Blood and Sand (1941)

100% of critics liked it
(6 reviews)
74% of users liked it
(548 ratings)

Based on the novel by Vincente Blasco Ibanez, Blood and Sand is the beautifully rendered story of the rise and fall of a young, cocksure Spanish bullfighter, played by Tyrone Power. Working his way slowly up the ladder to success, Power achieves fame when he is praised to skies by fatuous, fickle… More Based on the novel by Vincente Blasco Ibanez, Blood and Sand is the beautifully rendered story of the rise and fall of a young, cocksure Spanish bullfighter, played by Tyrone Power. Working his way slowly up the ladder to success, Power achieves fame when he is praised to skies by fatuous, fickle critic Laird Cregar. A country boy at heart, Power finds himself way over his head with sophisticates, and is soon torn between his pious and faithful wife Linda Darnell and sexy, mercenary Rita Hayworth. It is Darnell, however, who comforts Power after his final, fatal goring in the bull ring. The film's best scenes depict the curious combination of horror and fascination with which bullfighting aficionados treat this most barbaric of "sports." Blood and Sand was previously filmed in 1922 with Rudolph Valentino; a Valentino contemporary, Alla Nazimova, plays Power's mother in the remakes. Portions of this film turned up as stock footage in the 1945 Laurel and Hardy comedy The Bullfighters. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 3 min.
Directed By: Rouben Mamoulian
Written By: Jo Swerling
Genres: Drama, Romance, Classics

In Theaters: May 22, 1941 Wide
On DVD: May 1, 2007
Studio: 20th Century Fox

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
This handsomely mounted remake, which deservedly won the Color Cinematography Oscar, boasts production values that overwhelm the story and its characters.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Mamoulian's excellent execution of the mise en scène gives the film an unexpected vigor.
Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan
Bullish action + Linda Darnell marks this Ty Power starrer.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Mamoulian's most gorgeous color film is slightly hampered by its script.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Randy T

Realism takes a backseat to romance in this 1941 Technicolor extravaganza. A young Spanish boy rises from the depths of poverty to become "The World's Greatest Bullfighter". Tyrone Power is Juan Gallardo, the matador who discovers that fame is fleeting and not… More
Realism takes a backseat to romance in this 1941 Technicolor extravaganza. A young Spanish boy rises from the depths of poverty to become "The World's Greatest Bullfighter". Tyrone Power is Juan Gallardo, the matador who discovers that fame is fleeting and not necessarily all that it is cracked up to be. His marriage to the young, virtuous Carmen (Linda Darnell) is threatened when his notoriety attracts the attention of the beautiful but unscrupulous Dona Sol (Rita Hayworth). This classic teaming of Hollywood heavyweights also features an up-and-coming young Anthony Quinn in a memorable supporting role. Every effort was made to try and make the violent sport of bullfighting more palatable for American audiences. Scenes of slaughter and blood are shot from a distance or, more often than not, not at all - opting instead for reaction shots of the crowd to convey the shock and brutality of the circumstance. <i>Blood and Sand</i> may not be an honest rendering of Spanish toreadors but it is enormously entertaining.

Cast

            Tyrone Power as Juan Gallardo

            Linda Darnell as Carmen Espinosa

            Rita Hayworth as Dona Sol des Muire

            Alla Nazimova as Senora Augustias

            Anthony Quinn as Manolo de Palma

            J. Carrol Naish as Garabato

            John Carradine as Nacional

            Lynn Bari as Encarnacion

            Laird Cregar as Natalio Curro

            Andres Vincente Gomez as Guitarist

            William Montague as Antonio

            George Reeves as Capt. Pierre Lauren

            Pedro de Cordoba as Don Jose Alvarez

            Fortunio Bonanova as Pedro Espinosa

            Michael Morris as La Pulga

            Charles Stevens as Pabelo Gomez

            Ann E. Todd as Carmen As A Child

            Cora Sue Collins as Encarnacion As A Child

            Cecilia Callejo as Street Gachi

            Lynne Carver
            
            Maurice Cass as El Milquetoast

            Jacqueline Dalya as Gachi

            Rex Downing as Juan As A Child

            Paul Ellis as Ortega

            Esther Estrella as Street Gachis

            Russell Hicks as Marquis

            Cullen Johnson as Manolo As A Child

            Victor Kilian as Priest

            Kay Linaker as Woman

            Francis McDonald as Friend

            Fred Malatesta as Waiter

            Alberto Morin as Attendant

            Schuyler Standish as Nacional As A Child

            Monty Banks as Antonio Lopez

            Gracilla Pirraga as Vocalist

            Harry Burns as Engineer

            Paco Moreno as Conductor

            John Wallace as Francisco
See full cast