THE MAGNIFICENT MATADOR
US, 1955, 94 minutes, Colour.
Anthony Quinn, Maureen O’ Hara, Manuel Rojas, Richard Denning, Lola Albright.
Directed by Budd Boetticher.
The Magnificent Matador is a bullfighting film made by Budd Boetticher who had a continued interest in this sport over decades. He first manifested it in film in The Bullfighter and the Lady in 1951. This film is very similar in story
plot, treatment and characterisation. This film had a bigger budget, more important stars with Anthony Quinn and Maureen O’ Hara and also was made in colour.
Audiences who are interested in bullfighting will find it an engrossing drama. Those who are critical of bullfighting will also find it interesting because the film does give both sides of the issues. Anthony Quinn at this time was at a peak in his career having con an Oscar for Viva Zapata and was about to win another one for Lust for Life.
Boetticher was then to go on to make a series of B grade westerns which were popular in their way and which many critics, especially the French, consider as most important,
1. Did this film hold audience interest? Why? How enjoyable was it? How successful a film? With B grade budget how much value did it have?
2. What is the audience response to Mexico and its backgrounds? Why? How well were they used here?
3. What is audience response to bull-fighting and the arena? Why? Did the film show well the pros and cons of this way of life? Its impact on Mexican peoples? The glamour, the skill? the reputations?
4. How did the film gain audience interest with its basic puzzle about the behaviour about the matador? Did it take the audience with it and give them a satisfactory answer? On the level of understanding and of feeling?
5. How could the audience enter the story via the heroine? An attractive woman on herself, her romantic ideas about matadors, her following the matador, her helping him, her interventions, his trusting her, the outsider looking at the Mexicans, her clash with Richard Denning? The resolution at the end?
6. How did the film focus on the matador himself? Anthony Quinn's style and performance, seeing him at prayers his omens and prayers, his running away, the impact of the car-chase, his accepting the heroine's offers, hiding, accepting taunts, finding out the truth, his naivety about his son, his final confronting the people, their response to him, the bull-fighting success?
7. How well portrayed were the minor characters - were they
interesting or conventional? The American hanger-on who is nasty, drunks telling the press? The friendly couple who put people off? The Mexican landowner who has supported the matador etc?
8. How convincing was the portrayal of the son? His ambitions? His relationship with his father? His final success? What did the film have to say about skill and achievement, ageing, the generations and the clash and co-operation? Was this well portrayed?
10. After this discussion, can this film stand as a successful and important bullfight film?
