Copyright 1955 by Edward L. Alperson Productions. Released through 20th Century-Fox. New York opening at the Astor: 24 May 1955. U.S. release: June 1955. U.K. release through Renown: April 1956. Australian release through Independent Film Distributors: 9 August 1956. 8.400 feet. 93 minutes. U.K. release title: The BRAVE AND THE BEAUTIFUL.
SYNOPSIS: Matador won't fight. Matador is redeemed by the love of a beautiful woman. Matador will fight.
NOTES: Filmed entirely in Mexico with the co-operation of the Mexican government and the Catholic Church.
COMMENT: Nothing very exciting here, I'm afraid. In the hands of a more skillful director than Budd Boetticher, the CinemaScope camera may have made something of all the Mexican scenery both urban and countryside. But it is all very flatly presented and almost totally uninteresting.
Admittedly, neither the clichéd story, nor the lackluster players are much help. Quinn has a typical tortured-hero role but despite all the agony, he is totally unable to elicit audience sympathy. Partly this is due to the sketchiness of the script, partly to a lack of vigor in the direction, but mostly to his own limitations as an actor. Maureen O'Hara is equally one-dimensional, but the picture mainly requires her to look aloofly beautiful — which she does rather well, assisted by flattering lighting and colorful costumes.
It's sad to see Richard Denning cast in the thankless role of a boorish suitor. The rest of the players, including the usually more volatile and certainly attractive Lola Albright, are little more than shadowy background figures, though keen-eyed observers will spot Alfonso Bedoya as the angry spectator who throws his pillow at Quinn at the start of the bullfight. And needless to say the bullfights themselves — surely the reason for the movie's whole existence in the first place — are shown in an extremely bloodless manner. Despite all the graceful passes of the matadors, the aim seems to be, as quite a few contemporary critics noticed, to tire the bull out or run him to death!
Aside from its ingrained dullness, technically the picture is okay. Pacier film editing would certainly be welcome and the photography suffers from the irritatingly soft focus common to early CinemaScope. Sadly, neither Boetticher nor Ballard have made any attempt to explore or exploit the widescreen frame. All compositions are resolutely centered with acres of waste space on each side. The brightest thing about the movie is its mariachi music.
SYNOPSIS: Matador won't fight. Matador is redeemed by the love of a beautiful woman. Matador will fight.
NOTES: Filmed entirely in Mexico with the co-operation of the Mexican government and the Catholic Church.
COMMENT: Nothing very exciting here, I'm afraid. In the hands of a more skillful director than Budd Boetticher, the CinemaScope camera may have made something of all the Mexican scenery both urban and countryside. But it is all very flatly presented and almost totally uninteresting.
Admittedly, neither the clichéd story, nor the lackluster players are much help. Quinn has a typical tortured-hero role but despite all the agony, he is totally unable to elicit audience sympathy. Partly this is due to the sketchiness of the script, partly to a lack of vigor in the direction, but mostly to his own limitations as an actor. Maureen O'Hara is equally one-dimensional, but the picture mainly requires her to look aloofly beautiful — which she does rather well, assisted by flattering lighting and colorful costumes.
It's sad to see Richard Denning cast in the thankless role of a boorish suitor. The rest of the players, including the usually more volatile and certainly attractive Lola Albright, are little more than shadowy background figures, though keen-eyed observers will spot Alfonso Bedoya as the angry spectator who throws his pillow at Quinn at the start of the bullfight. And needless to say the bullfights themselves — surely the reason for the movie's whole existence in the first place — are shown in an extremely bloodless manner. Despite all the graceful passes of the matadors, the aim seems to be, as quite a few contemporary critics noticed, to tire the bull out or run him to death!
Aside from its ingrained dullness, technically the picture is okay. Pacier film editing would certainly be welcome and the photography suffers from the irritatingly soft focus common to early CinemaScope. Sadly, neither Boetticher nor Ballard have made any attempt to explore or exploit the widescreen frame. All compositions are resolutely centered with acres of waste space on each side. The brightest thing about the movie is its mariachi music.