''Bullfighter and the Lady'' is a 1951 drama romance sport film directed and written by Budd Boetticher starring

Robert Stack Robert Stack (born Charles Langford Modini Stack; January 13, 1919 – May 14, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his deep voice and commanding presence, he appeared in over forty feature films. He starred in the highly successful ABC tele ...

Joy Page Joy Page (born Joy Cerrette Paige; November 9, 1924 – April 18, 2008) was an American actress. She is best known for her role as the Bulgarian refugee Annina Brandel in ''Casablanca'' (1942). She was sometimes credited as Joanne Page. Early l ...

and

Gilbert Roland Luis Antonio Dámaso de Alonso (December 11, 1905 – May 15, 1994), known professionally as Gilbert Roland, was a Mexican-born American film and television actor whose career spanned seven decades from the 1920s until the 1980s. He was twice no ...

. Filmed on location in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, the film focused on the realities of the dangerous sport of bullfighting. During production, one stunt man died. Boetticher, who had experience in bullfighting, used a

semidocumentary A semidocumentary is a form of book, film, or television program presenting a fictional story that incorporates many factual details or actual events, or which is presented in a manner similar to a documentary. Characteristics Stylistically, it ...

approach in filming the sport and the lives of

matador A bullfighter (or matador) is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter and describe all the performers in the activit ...

Plot

Chuck Regan (

), a young American film producer travels to Mexico, where he takes up bullfighting to impress a local beauty, Anita de la Vega (

). Manolo Estrada (

), an aging matador, reluctantly agrees to teach the brash, self-centered Regan.

Cast

''as'' John "Chuck" Regan *

''as'' Anita de la Vega *

''as'' Manolo Estrada *

Virginia Grey Virginia Grey (March 22, 1917 – July 31, 2004) was an American actress who appeared in over 100 films and a number of radio and television shows from the 1930s to the early 1980s. Biography Grey was born on March 22, 1917, in Edendale, Calif ...

''as'' Lisbeth Flood * John Hubbard ''as'' Barney Flood *

Katy Jurado María Cristina Estela Marcela Jurado García (16 January 1924 – 5 July 2002), known professionally as Katy Jurado, was a Mexican actress. Jurado began her acting career in Mexico during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. In 1951, she was rec ...

''as'' Chelo Estrada *Ismael Pérez ''as'' Panchito *

Rodolfo Acosta Rodolfo Pérez Acosta (July 29, 1920 – November 7, 1974) was a Mexican-American character actor who became known for his roles as Mexican outlaws or American Indians in Hollywood western films. He was sometimes credited as Rudolfo Acosta ...

''as'' Juan *Ruben Padilla ''as'' Dr. Sierra *Darío Ramírez ''as'' Pepe Mora * Paul Fix ''as'' Joseph Jamison (uncredited) * Ward Bond ''as'' Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

Production

The film was originally called ''Torero''. Boetticher had been a bullfighter and told his life story to Ray Nazarro when working as an assistant director to the latter at Columbia. Boetticher says he wrote it down and Nazarro typed it up and sold the project to Dore Schary at MGM. He says this it why Nazarro has credit.Budd Boetticher: The Last Interview Wheeler, Winston Dixon. Film Criticism; Meadville Vol. 26, Iss. 3, (Spring 2002): 52-0_3. Boetticher says the film got made because John Wayne liked the story. He says Wayne "and John Ford cut 42 minutes out of" the film "so that it would be less than 90 minutes, a "B" picture. It took me forty years to get it back the way I wanted it.. It was a helluva blow, I tell you."

Reception

''Bullfighter'' earned Boetticher his only

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination, for Best Story, which he shared with co-writer

Ray Nazarro Ray Nazarro ''(aka'' "Ray" and "Nat;" ''né'' Raymond Alfred Nazarro; September 25, 1902 – September 8, 1986) was an American film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. Budd Boetticher called him a "ten-day picture guy."Budd ...

. Together with '' Seven Men from Now'', Boetticher regarded ''Bullfighter'' as one of "the two best films I ever made.

The complete 124 minute version of ''The Bullfighter and the Lady'' was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on July 30, 2013.

Alternate Versions

For the film's United States, American theatrical release, ''Bullfighter'' was cut to 87 minutes in order to share a

double bill The double feature is a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatres would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown. Opera use Opera ho ...

. The

UCLA Film Archive The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Also a nonprofit exhibition venue, the archiv ...

recently restored the film to its full 124 minute length

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bullfighter And The Lady 1951 films American black-and-white films Batjac Productions films Films scored by Victor Young Films directed by Budd Boetticher Films produced by John Wayne 1951 romantic drama films Republic Pictures films 1950s English-language films Films set in Mexico Bullfighting films American romantic drama films 1950s American films