Watch Blood and Sand For Free

That was an excellent one.

Simply A Masterpiece

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

I didn't use to like Tyrone Power. I saw him in The Eddy Duchin Story, Untamed, and In Old Chicago, and thought that was all he could do. If I'd seen him in The Black Swan, The Long Gray Line, and Blood and Sand instead, I probably would have thought he was great. He stars as a matador in Blood and Sand, and while he sometimes doesn't make the best choices, he channels a young George Clooney and makes the audiences root for him.The movie starts out when he's a young kid, dreaming of becoming a bullfighter. This part of the story isn't very interesting because he's made out to be a bit of a scoundrel. He sneaks out of the house past curfew, lies to his mother, steals cigars and alcohol, and gives attitude to adults. When he grows up and becomes Tyrone Power, he's more likable. He woos the beautiful and sweet Linda Darnell and pursues his dream of becoming a famous and respectable bullfighter. But with a fickle critic, Laird Cregar, a rival from childhood, Anthony Quinn, and a sleezy seductress, Rita Hayworth, he has a difficult road ahead of him.I'm really not a Rita Hayworth fan, and I always find it incredibly difficult to understand why she was cast in roles where she's supposed to be beautiful and wildly attractive. The good news is Linda Darnell is very easy to root for. She's beautiful and devoted, and she and Tyrone look great together. Speaking of looking good, even though Blood and Sand isn't a classic I'll probably rent again, it was pretty entertaining since the two good-looking leads spent virtually the entire movie prancing around in very tight matador costumes. Ladies, if your sweetie-pie likes bullfighter movies, you might want to suggest this one so you can both have a good time!

Personally speaking here - I found 1941's "Blood and Sand" (that's "B.S." for short) to be nothing but a laughable cinematic curiosity piece. It was all pure Catholic kitsch heavily spiced with the flavour of Spain (and the psychotic passion for bullfighting, thrown in for good measure).IMO - The sport of bullfighting (like cockfighting) has got to be the absolute, most despicable form of "crowd-mentality" entertainment, imaginable, in the entire world.Within 15 minutes of watching this picture I was already bored to tears with the whole B.S. of "B.S." - But I patiently stuck with it to the bitter end.It wasn't until this film's final moment that the meaning behind its title was finally revealed to the viewer.... But - WTF!? - "B.S." was a major disappointment on all counts.... "Ole!"

Uneducated peasant Juan Gallardo rises to fame and fortune in the bullfight arena. From here he falls for the socially active Dona Sol; thus breaking the heart of his childhood sweetheart Carmen. Nevertheless she stands by her man as he continues to face danger in the bullring, but ego and love will give Juan his biggest fight of all.This remake of the 1922 silent Rudolph Valentino picture is certainly a lavish production, the colour cinematography by Ernest Palmer & Ray Rennahan rightly won the Academy Award, and it's directed with adroit skill by Roublen Mamoulian. The story is a great one as well, following the rise of Gallardo (a solid if too staid Tyrone Power) is always intriguing, and it's watching his constant battle with his emotions that is the film's drawing card. However, there can be a case made for the film resting too much on its dialogue driven laurels, for far too many times I personally found myself hankering for an up turn in pace to help emphasise the emotional nature of the characters.The cast do OK without really excelling, Rita Hayworth looks gorgeous and a fine career blossomed from here on in, while Linda Darnell as the other love interest glides nicely from scene to scene. Anthony Quinn takes the best supporting honours, where his Manolo is vigorous with a cheeky glint in the eye, whilst sadly John Carradine is underused and his Nacional is not fully fleshed out until its far too late.It's at times sexy (damn flamenco always a winner to me), it's got guts, and it looks absolutely gorgeous, but it's not quite the whole classy package it could have been. 7/10

This is a remake of the old Valentino film. Instead of the silent heart-throb, Tyrone Power plays the studly bull fighter. Initially, Power's character is a really young prodigy--with amazing natural talents and a drive to improve even more. But, through the course of the film, he becomes lazy--instead focusing on the ladies and having a good time instead of honing his skills. As a result, he becomes a bit of a hack--just going through the motions. The crowd begins to react negatively and his career seems about over. The rest of the film you can see for yourself to see how it all comes to pass.The film is very pretty--shot in Technicolor. But, aside from a few really interesting scenes here and there, I just felt bored after a while. While a technically competent film, it's not very memorable. However, it is still much more watchable than the original--especially since the original was so heavy-handed and old fashioned (even in its day).