The Brave Bulls. 1951. USA. Directed by Robert Rossen. Screenplay by John Bright, based on the novel by Tom Lea. With Mel Ferrer, Anthony Quinn, Miroslava, Eugene Iglesias. 107 min.
For his follow-up to the multiple Oscar-winning All the King's Men (1949), Robert Rossen crafted another probing study of masculine identity crumbling under pressure. Mel Ferrer stars as Luis Bello, a celebrated matador who finds himself unexpectedly losing his nerve. Anthony Quinn, a staple of the bullfight genre, delivers a deftly ambiguous performance as Bello's manager, who is both Ferrer's sole confidant and most calculating exploiter. The film emerged during America's mid-century fascination with bullfighting, popularized by Hemingway and Ibáñez, but Rossen steers clear of "blood and sand" romanticism in favor of a darker exploration of fear and pride. Shot on extensive location in Mexico at a time when American films were just emerging from the studio, the film showcases James Wong Howe's remarkable cinematography, which moves fluently between contemplative landscapes and the hand-held intensity of the corrida sequences. A compelling continuation of Rossen's interest in power, corruption, and the fragility of the male ego.