Sangre y arena

20th Century Fox gave Tyrone Power one of his most famous roles as the bullfighter torn between the love of a noble woman, his wife (Linda Darnell), and the tempestuous "other woman" (Rita Hayworth). A technicolor remake of the 1922 classic with Valentino, the studio spared no expense in making this a lavish, well-paced version of the tale depicting the rise and fall of a great bullfighter.

While establishing Power as a romantic hero of swashbuckling roles, it made a star of Rita Hayworth who, up until this time, was seen mostly in low-budget films. If anything, 'Blood and Sand' assured of the stardom she sought.

Especially interesting in one of his more flamboyant character roles is Laird Cregar as the critic of the art of bullfighting, alternately praising and damning the hero and eventually getting his comeuppance from Power.

Directed with great style by Rouben Mamoulian, it is still the best version of the story to date, photographed in the lush technicolor of the 1940s.

You may be interested in looking at my article on Laird Cregar that appeared in the March 2001 issue of CLASSIC IMAGES.

One of Tyrone Powers best efforts as an actor. Linda Darnell is, as usual absoulutly beautiful. Rita, just doesn't make it in the looks department. One wonders why Juan ever left his gorgeous wife (Linda) for this little vixan, Rita. Anthony Quinn is superb as the heavy.

The bull fighting scenes are the best ever filmed. I,personally, do not care for this sport (?). The scene where Power looks eye to eye with the bull, turns his back to the bull and slowly walks away while draging his cape along the sand is a mind blower. This is one of 20th Century Fox's finest moments in motion pictures. How the Academy picked "Sgt. York" over this as best picture of 1941 is a real mystery to me.

Tyrone, Anthony, Linda and Rita to name a few await you here in this classic heart-moving story of a boy who wants to grow up to be a man by being a Matador i.e. the best there ever was. That's the intrigue and we are also entertained as we watch childhood friends grow up together into adulthood too. Then there is love both the carnal and the heartfelt. Throw in some poverty, poor boy makes good and you have a decent story to tell. Every time I watch these rags to riches to rags again movies I always wonder why these people don't put something away when on top? Surely what goes up must come down not to mention bad luck and how about early retirement too? That's what hooks you! Its when they don't do it or something goes wrong that you now become a part of the movie world wondering if that could happen to you and how would you handle it? This is called entertainment and they pull it off nicely here. There is a eating scene or two so prepare to eat while watching and of course have a tasty drink and some snack for later. Blood and Sand is an appropriate name for the bullfighter game...

`Blood and Sand' based on the novel by Ibanez and presented by 20th Century-Fox is a masterpiece of old style Hollywood filmmaking. Director Rouben Mamoulian pulls out all the stops to present this Technicolor flushed romantic story of Juan Gallardo who is portrayed by the impossibly beautiful Tyrone Power. Juan grows from a poor boy dreaming of glory in the bullrings of Spain to the epitome of arrogance and ignorant of the cost to his soul of his fame. The three principals of the story are, Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell as his childhood sweetheart Carmen, and Rita Hayworth as the seductive and hollow Dona Sol. Tyrone Power presents us with a marvelous, energetic portrait of a young, brash and over confident Juan. His first close-up bursts the edges of the screen and burns in the colors of Goya. Tyrone Power was made for the movies and cinematographers Ernest Palmer and Ray Rennahan film him with as much care as they do the two female leads. Thus this overpoweringly beautiful close-up sucks the viewer into the world of Juan and one is swept away by his charm and bravado. Mr. Powers's performance is almost overshadowed at first by his physical presence but as the story progresses his talent as a film actor takes over and sustains the viewer to the end.

Linda Darnell, a great beauty of the movies and by her own admission, not much of an actress, turns in a very good performance as Juan's discarded wife Carmen. I do not agree with Miss Darnell's opinion of her talents. One only has to look at `Letter to Three Wives' to see what an accomplished screen actress she was. And here too she takes the thankless roll of Carmen and makes one care about the poor girl. Then we have Rita Hayworth who here in `Blood and Sand' sets the standard for the great-lost beauties of the silver screen. Her Dona Sol is everything we hope for in the empty shell of a femme fatal. It is said of her, at one point in the film by a newspaper critic of bullfighting, as he points to the ring: `Gentleman, if this is death in the afternoon, then she is death in the evening.' And Miss Hayworth lives up to every inch of his description in this her breakout performance.

In the garden scene where she performs the `Toro!' seduction and sings to her victim Juan, she is utterly captivating and irresistible in her Travis Banton gown and cascading titian hair. Here we see the birth of Rita Hayworth and the demise of Rita Cansino. Also worth mentioning are Anthony Quinn as one of Juan's boyhood friends, Manola De Palma and the wonderful silent star Alla Nazemova who is heart breaking as Juan's mother. The music by the masterful Alfred Newman sets the tone and emotion of the film. Lush and full of the sounds of Spain it is one of his best.

Darryl Zanuck believed that story was everything in film. Without a good story you had nothing to build a film on. In `Blood and Sand' the head of Fox proves his point and gives us a great movie presented in the grand style of Hollywood's golden age.

"Blood and Sand" gave Rudolph Valentino one of the best roles of his career. It also established Tyrone Power as a star in Hollywood. Under Rouben Mamoulian's direction this film translates the novel by Blasco Ibanez into a Hollywood spectacle, so popular in the 40s. It is to Mr Mamoulian's credit, a film that paid attention to a lot of detail about the Spain of the beginning of the XX century.

The story presents us Juan Gallardo, a poor lad from the provinces, who became the greatest matador of his time. He goes from poverty to a life of luxury; a life for which he was ill prepared for. In fact, Juan never learned to read! It's a story of how someone overcomes difficult obstacles to attain fame and notoriety, only to be defeated by those same ambitions when the matador throws everything away in order to pursue a society woman, forsaking the decent wife that adores him.

Tyrone Power in the film was still a bit rough in the acting department, as well as in the cosmetic adjustments that all stars go through. Compare his smile here with later films: major dental work had not been performed yet!. Tyrone Power embodied the best of what a screen idol possessed. He had enormous charisma and no matter who he plays against, his presence is larger than that of the leading lady.

Linda Darnell was very effective as Carmen, a woman in love with the matador. Rita Hayworth's beauty doesn't come across as well here as in other films. Ms Hayworth was more of a siren in the movie. The first rate cast that was assembled is excellent. Anthony Quinn, Lynn Bari, J Carrol Nash, George Reeves, Alla Nazimova, John Carradine, just to name a few, shine in the background of this film.