Blood and Sand

Released May 30, 1941

2 hr. 0 min.

Drama

List

100%

10 Reviews

Tomatometer

69%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Brash young Spanish peasant Juan Gallardo (Tyrone Power) aspires to follow his dead father's footsteps into the bullring, despite his mother's fears. Bidding his childhood sweetheart Carmen (Linda Darnell) farewell, Juan and his friends travel to Madrid to learn the bullfighting craft. Years later, when Juan's fame as a matador soars, he returns to Seville to marry Carmen. Soon, Juan's head is turned by the elegant temptress Doña Sol De Muira (Rita Hayworth), and his career takes a turn.

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A Technicolor classic, flush with vivid hues, tempered with shadow, with the great Tyrone Power portraying matador Juan Gallardo - a man determined to reach the top of the bullfighting world, at any cost. Rita Hayworth sizzles as the socialite temptress, with plenty of memorable, atmospheric Spanish music throughout. Also starring Anthony Quinn (who's featured in a steamy dance with Hayworth) as well as John Carradine. Recommended, if for nothing else than the rich palette of color deftly presented by director Mamoulian.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This bullfighting epic is a remake of a 1922 film starring Rudolph Valentino. An early Technicolour movie, it showcased a new generation of stars, including Tyrone Power, Rita Hayworth, Linda Darnell and Anthony Quinn. But the best performance comes from Alla Nazimova, a survivor of the silent era, as Power's mother.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

20th Century Fox's 1941 production BLOOD & SAND is a remake of the 1922 silent classic that established Rudolph Valentino as the greatest star of early cinema. Beautifully photographed in vivid 3 strip Technicolor by Ernest Palmer and Ray Renahan the elaborate newer version had the obvious heir-apparent to the silent screen star in dashing Tyrone Power. Written for the screen by Jo Swerling from the novel by Vicente Blasco Ibanez it was directed with a certain amount of flair, it has to be said, by Rouben Mamoulian who just the previous year had had his greatest success with Tyrone Power when he directed him in the classic "Mark of Zorro". The film recounts the story of a young, ambitious and quite naive bullfighter Juan Gallardo (Power) who falls under the spell of a beauteous and attractive socialite (Rita Hayworth) wrecking his relationship with Carmen (Linda Darnell) the girl who has always loved him since childhood. The picture culminates with Juan discovering too late that he is only a toy for the manipulative socialite. And finally in the end when he is gored by a bull in the ring it is the forgiving Carmen, his only true love, that comes to his side to comfort him as he lays dying. BLOOD & SAND was a very popular picture of the War years and remains a great favourite with Power devotees. However I have to confess to never being very fond of it. There is little doubt Ty Power is good as the aspiring Matador and Hayworth chews up every bit of scenery in sight as the alluring Donna Sol. But with the exception of Anthony Quinn and that memorable dance sequence he does with Hayworth I found the rest of the cast - particularly the young actor Rex Downing who played Juan as a boy - unconvincing and altogether uninspiring. In fact the whole picture for me was curiously uninvolving! Also Juan being gored by the bull towards the end is very badly done! You don't really see what happens to him. Was he gored in the back or the front? It is very difficult to decipher. And he appears very clean and unmarked in his ensuing death scene. Nevertheless the great Alfred Newman saves the day with his terrific score. Besides his music capturing all the heat, dust and passion of the bullring the composer also incorporates into his score the sumptuous traditional Spanish guitar melody "Romance D'Amour". An engaging and totally ravishing piece that was used to greater effect in "Forbidden Games" in 1952 when it was played by guitar genius Narciso Yepes. BLOOD & SAND can at least be enjoyed for its awesome colour Cinematography, Newman's great music, the star power and presence of Tyrone Power and the flowing beauty of Rita Hayworth.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

s r

The matador movie. Predictable, but still good.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

hayworth+power=sizzle

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

bill t

A bit melodramatic bullfighting tale here. Tyrone Power plays a mexican bullfighter wooed from his wife, like all men seem to do, by Rita Heyworth. His art suffers from it, and soon his world come crumbling down. Corny and stilted dialogue, shaky camerawork and overblown scenarios hold this one down, but it's still watchable because of that.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Rouben Mamoulian

Director

Tyrone Power

Juan

Linda Darnell

Carmen Espinosa

Rita Hayworth

Dona Sol

Alla Nazimova

Senora Augustias

Anthony Quinn

Manolo de Palma

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Sarah Cook

HeyUGuys

In spite of an unengaging script, Blood and Sand captivates with its vision.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 16, 2023

Full Review

John Kinloch

California Eagle

The fact that this film degenerates toward a dull funk in its concluding moments does not rob it of on unmatched pictorial beauty, the most sensitive and imaginative use of Technicolor yet recorded.

Oct 31, 2019

Full Review

Elena de la Torre

Cine-Mundial

The scenarios are magnificent and the characters have all easily adapted to the environment. [Full review in Spanish]

Sep 18, 2019

Full Review

Diego Galán

El Pais (Spain)

Blood and Sand reconstructs with fidelity the world of bullfighting. [Full Review in Spanish]

Aug 27, 2019

Full Review

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.

Rated: B+

Apr 9, 2012

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Mamoulian's excellent execution of the mise en scène gives the film an unexpected vigor.

Rated: B

Jul 2, 2006

Full Review

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Synopsis

Brash young Spanish peasant Juan Gallardo (Tyrone Power) aspires to follow his dead father's footsteps into the bullring, despite his mother's fears. Bidding his childhood sweetheart Carmen (Linda Darnell) farewell, Juan and his friends travel to Madrid to learn the bullfighting craft. Years later, when Juan's fame as a matador soars, he returns to Seville to marry Carmen. Soon, Juan's head is turned by the elegant temptress Doña Sol De Muira (Rita Hayworth), and his career takes a turn.

Director: Rouben Mamoulian
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: 20th Century Fox
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 30, 1941, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 6, 2014

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