You won't be disappointed!

Fresh and Exciting

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Problems! Where to start? Well, I suppose the first thing is the condition of the print. I am reviewing the Alpha print. It is in just watchable condition. The music score? I don't remember, even though it is just on 24 hours ago that I ran the Alpha DVD. After about 20 minutes, I turned the DVD off because the pace was funereal. I decided to turn the movie back on and try watching it at twice the recommended speed. To my surprise, this experiment was extremely successful. I emphasize the words "surprise" and "successful". There was still plenty of time to read all the captions with no straining or effort on my part at all -- and as you might expect, as the movie was based on the famous novel, there were far more captions than scenes! There was plenty of time to read the captions and some of the scenes -- and by no means all the scenes themselves -- did now run just a little too fast. But that was far more comfortable than the Alpha DVD's funereal pacing.I thought that Valentino gave a rather glum performance. The ladies, particularly Nita Naldi, were more pleasingly animated. Fred Niblo's direction was competent but nothing special. And Fred did nothing to disguise obvious inserts of old stock footage, particularly in the bull-ring scenes. It's also true that a better print (and music score!) would definitely give the movie a higher overall rating!

Juan is the son of a poor widow in Seville. Against his mother's wishes he pursues a career as toreador. He rapidly gains national prominence, and takes his childhood sweetheart Carmen as his bride. He meets the Marquis' daughter Dona Sol, and finds himself in the awkward position of being in love with two women, which threatens the stability of his family and his position in society.Dorothy Arzner worked as the film's editor. Arnzer used stock footage of bullfights filmed in Madrid interspersed with close-ups of Valentino. Her work on the film helped to solidify her reputation of being a resourceful editor as her techniques also saved Paramount money. She would later say that working on the film was the "first waymark to my claim to a little recognition as an individual." What strikes me about that is how "stock footage" existed by the early 1920s. How was there already footage of various things without copyright? Or perhaps there was copyright, but a fee to use it was small? This just seems strange, and yet it is apparently true.

I've watched "Blood and Sand" several times; I own the DVD. With every viewing I notice some new subtle nuance in the under played gestures of Valentino. In the big seduction scene between Valentino and the voluptuous Nita Naldi, she sits at a harp, delicately playing, with her back to Valentino. He walks up behind her chair, clearly aroused, and he begins to seductively stroke the chair! This is so under played and yet so visually compelling and sensuous.It is so unlike the melodramatic rather hystrionic aesthetic so often found in films from this period. Valentino's restraint throughout the film's more emotional moments is compelling; his subtlety pulls the viewer intimately inward.True, the bull fighting scenes leave a bit to be desired. They are the result of some rather choppy editing and sadly come off looking peculiar,even humorous at times. Somehow Valentino pulls it off, his graceful movements, his quiet emotions, his compelling sensuality more than make up for the lack of authenticity in the bullring.

You know the story even if you've never heard of this movie: young man becomes famous and starts cheating on his wife. Good characterizations and vivid backgrounds can't save the tired (even for its time) plot. Bullfighting scenes are more curious than exciting. Director Niblo's talents do not shine as brightly as in Ben-Hur 3 years later. The 1941 remake is better.