his childhood sweetheart Carmen, who nevertheless stands by her man as he continues to face danger in the bullring, but ego and love will give Juan his biggest fight of all.

This remake of the 1922 silent Rudolph Valentino picture is certainly a lavish production, its colour cinematography by Ernest Palmer & Ray Rennahan rightly won the Academy Award, and it's directed with adroit skill by Roublen Mamoulian. The story is a great one as well, following the rise of Gallardo {a solid if too staid Tyrone Power} is always intriguing, and it's watching his constant battle with his emotions that is the films drawing point. However there can be a case made for the film resting too much on its dialogue driven laurels, far too many times i personally found myself hankering for an up turn in pace to help emphasise the emotional nature of the characters.

The cast do OK without really excelling, Rita Hayworth looks gorgeous and a fine career blossomed from here, Linda Darnell as the other love interest glides nicely from scene to scene. Anthony Quinn takes the best supporting honours, his Manolo is vigorous with a cheeky glint in the eye, whilst sadly, John Carradine is underused and his Nacional is not fully fleshed out until its far too late.

It's at times sexy {dam flamenco always a winner to me}, it's got guts, and it looks absolutely gorgeous, but it's not quite the whole package. 7/10