Plaza de Toros

It concerns about valiant bullfighters relentlessly flirting with death and along the way they have turbulent love stories . It is a splendid portrayal of a traditional ¨Corrida Toros¨. Sellout in the bullring of Las Ventas in Madrid . A luxury poster is about to deal a cattle from Antonio Pérez Tabernero . The veteran Torero Ricardo (Domingo Ortega) whose career is far from finish , leaves his lover (Maria Asquerino) and , the best bullfighter , the winner Juan Carmona (Antonio Bienvenida, whose voice is not dubbed) suffers injuries from a bull , and a bit later on , to be aware a child to be born from his wife Isabel . Meantime , a spontaneous (Jorge Vico) goes down at arena , as he jumps into the ring . While some spectators are cheering and discussing among themselves . This one concerns Spanish-style bullfighting , it is called Corrida De Toros (literally "running of bulls") or la fiesta ("the festival") , at the same time it deals with the bullfighters' loves .

Like its title suggests, it revolves around the bullfighting world and displaying a colorful and evocative cinematography . The movie gives a nice description about the culture of Spain surrounding the age old traditions of the Matador , in which Toreros are really submitted to nerves during slaughter. As the ancient Toreo art-form is described with unflinching and fetching realism , it is the story of bullfighters against brave beasts . The motion picture was competently made by Ladislao Vajda carrying out a great filming , halfway between documentary and fiction , as he pulls off in this production an intelligent studio about the brave bullfighters , and there are lots of shots about bullfighting , especially in its final part , showing a spectacular Corrida , being technical consultants the notorious Toreros . The film is well starred by true Toreros as Antonio Bienvenida as a bullfighter whose wife is expecting a child secretly , and the prestigious torero Domingo Ortega , among others . Support cast is frankly excellent , plenty of secondary Spanish star-studded such as Jesús Tordesillas ,Manolo Morán ,Juan Calvo , Mariano Azaña , José Isbert , Félix Dafauce , Xan das Bolas , José Prada ,Rafael Bardem , Luis Sánchez Polack and many others .



The film gives an adequate description about ¨Bullfighting¨ art , as the bull is released into the ring, where he is tested for ferocity by the matador and Banderilleros with the magenta and gold Capote ("Cape"). This is the first stage, the Tercio de Varas ("the lancing third"). The matador confronts the bull with the Capote , performing a series of passes and observing the behavior and quirks of the bull . Next , a ¨picador¨ enters the arena on horseback armed with a Vara (lance) . In the next stage, the Tercio De Banderillas ("the third of Banderillas") , each of the three Banderilleros attempts to plant two Banderillas, sharp barbed sticks, into the bull's shoulders . In the final stage, the "the third of death" , the matador re-enters the ring alone with a small red cape, or Muleta, and a sword .

¨Afternoon of the Bulls¨ or ¨Tarde de Toros¨ was made after the international success Marcelino Pan Y Vino (1955) , this picture touched the hearts of numerous spectators all around the world , and before other films starred by Pablito Calvo as ¨Mi Tio Jacinto¨ and ¨Un Angel paso por Brooklyn¨; filmmaker Ladislao Vajda directs for the powerful production company ¨Chamartín¨ this interesting movie , a big hit by the time , being a crossover between fiction and documentary . Precious and luminous cinematography by Enrich Guerner (Vadja's ordinary) who gives us an accurate scenario of the times is developed . Guerner or Heinrich Gärtner was a magnificent cameraman , and similarly to Ladislao Vadja with the arrival of the Nazis and with his Jewish origin, he went in Spain in 1933 ; that's where he worked for the rest of his life and even took the Spanish nationality . He became there a very influential cinematographer and trained many of the Spanish cinematographers who worked with him as assistant cameramen like José F. Aguayo . The motion picture was excellently directed by Ladislao Vadja , born in Hungary , he's author of sensational movies , such as 'The Bait' or 'El cebo' , 'María, matrícula de Bilbao' , 'Atraco' , 'Doña Francisquita , 'Aventuras del Barbero de Sevilla' and 'Carne de horca', and three with Pablito Calvo: 'An Angel over Brooklyn' (along with Peter Ustinov) and 'Uncle Jacinto' (along with Antonio Vico) . The great filmmaker Ladislao Vajda succeeds in this picture , obtaining a great achievement , managing perfectly to the performers and taking advantage of them , giving the best of his acting and spectacular bullfighting scenes . In my opinion this is one of the best films to come out of Europe in the decade of the 50s . Rating : Above average.

As the title suggests, this film tells the story of an afternoon at the bullfight. Filmed largely at Madrid's Las Ventas bullring, with interior pick-ups shot at Estudios Chamartin, the movie is an interesting example of the popular entertainment of its day. The leaden, static Franco regime was deeply entrenched in power and the bullfight was hugely popular (though, as the film makes clear, starting to lose ground to soccer). Franco's apogee coincided with, and prompted, safe, anodyne popular drama of this kind.

A bullfight poster is being put up as the film begins, displaying as usual the names of the three matadors who will appear (and whose fortunes will form the heart of our story). Ricardo Puente (played by Domingo Ortega) is the senior torero, a haughty veteran whose arrogance is commensurate with his talent. In second position is the likeable Juan Carmona (Antonio Bienvenida). Gifted enough to rival Puente, and young enough still to attract the attention of promoters, Carmona knows that an outstanding performance today will earn him a lucrative South American contract for the coming winter. He is "at the pinnacle of his art".

The third matador is taking his 'alternativa' today. he will be formally admitted to his bullfighting doctorate in the ring, and so will become a full torero. Luis Montes, played by Jesus Tordesillas, is the tall young hero with the matinee idol looks. He is watched by his father, who was a bullfighter before him, and the beautiful Ana Maria (Encarnita Fuentes), the sister of Carmona, who is in love with him.

As the matadors vie for glory in the ring, a neat sub-plot involves Manolo the street urchin. Just as Montes is entering the charmed circle of maestros de tauromaquia, Manolo is using his determination and innate guile to get into the bullring without a ticket. This section is necessary, because it endears Manolo to the viewer, in preparation for what is to come.

Manolo is an 'espontaneo', one of the dirt-poor youngsters who hopes to make it as bullfighters by leaping into the ring uninvited in the course of a corrida and taking on the bull. The spectators applaud as Manolo pluckily passes the beast, but matters take a horrific turn when the bull catches and tosses him. What looks like genuine footage of a real-life espontaneo being impaled on the horns is matched flawlessly with the fictional material.

Emotional light and shade are skilfully handled in this pleasant film, and good-natured fun is poked at foreigners, because of their ignorance of the bullfight. French tourists call matadors "toreadors" (an absolute no-no), and pass through the turnstiles singing the march from "Carmen". The vapid blonde French actress who is honoured with Carmona's cape forms a running gag with her brainless questions and faux-pas. Another of the 'character' jokes is the little boy whose father has brought him to Las ventas to educate him in tauromachy, but who much prefers 'el futbol'. This was the age when Real Madrid totally dominated European soccer, and the ball was beginning to eclipse the cape as Spain's national pastime.

It is hard to work out how artifice has been blended with genuine bullfight footage. Some of the pick-up shots are obviously studio inserts (eg, the smiling close-up of Carmona, garnering applause) but the fight scenes are matched flawlessly with shots of the actors, and the whole thing forms a remarkably seamless narrative.

As each bullfighter takes on his first bull, Puente performs a series of cold, elegant mariposas and carmona matches these adornos with his own sequence of media-chicuelinas.

Life and death form part of the story, and are balanced skilfully. There is balance, too, in the thematically opposed dolly shots along the barrera, showing first the crowd's antipathy towards Montes, then their warm appreciation of his triumph with the second bull.

My only quibble is a minor one. In a film which clearly knows its bullfighting, why is Montes shown donning his traja de luces in his parents' living-room?

Verdict - Pleasing Spanish bullfight movie dating from the heart of the franco era.